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New Trial Brings Skype to (Some) Browsers
Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has begun giving some users a taste of a new version of Skype, with a big difference compared to previous ones: the new one (tested by users on an invitation basis) is browser based. Rather than using the existing WebRTC standard, though (eschewed as too complex), Microsoft has developed a separate spec called ORTC (Object RTC), which is designed to offer similar capabilities but without mandating this same call setup system. Both Microsoft and Google are contributing to this spec, as are representatives from companies with video conferencing, telephony, and related products.
ORTC isn't currently blessed as a W3C project, though the ORTC group has proposed integrating ORTC into WebRTC to create WebRTC 1.1 and including parts of ORTC into WebRTC 1.0. For now at least, video or audio chat therefore requires a plug-in, and requires Internet Explorer 10, or recent Firefox or Chrome browsers, and a current Safari on Mac OS X.
Also at TechCrunch, among others, which notes that text chat (though as mentioned, not video or audio) will work with the new Skype under ChromeOS, too.
NO THANK! I Dont Want It, considering Microsoft's track record it probably has NSA Spyware in it and i dont want them to listen to my phone sex sessions with clown trannys dressed in nazi uniforms
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
Oh, goodie, I can only hope this new browser-based version of Skype works as well as the new browser-based version of Lync does, especially with Microsoft rebranding Lync as Skype for Business.
I remember when I used to be able to use my USB headset with Lync, prior to corporate moving to the new browser-based version of Lync. Now I can only use the built-in speakers and microphone because Lync manages to completely ignore the global sound settings somehow! I sure hope they manage to bring this feature to the new browser version of Skype.
Granted, this was still a step up from the Lync client which routinely crashed if the network hiccuped in any way, but still. I can only hope the Skype team is taking over the Lync team and not the other way around.
I will give Lync some credit. It makes a great excuse for blowing off a meeting. "Oh, sorry, I tried to attend your meeting, but Lync blew up." "Oh, yeah, it does that to me all the time. We'll try again tomorrow."
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
...because M$ always has to be different and effectively proprietary. I've been using WebRTC for weeks now and it works fine. I'm on Linux and it works on every browser I've tried; Firefox, Chromium, and Opera (developer). It works on Windows too in every browser except IE (any version). Try it for yourself for free and no need to sign up or anything: https://appear.in/ (There's multiple other demos out there on the web to try too).
Do you think M$ are afraid of users migrating to more hassle-free and universally useful/cross-compatible versions of VoIP if they see how easy it is?
hardly, this is an example of Microsoft AND others like google working to fix the bad standard that was created. Not all standards are good and WebRTC is an example of one that sucks.