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I don't know what software package they use, but there's a good chance that they were talking about the great (and FOSS) nothing-to-install* WebRTC group chat solution from Jitsi:

https://meet.jit.si/

* you'll need to install a browser plugin if you want to share your screen, but that's mainly to allow an out-of-sandbox exemption to the browser.

So much for open web standards,

Unlike Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome D - OES NOT support ORTC (Microsoft's NIH-syndrom variation upon webRTC) - well yet (the plan is for ORTC eventually to be reworked into WebRTC 1.1 at which point both Chrome AND Firefox will support it).

Which means that if the current Skype for Web works in Google Chrome :
  - either Microsoft has released a special binary plug-in for Google to support their calling protocol.
(It doesn't seem to be the case, at least with my quick testing Chrome doesn't seem to ask to install a plug-in)
  - or Microsoft has partially rewritten Skype for Web to allow support for WebRTC-based browser (e.g.: written a ORTC-over-WebRTC wrapper to fill in the gap until ORTC gets approved into standard)...

If a site doesn't at least work on Firefox, it is BROKEN.

...and Firefox *ALSO* supports WebRTC (that's what all the sites like https://meet.jit.si use).
Which means that by fumbling around with user-agent string and maybe a few bug fixes, Skype for Web should work in Firefox too.

I am sure Google is very pleased, indeed.

Google doesn't give a damn about Chrome, they do not sell it, it doesn *directly* earn them money.

Google does give a damn about people using *a* browser (no matter which) and going online, where they will get exposed to advertisements, subjected to tracking, convinced to store all their private things on google's mail and file servers, their data getting slurped, etc.
And that is what Google sells (to ads agencies, to marketeers, to governments, etc...) and makes tons of money upon.

Them building Chrome, as well as them financing the development of Firefox is just a mean to achieve the goal of more people exposed to the web.

If Firefox gets eventually support for Skype for Web, Google will be happy too: means Firefox is a more viable browser, which means additional ways to go online, which means more people eventually showing up on the internet where Google can monetize the shit out of their asses.

The fact that currently Skype only supports Edge and Chrome has nothing to do with making Google happy, and everything to do with Microsoft currently offering a browser which is basically a reskinned-version of Chrome, so of course they had to pay attention to making it work.

Try Jitsi meet. Fully FOSS, no client install needed, runs in the browser. Run your own relay server if you like.

https://meet.jit.si/

> on[e] of the few applications that allowed cross platform video calling.

try Jitsi Meet, https://meet.jit.si/

Zero-install WebRTC is the future, here today. Cross platform, open source, only requirement is a modern web browser. For privacy you can set up and control your own multiplexing relay, if you want to, instead of having to trust a third party.

If you have modern browsers at both sides of the connection (supporting webrtc: http://caniuse.com/#feat=rtcpe...), there are many online sites that require no account setup or anything else, and where a connection can be done by clicking a link. No plugins required.

It needs a separate channel e.g. chat to set it up (where you can send your communication partner the link, or ask them to talk via the webrtc), but it works.

https://talky.io/
https://appear.in/
https://meet.jit.si/
https://apprtc.appspot.com/

Try https://meet.jit.si/

With WebRTC done right you don't need to install or sign up for anything, point the web browser to the right place and you're good to go.

Desktop sharing requires a small plugin and permissions.

https://meet.jit.si/ rocks! Nothing new to install WebRTC is awesome.

WebRTC-based services, in the form of e.g. https://meet.jit.si/, are end-to-end secure and decentralised. Not sure if Windows Phone has any browser which supports WebRTC, though.

a txt saying "hey get online https://meet.jit.si/YourFamily..." really isn't that bad.

Hmmm, that sounds interesting enough to follow up on.

> Who does?

In this context https://meet.jit.si/ is good. Actually scratch that they're awesome. Fully open source and zero install beyond already having Firefox or Chrome installed on any platform. Because there is no install there is no social network or geek barrier, everyone just visits a common url at the same time. link and time sent via text message or email beforehand which isn't quite the same as a phone ringing but a txt saying "hey get online https://meet.jit.si/YourFamily..." really isn't that bad.

> Who does?

In this context https://meet.jit.si/ is good. Actually scratch that they're awesome. Fully open source and zero install beyond already having Firefox or Chrome installed on any platform. Because there is no install there is no social network or geek barrier, everyone just visits a common url at the same time. link and time sent via text message or email beforehand which isn't quite the same as a phone ringing but a txt saying "hey get online https://meet.jit.si/YourFamily..." really isn't that bad.

http://meet.jit.si/ for the WebRTC win!

Let it die, stop using it!!

It is only used because "other" people use it, no one like it... stop using it and let it die, everyone will win.

Now with webrtc, the standard for chat is webchat, with FULL video, audio support. Just use the build in "firefox hello", https://appear.in/ , https://apprtc.webrtc.org/ , https://talky.io/ , https://www.voicechatapi.com/ or https://meet.jit.si/ and you will never need skype again . If you need a client with a full "friend list", you can use plain old irc or jabber and send the link, or simply use jitsi and use it as you usually use skype... all free, all working

Again, stop using skype and use open standards

https://meet.jit.si/ for the win!

It'll kill Skype as surely as Diaspora killed Facebook!

https://meet.jit.si/ for the win!

or for a cross platform stand alone client visit http://www.jitsi.org/

Try Jitsi's WEBRTC alternative Videobridge. It rocks!

https://meet.jit.si/

Jitsi itself is pretty cool too.

http://www.jitsi.org/

Jitsi's Videobridge is already in production and works great. WebRTC done right and under the MIT/X license too!

https://meet.jit.si/

http://www.jitsi.org/

https://meet.jit.si/ will make you a believer in cross platform zero-install WebRTC. Tested between Opera on Android and Chromium on desktop Linux and Chome on Windows, multiparty video conference calls work great.

They are lightyears ahead of Skype's offering at this point, and full of LGPL goodness.

try https://meet.jit.si/

I think it meets all your criteria.

You guys should really be using Jitsi internally and a local deployment of http://meet.jit.si for communicating with random customers who shouldn't have to install a third party client just to talk to you.

It may be bloat, but WebRTC with http://meet.jit.si/ is nothing less than the future of communication.

> And hey, developers... what's the deal with no true peer to peer
> video comm app without third party dependencies?

behold, http://meet.jit.si/

the future is now. and it is good.

(chrome, opera, or cromium and a webcam required. hopefully firefox will get on the webrtc ball soon)

Jitsi looks realy nice. I want to try it myself when i need videoconferencing later this year. There is also Jitsi videobridge which you can deploy on your server and use Jitsi meet web client to connect to it. Or you can use 3rd party maintained instalation of videobridge available at https://meet.jit.si/

http://meet.jit.si/your_group_...

zero setup, just need to open the url in a browser.

in its infancy but webrtc is the future.

meet.jit.si is just the demo site, you can run your own videobidge.

https://meet.jit.si/ FTW!