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Skype Reverses Decision To Drop OS X 10.5 Support, Retires Windows Phone 7 App

Posted by timothy on from the nobody-worth-spying-on-with-windows-7-it-seems dept.

An anonymous reader writes Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard users recently found that Skype no longer works on their system: despite upgrading to the latest version they still can't sign in. We got in touch with the Microsoft-owned company and after two days, we got confirmation that a solution was in the works. "We have a Skype version for Mac OS X 10.5 users which will soon be available for download," a Skype spokesperson told TNW. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Windows Phone 7. In a support page titled "Is Skype for Windows Phone 7 being discontinued?," the Microsoft-owned company answers the question with a "yes" and elaborates that it is "permanently retiring all Skype apps for Windows Phone 7." Again, this isn't just old versions going away, or support being removed, but the apps themselves have disappeared.

99 comments

  1. WP7 was a limited platform by sideslash · · Score: 1

    I'm sure somebody at Microsoft is annoyed at this, but the Skype devs are probably relieved to stop supporting it. It's easy to forget that WP7 was essentially a 1.0 product. It was a restart from Windows Mobile 6.5, and very limited versus concurrent Android and iOS. With WP8 and 8.1 they've been getting up to speed nicely. I still want to see better third party Bluetooth support for devs, though.

    1. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's easy to forget the WP7 is a 1.0 product, but I do feel sorry for the people who have phones running that OS.

      Remember, a lot of non-savvy people opted for WP7 based on the name of Microsoft. They will be shocked to find Skype missing.

    2. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by amiga3D · · Score: 0

      I sort of feel for them but really what did they expect? This is what Microsoft does.

    3. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by sideslash · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's easy to forget the WP7 is a 1.0 product, but I do feel sorry for the people who have phones running that OS.

      Remember, a lot of non-savvy people opted for WP7 based on the name of Microsoft. They will be shocked to find Skype missing.

      Eh, WP7 is old. I don't think people will be that shocked. They should feel guilty for being so far behind the times, and give all their money to a smartphone manufacturer right away. /sarc

    4. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Like people stuck on earlier versions of Android or iOS are any different. All companies pull this shit, but it's a rarity for Microsoft. How long did they support Windows XP again?

    5. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      Yes, it was limited. So much so that Skype could not receive incoming calls on WP7 unless the app was open (and not in the background). This was a WP7 limitation.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    6. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by Rockoon · · Score: 2

      So much so that Skype could not receive incoming calls on WP7 unless the app was open (and not in the background).

      Sounds like a feature.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    7. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by amiga3D · · Score: 2

      XP lasted because Vista was an abysmal failure. When they finally bugfixed it by bringing out Win7 they at last had a viable alternative. Until Win7 arrived they had nothing to replace XP.

    8. Re:WP7 was a limited platform by davester666 · · Score: 1

      They stopped being shocked just after Microsoft announced there were no software upgrades from WP7 to the next version, that instead all they would get largely is a skin that made it look like WP 8.

      1. MS intentionally hung a bunch of people buying their phones out to dry by giving a "no comment" when asked if WP 8 would be available as an upgrade to current phones.
      2. Huge surprise that sales took a nosedive because all the phones with WP being sold were being deadended in a few months [several months after WP 8 was announced, when MS finally confirmed that all current phones were not eligible for upgrades to WP8].

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  2. See what happens when you whine enough? by msobkow · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    See what happens when you whine enough? Even Microsoft provides longer term support for obsolete, unsupported operating systems than Apple does.

    Suck it up fanbois: Apple sucks farts off dead chickens. Their only game is to keep you on the re-purchase treadmill.

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    1. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      here here

    2. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by thieh · · Score: 1

      That didn't go well enough with Windows XP (it got extended just a little). I guess it only works selectively.

    3. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by armanox · · Score: 2

      Considering that the only equipment that would be 'stuck' on 10.5 is on PowerPC, and the switch to Intel took place in 2006, I don't really care. Hardware has changed so much since then. Or have you tried using a G5 PowerMac in the modern world? Anything that's GPU accelerated (like browsers), HD video, or Javascript heavy is going to have issues.

      --
      I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
    4. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Suck it up fanbois: Apple sucks farts off dead chickens. Their only game is to keep you on the re-purchase treadmill.

      Yeah that must be why they're giving away free OS updates. Nothing says "re-purchase treadmill" like free updates. And every Mac with an 64-bit chips, going as far back as 2007 iMacs, will continue to be supported with new OS updates. If Apple was about what you claim why would a 7 year old system be able to get OS X 10.10?

      And they've supported iPhones and iPads with OS for more than a year after stopping sales. Android manufacturers stop providing updates while still selling the product.

      Basically, you're full of shit with weak sauce trollbait.

    5. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      This. There is really *no* excuse to still be running 10.5, which has been unsupported for three years, on hardware that has been deprecated for eight. These are systems that are connected to the internet, for fuck's sake. That's just criminally negligent. We had this conversation the other day.

      Microsoft is flipping Apple's support ecosystem the bird and encouraging bad behavior in Apple's end users. A dick move, IMO. The few idiots affected will be pleased in the short term, but what they really need is some sense knocked into their skulls.

    6. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      Oh, please. How many people are paying to run Skype on a system that can't or won't be upgraded to Snow Leopard? Supporting Leopard means that Microsoft can't use APIs released in the last 5 years. They probably have to support x86-32 or PPC processors (which is the reason most people on Leopard are still on Leopard). They have to use relatively ancient tools to compile the packages.

      All that, or they can just decide to never, ever upgrade the underlying protocol to handle new security requirements or additional features.

      I can't for the life of me figure why MS would want to bother to keep supporting that old code. What's the return on investment for keeping someone's PPC Mac limping along? Or perhaps that's it: they want to make it easy for people to stay on stone age hardware to try and compel Apple to have to support it. Sounds conspiratorial, but I'm hard pressed to think on a non-conspiracy explanation that satisfies Occam's Razor.

      Also, Microsoft is killing support for their own WP7, whose last release came out less than a year and a half ago. So much for your assertion, huh? Maybe they've just decided that supporting a 5 year old OS X version has a better business case than Windows Phone 7, which is very likely true.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    7. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by msobkow · · Score: 0

      Yeah, free upgrades if your old hardware is supported.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    8. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by msobkow · · Score: 0, Troll

      I was running Windows 7 on 10 year old hardware. Can you say the same for OS/X?

      I thought not.

      Fanboi.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    9. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes, as old as 7 year old iMacs, 6 year old MacBooks, 5.5 year old MacBook Pros, all MacBook Airs, 5 year old Mac Minis and 6 year old Mac Pros. Basically anything far older than the Windows Phone 7 phones that Microsoft is not supporting.

    10. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by msobkow · · Score: 1

      That inability to upgrade is precisely what Mac users were complaining about in the last thread on this topic only this past week.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    11. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What a retarded statement. Of course you can't run an x86_64 OS on PowerPC Macs.

    12. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What inability? Anything with 64-bit Intel chips gets 10.10. So the only people still on 10.5 are either running PowerPC or are just refusing to update at their own peril.

    13. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by jbolden · · Score: 0

      Apple customers like the lack of support. It gets the ecosystem to move. Rather than sitting for a decade with little progress Apple announces something at WWDC and within about 2 years it is standard across the platform: bing, bang, done.

    14. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So like all those people who bought Windows Phone 7 phones yet couldn't upgrade to Windows Phone 8 even when their phones were only 1 or two years old?

    15. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Desler · · Score: 2

      And how pray tell do you presume someone would run a current version of OS X on a PowerPC system? You've basically constructed a scenario that is intentionally impossible.

    16. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Can you run Windows 7 on a 10 year old Itanium system? Once you answer that you should realize the absurdity of your own question.

    17. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Desler · · Score: 1

      The only people who can't upgrade are people with PowerPC or someone with a 32-bit Mac. Basically a minuscule minority. It's no different than Itanium systems losing support from Microsoft in 2005. It's also vastly less worse than WP7 users who were denied the WP8 update when even the oldest phones were only 2 years old or if you happened to own something like a T-Mobile Vibrant like I did that never got Android updates from Samsung after only 1 year so people would buy an S2.

    18. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      Yeah, free upgrades if your old hardware is supported.

      That's true. They dedicated a team to porting MacOS 10.10 to Apple II but they unexpectedly all quit the company. Apple is baffled.

      --
      Write boring code, not shiny code!
    19. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod up. Hilarious comeback.

    20. Re: See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There there!

      (It's "hear, hear".)

    21. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Merk42 · · Score: 1

      XP got extended for years, twice. What would be 'well enough'? Forever?

    22. Re: See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There there Judah ben-Hur.

      Obligatory Simpsons quote.

    23. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, because there never was a home/workstation edition of windows for Itanium systems.
      Server 2008R2 (aka the server variant of 7) will run on a 10 year old Itanium.
      What was absurd about the question again?

    24. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      XP got extended for years, twice. What would be 'well enough'? Forever?

      More than three or four years after they stopped selling it would be a good start.

      But, yeah, I'm guessing that both remaining WP7 users are really upset about this.

    25. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by antifoidulus · · Score: 1

      That's not entirely true, you have to have a 64 bit boot loader to be able to run the latest and greatest OS X. The first generation of Intel Mac Pros had a 32 bit boot loader and are thus officially unable to run anything post Lion(there are workarounds however)

      --
      Monstar L
    26. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by msobkow · · Score: 0

      The issue is not PowerPC hardware. The issue is the early Intel hardware which is widely reported as unsupported by later versions of OS/X.

      Stick your head back in the nice comfortable Apple sand. I'm sure it's warm and moist in there like mama's womb.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    27. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "Or have you tried using a G5 PowerMac in the modern world? Anything that's GPU accelerated (like browsers), HD video, or Javascript heavy is going to have issues."

      8GB RAM and a 512MB HD GeForce 7800 plays HD video just fine in my dual-proc G5. Javascript is shit so I avoid it like the plague anyways, and GPU browser acceleration, what a fucking joke.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    28. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      There is no Intel Mac hardware that can't run OS 10.6.8 at least. The vast majority can run 10.10.

    29. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by bondsbw · · Score: 2

      That's a bit unfair to compare Mac computers with Windows phones. Comparing computers, Microsoft has pretty much an unbeatable record when it comes to supporting old versions.

      But iPhones are updated for somewhat longer than Windows Phones (my 3GS was supported from iOS 3 through iOS 6, so 4 years worth).

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    30. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. My 17" high-end-at-the-time macbook pro is a dual core Intel chip -- it's not a PowerPC. Mavericks will not install on it. In fact, I can't even download it from the app store -- the store itself tells me it's not compatible. Shame, too, I'd love to have it there.

      Mavericks is well worth having -- they fixed several of the more pernicious and subtle problems like the eventual mach message stall in the color pipeline for really active graphics programs. Of course, you need to kill that idiotic app nap crap and probably the "only runs signed apps" nonsense as well, but overall, Mavericks runs better on my 8-core mac pro than any previous version.

    31. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and then within the next couple years, it becomes unsupported and useless on your nice, stable OS version. Aperture, for instance.

    32. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only people who can't upgrade are people with PowerPC or someone with a 32-bit Mac. Basically a minuscule minority.

      Yeah. Now it is. It wasn't when my whole family had to go and buy 'Intel' Macs because they stopped supporting the OS and so all of their Phones didn't sync with iTunes. It still doesn't get rid of the fact that Apple are dreadful at keeping the hardware compatible. iPod/iPhone cables/connectors anyone?

      It's no different than Itanium systems losing support from Microsoft in 2005.

      It's completely different. Itanium was a server-class platform, no way anyone's Mom or Pop were going to have XP on itanium to 'Browse the Internets'

      It's also vastly less worse than WP7 users who were denied the WP8 update when even the oldest phones were only 2 years old or if you happened to own something like a T-Mobile Vibrant like I did that never got Android updates from Samsung after only 1 year so people would buy an S2.

      I take that point of view though.

    33. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by jbolden · · Score: 0

      Yes. That's progress. Aperture filled a niche that was important:

      a) It provided a platform in case Adobe discontinued photoshop for Mac
      b) It provided a way to work with raw images
      c) It provided a version of iPhoto advanced

      Well:
      a) Is never happening
      b) is now handled well by Lightroom
      c) Is going to be included in 10.10

      So the platform is moving on.

    34. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Desler · · Score: 2

      The issue is not PowerPC hardware.

      You mentioned 10-year-old hardware. Unless you're being intentionally dense, the only 10-year-old Macs are PowerPC.

      The issue is the early Intel hardware which is widely reported as unsupported by later versions of OS/X.

      Yeah, less than a handful of models that represent a tiny minority of Macs in current use.

    35. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Desler · · Score: 1

      No, because there never was a home/workstation edition of windows for Itanium systems.

      Windows XP 64-bit supported Itanium.

    36. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Desler · · Score: 1

      No. My 17" high-end-at-the-time macbook pro is a dual core Intel chip -- it's not a PowerPC. Mavericks will not install on it.

      Which model specially? Any 17" model from Mid 2007 and later are supported. If you have one of those MacBook Pros and it won't install it means you're doing something wrong.

    37. Re:See what happens when you whine enough? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      And every Mac with an 64-bit chips, going as far back as 2007 iMacs, will continue to be supported with new OS updates.

      Uh, make that 64-bit EFI and you will be correct - not every 64-bit capable Mac had a 64-bit EFI, and thus your statement is not entirely true.

  3. Well I guess it's time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    For me to bite the bullet and get an android phone.
    No way am I going to get a windows phone again and risk it going out of support within a year or two.

    1. Re:Well I guess it's time by sideslash · · Score: 2

      For me to bite the bullet and get an android phone. No way am I going to get a windows phone again and risk it going out of support within a year or two.

      Yeah, I definitely believe that this AC uses an old WP7 phone. They just exude credibility, and there's nothing fake or phony about their outrage whatsoever. Given that you can pick up an Android off Ebay for peanuts that will run circles around an old WP7 device and support a lot more apps to boot...

    2. Re:Well I guess it's time by anarcobra · · Score: 1

      I am that AC, and I do use an old windows 7 phone. I don't use e-bay and I'm not interested in using a second hand phone with who knows what done to it. I've simply been putting off buying a new phone since it still did what I needed and I just haven't decided on what new phone to get.

    3. Re:Well I guess it's time by sideslash · · Score: 1

      Fair enough, thanks for commenting. I enjoy beating up on ACs, hope you take no (major) offense. :)

    4. Re:Well I guess it's time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you, My wife and I both use WP7./ Paid for, not contract, they function like the day we got them (battery needs changing more frequently). Why bother? maybe next year when a WP 9 or whatever comes out. Build a Win 9 and buy WP9 at the same tiem. Who knows.

    5. Re:Well I guess it's time by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      WP7 came out almost three years ago. Good luck finding an Android phone supported for anywhere *near* that long! Most Android phones don't receive updates for even a full year. In fact, some of them ship with outdated OS versions and never even receive an update to the version that was current at their release (never mind the version that is current when they leave support). That means that apps targeting the latest APIs are very frequently unavailable.

      True, the highest-end (things like the Galaxy S5) and best-supported (things like the Nexus 5) phones generally don't have this problem (although you still aren't likely to get OS updates for as long as WP7 did). But, as bad as it was when MS announced that WP7 phones wouldn't be getting WP8, Android is still usually worse than that.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    6. Re:Well I guess it's time by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      WP7 came out almost three years ago. Good luck finding an Android phone supported for anywhere *near* that long!

      Skype claims to run on Android 2.3, released at the end of 2010. Hey, look, that's within a month or two of WP7's release.

    7. Re:Well I guess it's time by johanw · · Score: 1

      Remember this. When windows phone 9 comes out, Skype will probably quickly stop working on the old wp 8 phones.

    8. Re:Well I guess it's time by anarcobra · · Score: 1

      No problem, I take no offense. Maybe my reply sounded angry when I wasn't.

    9. Re:Well I guess it's time by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Skype does run on 2.3. It's running on my shit-locked MetroPCS ZTE Score.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    10. Re:Well I guess it's time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except Android phones will be out of support on the day you purchase them. The only way to get more than a year's support on a phone OS is to buy an iOS device.

  4. Microsoft drops support for Windows, increases Mac by raymorris · · Score: 0

    So with this latest announcement, Microsoft is saying they'll support Windows more and Mac less. What a strange world.

  5. Re:Microsoft drops support for Windows, increases by itsenrique · · Score: 1

    Strike that, reverse it.

  6. Re:Microsoft drops support for Windows, increases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Haha wow good point!!

  7. Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by raymorris · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You seem to be confusing two totally different things. Mac users had a perfectly working version of Skype. Microsoft broke what had already been working, by changing the network protocol and turning off the existing servers. Skype worked fine on Mac, then one day Microsoft starting rejecting EXISTING clients, and it's still broken today.

    You seem to be confusing that vs writing NEW versions of applications for unpatched operating systems. Apple is saying "if you want the new features in new versions of the application software, download the OS update." What Microsoft did was cut off existing versions that worked just fine.

    Another point that may be confusing if you're unfamiliar of anything outside of Microsoft's ass crack - updating OSX means downloading a free update, not paying hundreds of dollars and completely wiping the machine like you tend to do in Windows. My 2008 Mac Pro has the latest version of OSX and the Apple applications. I didn't pay them a thousand dollars to update the OS, the Office suite, the mail client, etc. I just click "yes" to install the free update. It's not that hard.

    1. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You seem to be confusing two totally different things. Mac users had a perfectly working version of Skype. Microsoft broke what had already been working, by changing the network protocol and turning off the existing servers. Skype worked fine on Mac, then one day Microsoft starting rejecting EXISTING clients, and it's still broken today.

      You seem to be confusing that vs writing NEW versions of applications for unpatched operating systems. Apple is saying "if you want the new features in new versions of the application software, download the OS update." What Microsoft did was cut off existing versions that worked just fine.

      Another point that may be confusing if you're unfamiliar of anything outside of Microsoft's ass crack - updating OSX means downloading a free update, not paying hundreds of dollars and completely wiping the machine like you tend to do in Windows. My 2008 Mac Pro has the latest version of OSX and the Apple applications. I didn't pay them a thousand dollars to update the OS, the Office suite, the mail client, etc. I just click "yes" to install the free update. It's not that hard.

      The upgrades from Leopard were (and are) not free. They were not thousand-dollar affairs, but the latest few iterations of OS X .x releases being free constitutes a switch in policy from Apple.

    2. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At $35 they were practically free.

    3. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No they weren't. Most if not all GNU/Linux distributions have free updates/upgrades. Apple ALWAYS charged a lot. Apple actually made out better if I recall correctly because despite the prices being lower the more frequent releases meant that $100 was just split between 3 so you ended up with 35 * 3 = 105... etc

    4. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by Calydor · · Score: 1

      I think I'll try that reasoning at a restaurant sometime.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    5. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by johanw · · Score: 1

      "Microsoft broke what had already been working, by changing the network protocol and turning off the existing servers."

      If they have, then how can you explain that Skype on my old Symbian E72 still works (tested it today)? The installe, which I kept of course - never trust companies to keep such things around - is from 2010.

    6. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Simple, MS does not reject its attempt to connect to a Skype server :)

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    7. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by bondsbw · · Score: 1

      My 2008 Mac Pro has the latest version of OSX and the Apple applications.

      My 2006 Macbook hasn't been eligible for an OS upgrade since Lion (3 versions ago). To upgrade to the latest OS means buying a new Macbook (Air) at or around $1000 with tax.

      Meanwhile I can still purchase the full latest version of Windows for that computer for $120-200 depending on edition. I'd bet that any Intel version of Windows Microsoft releases in the next 10, possibly 15 years will still run on it.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    8. Re:Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by raymorris · · Score: 1

      > I'd bet that any Intel version of Windows Microsoft releases in the next 10, possibly 15 years will still run on it.

      I'll take that bet. With just 1-2 GB of RAM, the CURRENT version of Windows will install, but not really run, on it.
      $10 says the next version won't even install?

    9. Re: Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by bondsbw · · Score: 1

      Windows 8 has been optimized to run faster in most benchmarks than Windows 7. I am sure this trend will reverse itself eventually but for now I'll take your bet.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    10. Re: Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by raymorris · · Score: 1

      For clarification, the system requirements for Windows 9 developer preview are already known, so the "next version of Windows" for which we don't know the minimum hardware requirements is Windows 10, correct?

        It would be funny if instead of "10" they used the Roman numeral X for the Windows OS, so Windows OS X.

    11. Re: Has Mac EVER made an OSX app stop working? by bondsbw · · Score: 1

      For clarification, the system requirements for Windows 9 developer preview are already known

      There is no such thing as "Windows 9 developer preview". There's speculation that it will be called "Windows 9". There's speculation that it will have a developer preview. There's speculation about the system requirements. But that's all it is, speculation. No announcements and to my knowledge no leaks about any of those specific points have been made.

      Until we see leaks or at least strong rumors by sources that have been correct in the past, nothing is "known". (Remember how many rumors we've had about Apple's iWatch and for how many years? Some even by credible sources? Yet we still don't have an iWatch.)

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
  8. ** Number 1** by djconsultingmeister · · Score: 1

    FYI it's me that has that Win 7 phone.

    --
    CrazyOldMan
  9. Forced obsolescence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know it's an old platform, but making the existing, functional apps unavailable serves only one purpose.

  10. typed that backward. Fingers don't believe me. by raymorris · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I guess my fingers didn't believe it could be true and autocorrected what I told them to type.
    It's interesting that the Microsoft announcement is MORE support for Mac and LESS support for Windows.

    1. Re:typed that backward. Fingers don't believe me. by alexhs · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's interesting that the Microsoft announcement is MORE support for Mac and LESS support for Windows.

      The next generation of interesting software will be done on the Macintosh, not the IBM PC.
      -- Bill Gates, BusinessWeek, 26 November 1984

      --
      I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of killer sig, which this margin is too narrow to contain.
    2. Re:typed that backward. Fingers don't believe me. by pushing-robot · · Score: 2

      "Why are we encouraging people to buy new Macs? We should be forcing our own users to upgrade, not theirs."
      — Satya Nadella, Internal Memo, 7 August 2014

      --
      How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    3. Re:typed that backward. Fingers don't believe me. by Nimey · · Score: 1

      ...seriously? You're posting a quote from thirty years ago in the computer industry as if it matters today?

      --
      Hail Eris, full of mischief...

      E pluribus sanguinem
  11. Do they still support Windows 3.11? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 0

    I would hate to have to upgrade my system just to use Skype.

    1. Re:Do they still support Windows 3.11? by scuzzlebutt · · Score: 1

      I would keep my unsupported system to avoid using Skype.

      --
      In C++, your friends can see your privates.
    2. Re:Do they still support Windows 3.11? by armanox · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but I'm pretty sure Skype never ran on Windows 3.11

      --
      I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
  12. Drop Skype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Everybody drop Skype, use Pidgin. Solved.

  13. Good news for Leopard users by lurker412 · · Score: 1

    I don't think any software vendor should be required to support software forever, but there is a difference between withdrawing support and disabling a product without ample prior warning. They blew the rollout, but it looks like they're going to make amends, at least for the Leopard crowd. Hopefully, they'll learn a thing or two about the value of good corporate communication as well.

  14. Because 2 consecutive ads are better than one by NemoinSpace · · Score: 1

    I'm sure the mac crowd is happy too.

  15. Some platforms are Skype-only by tepples · · Score: 1

    I don't think Pidgin is available for game consoles. If the person with whom you're trying to communicate uses an Xbox One console, you have to use Skype because to my knowledge, Microsoft hasn't digitally signed the client for any competing service. And how well does Pidgin work when both sides are behind NAT?

  16. Isn't forced obsolescence COOL? by Chas · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is there a reason it can't work on this platform?
    Yes.
    What's the reason?
    We don't want it to.
    Is there a TECHNICAL reason that it can't work on this platform?
    Yes.
    What's the reason.
    Technically, we don't want it to.
    Is there any reason, BESIDES your not wanting it to, that it can't work on these platform?
    Yes.
    What's the reason?
    Because if we don't want it to, remove the apps, and strip out support, it simply can't!

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
    1. Re:Isn't forced obsolescence COOL? by arashi+no+garou · · Score: 2

      Take it from someone who had a WP7 phone for three years, and now has a WP8 phone: Skype never worked right on WP7 in the first place. It really shouldn't have been there to start with, but Microsoft couldn't have one of their most popular apps be a no-show on their mobile OS, so they put out a crippled mess that only served to piss off their users.

      On WP8, Skype works just as it should, because WP8 is a completely different OS under the hood and can run the background processes necessary for it to function.

  17. Surprised they haven't dropped N900 support by jonwil · · Score: 1

    I am surprised the Skype app on my Nokia N900 continues to work after all this time (and after the phone has long been discontinued by Nokia)

    1. Re:Surprised they haven't dropped N900 support by stephen_p_barker · · Score: 1

      They will, e-mail received yesterday about my 808: "Skype apps for Symbian are permanently retiring We've noticed that you are, or previously were, signed into Skype on a Symbian phone, and we're sorry to inform you that we are now permanently retiring all Skype apps for Symbian phones. As a result, within the next few weeks, you'll no longer be able to sign in and use Skype on any Symbian phone. You can still stay in touch with friends and family using Skype on an Android device, Nokia Lumia phone or desktop computer. You can sign into them all using the same Skype account. The latest versions of Skype for all your devices are available at http://www.skype.com/download. Do you have a Skype calling subscription? If you want to cancel your subscription please follow the instructions on this FAQ. Requesting a refund To see if you are entitled to a Skype Credit or subscription refund please contact customer support for more information. We apologize for any disruption caused, Skype"

  18. Skype IPv6 support by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

    More importantly, why is Skype *still* unable to support IPv6 addressing? Any device with IPv6 only can't run Skype, and no amount of NAT can fix it. Phone carriers fix it by giving IPv6 to the phone, and IPv4 to Skype that's natted within the phone to the IPv6, but that's impossible for people trying to run Skype on a desktop.

    Microsoft is obviously done extracting the "value" of Skype for Lync. So why not just sell it off and let someone else support it? Or just close it now. Why force it into a painful decline?

    --
    Learn to love Alaska
  19. It It Microsoft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why are you still saying Skype makes these desitions.
    MS has it's own plans.

  20. I wonder... by Razed+By+TV · · Score: 1

    I wonder if this is related to the Metro version of Skype being difficult to perform surveillance on.

    http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

  21. Utterly and completely false. I paid $0 by raymorris · · Score: 1

    That's completely false. You just made that up out of thin air.

    Customers can, as I did, upgrade from Leopard (2007) to the newest version at a cost of $0.
    Upgrading from Vista to Windows 8.1 would cost $120 - $320. (Plus the cost of upgrades to Outlook, etc.)

    Customers could also choose to upgrade at each step, paying $30, $20, and $0 for Mac - a total of $50.
    With Windows, the analogous path would be Vista - Win7 - Win8 - Win8, which could cost over $800, depending on which edition of Windows. In what world is $50 more than $800?

    1. Re:Utterly and completely false. I paid $0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In what world is MS Windows a GNU/Linux distribution?

  22. So free is more than $1,299 now? by raymorris · · Score: 2

    Oh, so you're saying Apple's upgrade prices, which range from free to $30, are more than the $1,299 / year that Red Hat charges?
    https://www.redhat.com/wapps/s...

    Please return to first grade.