Microsoft To Can Skype API; Third-Party Products Will Not Work

Mark Gibbs writes "If you've recently fired up Skype you may have noticed a dialog box with a warning appear briefly (at least on OS X) then vanish. If you're fast enough to catch it you'll find that it's warning you that some application you're using that works with Skype will stop working in December, 2013. This applies to all sorts of software supporting headsets, cameras, ... you name it."

Comments

Re:Embrace, Extend, Extinguish

[hairyfeet]

Uhhh...this is different than Google...how exactly? In case you missed it Google is locking down Android and removing APIs and taking more and more of what was once "open"proprietary and then to add insult to injury they Google is testing giant intrusive banner ads which they swore they would NEVER do which is why some of us switched to them in the first place.

So allow me to say, which since getting engaged I so rarely get to do anymore....I TOLD YOU SO, I did, I told you so. I said "If you all go mobile it will bite you right in the ass, its all proprietary and locked down and nasty" and what do we see? Apple,Google, and MSFT all racing to see who can have the nastiest lock in and worst practices. Hell Google even took what was once a bog standard laptop and locked the thing down so damned badly that the ONLY way to install a different OS is to 1.- Put in a half page of CLI to put the system into "dev mode", 2.-WIPE THE DRIVE, no dual booting allowed citizen, 3.- Then and ONLY then can you ONLY install one of a handful of Linux distros with hacked bootloaders. No BSDs, No windows, nothing.

So I'm sorry folks but we are about to head into another computing dark age, one I call "the return of the consoles" as that is all you re gonna have, consoles that will ONLY run corp approved apps bought through a corp controlled appstore and when they no longer support it? Throw it away as you won't be able to load shit as nobody will support it anymore than they supported the original Xbox after the X360 came out. Its all gonna be locked down, first party crap with the only third party being those that pay their $699 license fees and 30% of every dime they make. And ya know what? Its gonna fucking SUUUUUCCCKKKK.

And just remember when it happens and all you iPhone and Galaxy owners are crying about being screwed old hairy told ya so, he truly did.

Re:What will we do ?

[mrchaotica]

I know the alternatives and many colleagues will say "lets move to [proprietary crap] as it always works better" , some still use [proprietary crap] as it is better in low bandwidth countries (if you are going to the Philippines, get a [proprietary crap] account) or some other provider like [proprietary crap]. I try to encourage my hard core colleagues to use [proprietary crap] as it is more secure (only 4 do) BUT the reality is that more than 95% of the people that I work with, who are all computer literate, want to stay with [proprietary crap] because it is what they know and are happy with.

Dude, seriously, just get an app that supports XMPP and Jingle.