[lug] No more Skype support for Linux?

[Davide Del Vento]

>> Are there any other Internet phone services available for Linux?
>
> Ekiga.  Haven't used it much because I don't know anyone else using it.
> http://ekiga.org/ - desktop tool
> https://www.ekiga.net/ - service provider

I tried Ekiga about 2 years ago. It kind of worked. Like a car you
build by yourself from scrap metal does, thought. You won't use it for
more than a trip around the block. Video was almost impossible to
stream. Voice was more mature, but (back to the car example), just for
a trip in town, you don't want to go out of town with that wreck. I'd
be interested if anybody tries it now, maybe 2 years have been enough
to make it production-ready.

I used skype a lot for my weekly videocall to my relatives oversea
(note: I only have linux boxes in my house and office: no Mac or
windows). With the like-myself-geek-and-free-software-advocate oversea
relative, I tried to stick with Ekiga, but it lasted two weeks (i.e. 2
calls), then we switches to skype. If something it's unreliable, it
doesn't matter if it's geeky or free software.

When Google released this http://www.google.com/chat/video for Linux I
tried it, and as soon as it worked with my webcam (at first it didn't)
I started using it "in production". I find it better than skype. As
many Google things it's browser based, but it requires you install a
proprietary plugin - if you don't you can't use it, so you have to be
root on the relevant machine (which I don't like, and in fact I
haven't installed on the machine where I do internet banking, but
anyway...)
The same plugin is used for Firefox and Chrome (not sure about
epiphany and the likes)

This Google Thing works better than skype in my experience, more
reliable on flaky internet connections, more "tunable", less dropped
calls, no new passwords to learn (I think I created 7 skype accounts
just because I always forgot the password and couldn't get it back):

1) the video freezes when the bandwidth does not allow, keeping the
audio going, as opposed to breaking your eardrums with noise like
skype did.
2) the video window is freely resizable: the more you enlarge the more
bandwidth it needs.
3) I also like that'ss well integrated with gmail and its text chat,
so I can search for chat history of any of my 7 computers without
installing the client (I guess that might be a cons to some)
4) I like Google more than the often-owner-changing skype (I guess
that might be a cons to some)
5) I liked the interface better than skype, which is confusing for me:
too many irrelevant


HTH, YMMV, etc.

Davide