Microsoft Finally Releases New Skype App For Linux (skype.com)

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Microsoft Finally Releases New Skype App For Linux (skype.com)

Posted by msmash on Wednesday July 13, 2016 @02:40AM from the fixing-things dept.

Four months after Linux users complained about issues with Skype app -- an update in March apparently broke the instant message and video calling app -- Microsoft announced a few minutes ago the launch of the Alpha version of a new Skype app for Linux, a move that "reaffirms the company's commitment to the Linux community." The blog post adds that there will be a two-hour Q&A session todat at 7AM PDT between Linux users and engineering team to welcome the new app. The alpha version uses the "latest, fastest and most responsive Skype UI." The company also says that users on Skype for Linux 4.3.37 will no longer be able to use the app to make or receive any calls -- so you really need to use this new app. In the blog post, Microsoft also adds that anyone with a Chromebook and Chrome for Linux can now visit web.skype.com to make one-to-one and group voice calls on top of text messaging feature. It is also an alpha version of Skype -- and is built on top of WebRTC standard.

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Now With Advertising! by Luthair · 2016-07-13 02:43 · Score: 2

NT
1. Re:Now With Advertising! by hcs_$reboot · 2016-07-13 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  It's possible, maybe likely, that MS will not support anymore the old Linux versions (has been 4.3 for ages), i.e. the Skype servers will not allow a connection from that old prog, i.e. you'll have to upgrade.
  
  --
  Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
2. Re:Now With Advertising! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 04:11 · Score: 1
  
  It's possible, maybe likely, that MS will not support anymore the old Linux versions
  Likely enough that they stated so in the summary?
  
  The company also says that users on Skype for Linux 4.3.37 will no longer be able to use the app to make or receive any calls -- so you really need to use this new app.
3. Re:Now With Advertising! by Z00L00K · 2016-07-13 04:34 · Score: 1
  
  And today there are a lot of alternatives to Skype and a new version would not appeal to many users anymore, especially considering the Windows 10 headache.
  
  --
  If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
4. Re:Now With Advertising! by jellomizer · 2016-07-13 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  Please List?
  Must work on Linux, PC and Mac, with mobile versions.
  Allow voice and video conferencing.
  Can be downloaded on a reputable site.
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
5. Re:Now With Advertising! by mSparks43 · 2016-07-13 05:53 · Score: 1
  
  Any sign of 64bit yet?
  We pretty much ditched skype because of the lack of 64bt linux suppport.
6. Re:Now With Advertising! by Z00L00K · 2016-07-13 06:12 · Score: 1
  
  Just look here: http://alternativeto.net/softw...
  
  --
  If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
7. Re:Now With Advertising! by headkase · 2016-07-13 07:28 · Score: 1
  
  I'm on Arch Linux with no 32 bit libraries installed. I'd like to keep my system pure 64 bit. A 64 bit version would mean I wouldn't have to enable the "multilib" repository which just contains 32 bit stuff.
  
  --
  Shh.
8. Re: Now With Advertising! by mSparks43 · 2016-07-13 08:46 · Score: 1
  
  Because installing the 32bit version of skype requires installing over a gig of 32 bit libraries many of which are past end of life.
9. Re:Now With Advertising! by morethanapapercert · 2016-07-13 12:30 · Score: 1
  
  Not allowing Skype for Linux 4.3.37 to make calls is going to be a huge deal for me. I'd happily upgrade to a newer version if one existed. Thing is, an alpha release doesn't count as a newer version to me. Especially since TFA has this little gem smack in the middle of it:
  As you may have guessed by the name, Skype for Linux Alpha is not a fully functioning Skype client as of yet.
  Further down, there is a link to a help page with the available features. Looks like everything I use, common things, are taken away in the alpha and only one new thing is being added.... Skype for Linux feature list
  
  --
  I need a wheelchair van for my son. Help me get the word out. https://www.gofundme.com/wheelchair-van-for-jj
10. Re:Now With Advertising! by morethanapapercert · 2016-07-13 14:49 · Score: 1
  
  I'd like to add two additional criteria on an and/or basis:
  *Enough wide spread adoption that I don't have to coax all my existing contacts to migrate to the new system.
  AND/OR
  *Also be a multi-protocol application like Pidgin or Trillian. That way I can still keep in touch with those who haven't yet, will not or can not migrate.
  One reason I stuck with MSN messenger so long is that I had several friend who had locked down desktops at work and so could only use Windows Messenger that came built into XP. These days I am using Pidgin for the most part. I only use Skype for Linux because the Skype video call function in Pidgin doesn't work very well. The only thing I miss these days using a multi-protocol client instead of the dedicated ones is the ability to easily share files in the chat. But these days, with Dropbox, big email inbox sizes and so on, that just isn't really a big problem.
  
  --
  I need a wheelchair van for my son. Help me get the word out. https://www.gofundme.com/wheelchair-van-for-jj
Nice! by 110010001000 · 2016-07-13 02:44 · Score: 4, Funny

It has deep integration with systemd too. What could possibly go wrong?
And I guess... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 02:44 · Score: 1

...there will be a big nasty popup installing Win 10 by default?
1. Re:And I guess... by hcs_$reboot · 2016-07-13 02:46 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The popup will ask "Do you want to downgrade from Linux to win 10?"
  
  --
  Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
New Skype App For Linux by hcs_$reboot · 2016-07-13 02:45 · Score: 1

App sounds mobile application. Maybe "package" or even "program" would fit better for a non-mobile Linux OS.

--
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
1. Re:New Skype App For Linux by WallyL · 2016-07-13 02:50 · Score: 1
  
  Technically it's correct, and a few characters shorter, but I do agree: Package is a better term to use in the Linux space.
2. Re:New Skype App For Linux by hcs_$reboot · 2016-07-13 03:00 · Score: 1
  
  Technically it's correct
  "Application" is technically correct.
  
  --
  Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
3. Re: New Skype App For Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 03:18 · Score: 1
  
  People were shortening 'application' to 'app' long before the first iPhone, so that's also technically correct, just not as common anymore.
4. Re:New Skype App For Linux by Carewolf · 2016-07-13 04:09 · Score: 1
  
  App sounds mobile application. Maybe "package" or even "program" would fit better for a non-mobile Linux OS.
  Well, it is an app. It is based on node.js and just runs in a Chromium shell.
  I wouldn't call it an application, the only application in the new Skype for Linux is Chromium, which just happens to be hardcoded to run the Skype web-app.
5. Re: New Skype App For Linux by myowntrueself · 2016-07-13 04:25 · Score: 1
  
  People were shortening 'application' to 'app' long before the first iPhone, so that's also technically correct, just not as common anymore.
  I'm surprised Apple haven't trademarked 'app'
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
6. Re: New Skype App For Linux by myowntrueself · 2016-07-13 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, they tried it on with 'app store' and failed.
  I'm shocked because obviously 'app' is a contraction of 'Apple'!!!!11111
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
lacks sensible security by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 02:50 · Score: 4, Informative

And yet, the skype password is stored in plaintext in a sqlite file on Linux.
1. Re:lacks sensible security by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 03:20 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  So what?
  If you use pidgin, then all passwords are stored in plaintext as well.
2. Re:lacks sensible security by sbrown7792 · 2016-07-13 03:26 · Score: 1
  
  Duh, that's so when a Linux user gets pwned, Microsoft can point the finger and say "See!! Linux is so insecure, you're so much better moving to Win10!"
3. Re:lacks sensible security by sbrown7792 · 2016-07-13 03:57 · Score: 1
  
  Probably Access 97 too, so they'd claim security through obscurity.
4. Re:lacks sensible security by quintus_horatius · 2016-07-13 03:57 · Score: 2
  
  ... where your password is stored as plaintext in an ACCESS DATABASE!
  which really is more secure because, really, who uses Access for anything important?
5. Re:lacks sensible security by arth1 · 2016-07-13 04:38 · Score: 1
  
  If you use pidgin, then all passwords are stored in plaintext as well.
  Not unless you deliberately check the box to save the password. It's unchecked by default.
6. Re:lacks sensible security by JustOK · 2016-07-13 05:00 · Score: 2
  
  Alpha means top or best.
  
  --
  rewriting history since 2109
7. Re:lacks sensible security by TemporalBeing · 2016-07-13 06:36 · Score: 1
  
  ... where your password is stored as plaintext in an ACCESS DATABASE!
  which really is more secure because, really, who uses Access for anything important?
  Far too many. I've seen entire businesses run on Access Databases
  
  --
  Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
8. Re:lacks sensible security by sbjornda · 2016-07-13 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  ... where your password is stored as plaintext in an ACCESS DATABASE!
  Where did you get that impression from? The login information is stored in a file named config.xml and is certainly not plaintext. You can check it out for yourself.
  --
  .nosig
exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by nimbius · 2016-07-13 02:51 · Score: 3, Funny

Skype for linux is one of those innovations from a market leader that youd expect if other market leaders came out with similar products. For example, Crispy Creme donuts stuffed with gravel, or new mcdonalds bacon double wall spackle burger.

--
Good people go to bed earlier.
1. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by swillden · 2016-07-13 03:17 · Score: 2
  
  Skype for linux is one of those innovations from a market leader that youd expect if other market leaders came out with similar products. For example, Crispy Creme donuts stuffed with gravel, or new mcdonalds bacon double wall spackle burger.
  What's wrong with Skype being supported on Linux? Many enterprises are using Skype as a video conferencing solution, and lack of Linux support means that it doesn't cover all of the major platforms, which puts it at a competitive disadvantage to Google Hangouts. Cross-platform VC is important, and useful, particularly when it's integrated with calendaring and meeting room reservation systems (as both Hangouts and Skype are -- well, I assume Skype is integrated with meeting room reservations; Hangouts is).
  
  --
  Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
2. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by tepples · 2016-07-13 03:47 · Score: 1
  
  In a world where smartphones and tablets are so commonplace, children have them; Skype + webcam + PC + speakers (or headphones) is heading towards compact cassette territory.
  Why should I, as a user of a laptop running X11/Linux, be forced to pay hundreds for a tablet just to be able to communicate with my boss using Skype?
  
  why bother wasting resources on something that's not even registering as a statistical blip regarding the user base.
  So that users of Skype for X11/Linux continue to see Skype's ads and aren't tempted to lure their contacts to a service other than Skype.
3. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by fluffernutter · 2016-07-13 04:03 · Score: 1
  
  Come on now, if the food tasted like it was home made how could they ever expect to automate making it?
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
4. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by fluffernutter · 2016-07-13 04:05 · Score: 1
  
  Not interesting? It's easily the most popular communication method at my kids' school. They do instagram etc, but Skype is all they use for conversations.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
5. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by Bert64 · 2016-07-13 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  There is a single unified protocol for VoIP - its called SIP, and there are many providers who provide support for it, usually in the form of bridging it to the regular telephone network rather than using it exclusively online.
  The problem is that despite being an open protocol, very few of these providers peer using it, they tend to just interconnect using the regular phone network with high per-minute charges especially for intl calls.
  
  --
  http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
6. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by xvan · 2016-07-13 07:52 · Score: 1
  
  Like SIP? oh, wait...
7. Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see. by Shirley+Marquez · 2016-07-14 04:49 · Score: 1
  
  Because it's more than a statistical blip in the population of developers and system administrators. Those populations matter because they have some say in corporate IT decision making. Not always as much as they would like, but that's another discussion.
Also works with Chromium on Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 03:07 · Score: 2, Interesting

This also works with Chromium on Debian GNU/Linux.
So no need to install non-free software like the actual Skype client binary or Chrome to use it. The only non-free part is now the Javascript running in my browser and the server-side code.
1. Re:Also works with Chromium on Linux by tepples · 2016-07-13 03:53 · Score: 2
  
  The only non-free part is now the Javascript running in my browser
  Even that would be enough for some FSF ad campaign to say "Say No to Skype". FSF is already doing that against GitHub and SourceForge. FSF gives them an F in support for free software principles because critical features are broken without running proprietary script. GitLab gets a C because it requires manual whitelisting in the tool that allows only free scripts to execute and encourages bad license choices (such as "look but don't touch" and not specifying a license version).
Don't use Skype! by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-13 03:08 · Score: 4, Informative

Microsoft does not protect their user's data, and Skype itself is a security and privacy nightmare: https://www.eff.org/node/82654 (N.B. the EFF is going to update this score card soon, but it's still right about Skype; see here: https://www.eff.org/mention/ns...)
1. Re:Don't use Skype! by Khyber · 2016-07-13 03:25 · Score: 2
  
  >Telegram listed as secure
  Entire list disregarded as bullshit.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
2. Re:Don't use Skype! by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-13 03:35 · Score: 1
  
  >Telegram listed as secure
  Entire list disregarded as bullshit.
  If you use the Secret Chat function, it is in fact secure. However the regular chats are not. The scorecard is correct.
3. Re:Don't use Skype! by jellomizer · 2016-07-13 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  Who does?
  I hear complaining about company X, Y, and Z on how bad they are. Who is actually good?
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
4. Re:Don't use Skype! by nadaou · 2016-07-13 07:36 · Score: 1
  
  > 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.
  
  --
  ~.~
  I'm a peripheral visionary.
5. Re:Don't use Skype! by RockDoctor · 2016-07-14 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  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.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
6. Re:Don't use Skype! by RockDoctor · 2016-07-14 11:01 · Score: 1
  
  Just been tinkering with that JitSi (Bulgarian for "wires", but I won't try spelling that out, this being Slashdot, and not in the 21st century). Looks very useful.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
As a reminder.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 03:12 · Score: 1

For people who need Skype-like support:
Linphone (up to ZRTP capable encryption)
Ekiga (unencrypted videochat only?)
Jitsi (Also ZRTP+OTR, java, binary components in package, source available)
Pidgin (XMPP, SIP, VV support, but not sure about crypto.)
And a number of others.
It is time to make a concerted push to educate the populace on Skype alternatives and stop government surveillance of private communications in its tracks. If they have a pressing need to know a specific individuals communications, let's make them work at it, so they don't have time to commit abuses against the rest of us!
1. Re:As a reminder.... by ilsaloving · 2016-07-13 03:42 · Score: 1
  
  And for people that find setting up things like XMPP too onerous, there are other tools available, such as Viber.
  Also, there's a new tool out called Franz, which is basically a very clever container that wraps the web APIs for various services including Slack, Whatsapp, and a bunch of others. It's desktop only, but I've been using it on my Mac and have so far been very happy with it.
  http://meetfranz.com/
  For desktop use I can't recommend it enough. No separate accounts to set up like Trillian, and you get full access to whatever each service provides within their web API.
Requirements by arth1 · 2016-07-13 03:12 · Score: 4, Informative

Unfortunately, they built it on a fairly new OS, making it impossible to run on many still supported (and systemd free) distros, despite there being nothing that's really needed that only the newer distros provide.
Error: Package: skypeforlinux-1.1.0.21-1.x86_64 (/skypeforlinux-64-alpha) Requires: libstdc++.so.6(GLIBCXX_3.4.15)(64bit) Error: Package: skypeforlinux-1.1.0.21-1.x86_64 (/skypeforlinux-64-alpha) Requires: libstdc++.so.6(CXXABI_1.3.5)(64bit)
1. Re:Requirements by arth1 · 2016-07-13 03:59 · Score: 1
  
  Have you considered upgrading to a modern distribution? They're pretty much all free, you know.
  What's the alternative for RHEL6 that doesn't have systemd and is compatible with all our existing software, and how much downtime will it cause my company?
  New operating systems are phased in based on a support lifecycle, and not a single app.
  RHEL6 has production support until 2020-11-30, and extended lifecycle support beyond that. That's a month longer production support than Windows 10 has.
  Asking users to change from Red Hat 6 in order to run Skype is like saying they have to upgrade from Windows 8 to 10 in order to run it.
  If Microsoft can provide a version of Skype that runs on Windows 8, they can surely provide one that runs on RHEL 6 too.
2. Re:Requirements by fluffernutter · 2016-07-13 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  As long as it works with Ubuntu 14.04 it will work for most.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
3. Re:Requirements by arth1 · 2016-07-13 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  Why the hell would you run skype, or let anyone else do that for that matter, on your RHEL6 company machines???
  Because RHEL Workstation is a pretty good destktop/laptop OS, used by people that sometimes have to communicate with external resources using conferencing software?
4. Re:Requirements by arth1 · 2016-07-13 05:54 · Score: 2
  
  Being able to fully control the startup process isn't just a good idea for us, it's a must. This includes being able to do things like push software to servers without having it auto-start, and having hot standby servers that can take over without systemd thwarting the effort by restarting daemons outside the admin's control.
  And standardize across the board.
  Not everyone is an armchair besserwisser like you.
  Some of us actually have both certifications and decades of sysadmin experience in large organizations, and know exactly why we prefer a predictable init process over systemd.
  
  I love the idea that he thinks any businesses out there are running RHEL on large numbers of desktops.
  Strawman argumentation. I have never said that. You pull things out of something, and it isn't a rabbit, and it isn't a hat.
5. Re:Requirements by myowntrueself · 2016-07-13 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  Unfortunately, they built it on a fairly new OS, making it impossible to run on many still supported (and systemd free) distros, despite there being nothing that's really needed that only the newer distros provide.
  Error: Package: skypeforlinux-1.1.0.21-1.x86_64 (/skypeforlinux-64-alpha)
  Requires: libstdc++.so.6(GLIBCXX_3.4.15)(64bit) Error: Package: skypeforlinux-1.1.0.21-1.x86_64 (/skypeforlinux-64-alpha)
  Requires: libstdc++.so.6(CXXABI_1.3.5)(64bit)
  Have you tried it on a systemd-free install of Debian 8?
  http://without-systemd.org/wik...
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
6. Re:Requirements by Nunya666 · 2016-07-13 06:59 · Score: 1
  
  Doesn't work for me, either.
  
  ~/Downloads $ sudo urpmi skypeforlinux-64-alpha.rpm A requested package cannot be installed: skypeforlinux-1.1.0.21-1.x86_64 (due to unsatisfied libgnome-keyring)
  Yet the dependency exists:
  
  ~ $ locate libgnome-keyring /usr/lib64/libgnome-keyring.so.0 /usr/lib64/libgnome-keyring.so.0.2.0
7. Re:Requirements by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 07:16 · Score: 1
  
  I've been using CentOS (for those clueless such as yourself, it's based on Red Hat), for 8 years - as a desktop OS. The only problems I've had with sound were because of PULSE. ALSA works just fine.
  And yet that pile of bash scripts you claim to know what you're talking about, has worked for 20+ years. Take your overpriced starbuks coffee and get off my lawn.
  So tired of dealing with twits. You know I wish people like you would ask yourself - Is this good for our users? - before introducing changes that break userspace. Instead you completely ignore the engineering side of software engineering. You've replaced it with "how can we ram this shit down our users throats".
  I'll rewrite my request as "Get Fcked, Pottering".
Bets it has the biggest "feature".... by Lumpy · 2016-07-13 03:15 · Score: 1

That awesome feature that the windows version has....
Advertising....
Many colleagues were impressed that my linux skype install on the laptop was ad-free.

--
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
1. Re:Bets it has the biggest "feature".... by jameson · 2016-07-13 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  I haven't tested this link yet (hesitant to update my Skype for that very reason), but here's a list of DNS names that supposedly cover all that Skype uses for ad lookup:
  https://gist.github.com/eyecat...
  Now, Skype could circumvent such a mechanism (hard-code the IPs-- which could be circumvented with custom routing tables-- or inline the ads into the regular data stream, which would be very hard to circumvent, or just refuse to run if it can't access any ads (or `signed ads')), so even if it works now, it may not be forever. ...and now I'll shut up and stop giving Microsoft ideas...
2. Re:Bets it has the biggest "feature".... by TuxThePenguin2205 · 2016-07-13 23:39 · Score: 1
  
  the old and new versions coexist (at least on my work Ubuntu 16.04 box) The old version is "skype" the new alpha is "skypeforlinux"
Hell No... by LVSlushdat · 2016-07-13 03:15 · Score: 1, Informative

Sorry, everybody I used to Skype with, we now use Line.. Works everywhere we need.. I used to support/use MS products, but after I retired in 2010, all of my personal systems moved to 100% Linux, no dualboots.. After seeing what a "turd-in-the-punchbowl" Windows 10 is, NOTHING MS is gonna touch my computers/network. Yeah.. I know, big deal.. But its a big deal to me.. MS has gone off the rails...

--
THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
1. Re:Hell No... by spacepimp · 2016-07-13 04:48 · Score: 1
  
  It is ego driven for him to say Win 10 is a turd in a punchbowl and that he won't touch anything from Microsoft any more? He was self aware enough to comment that it was only a big deal to him. Ego is you throwing your hat in the ring with with sophomoric drivel.
2. Re:Hell No... by spacepimp · 2016-07-13 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  You are saying that since IM and Video are private affairs you trust them to the largest network to protect your privacy? Maybe you should spend the time to figure out why you are making a bad decision by trusting skype to protect your privacy. Signal is open source. You don't need to trust much but the code. Have you viewed the code for Skype?
  IT Directors and CIO/CTO's look at Skype as a threat to data/privacy and corporate security. It is not installed by default, in Windows, so your suggestion that it is BY FAR the dominant program is wholly meaningless. For corporate users, Microsoft has many more paid Lync subscribers. Skype is mostly geared to and used by consumers. Those consumers are switching to Whats App, or webRTC apps from Google or Facebook chat or many other competitors. MS has not grown the Skype user base.
Re:Hell froze over... by UnknownSoldier · 2016-07-13 03:20 · Score: 3, Funny

Close.
Microsoft has implemented a Linux shim that translates all the native Linux system calls into the corresponding native Windows call and back.
http://blog.dustinkirkland.com...
Demo of running native Linux ELFs on Windows
https://sec.ch9.ms/sessions/bu...
Think of it as the reverse of WINE -- I dub it CHEESE. :-)
Why do they suddenly care? by ilsaloving · 2016-07-13 03:29 · Score: 1

I look at this, and the only I can think of is that Skype must be losing market share. Otherwise why would Microsoft care about maintaining it's commitments?
Now that things like WhatsApp are available for the desktop as well as mobile, people no longer need to have to put up with the way Microsoft mutilates Skype more more and more.
I know I stopped using it shortly after Microsoft laughably botched the MSN-Skype merger. The only reason I even still have the client installed is for "just in case".
1. Re:Why do they suddenly care? by tepples · 2016-07-13 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  Now that things like WhatsApp are available for the desktop as well as mobile
  I thought users still needed to run WhatsApp for mobile in order to log in to WhatsApp for desktop, and users still needed a smartphone with an SMS plan to be able to activate WhatsApp for mobile. So if you switch from Skype to WhatsApp, what do you use to communicate with people who don't use a smartphone? I ask this because I want to switch from Skype to something else, and if my boss chooses to switch to WhatsApp, I would have to buy a smartphone and a plan in order to continue to be able to do my job. (My current phone costs me $22.40 every 90 days to run, as I tend to do longer conversations over Skype.)
2. Re:Why do they suddenly care? by Bert64 · 2016-07-13 04:28 · Score: 1
  
  You don't need a plan, it sends you one SMS to activate the service (to confirm your number) but that's all..
  All the actual communication occurs over IP, so using wifi if you're connected. Once activated it doesn't touch SMS at all.
  
  --
  http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
3. Re:Why do they suddenly care? by tepples · 2016-07-13 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  You don't need a plan, it sends you one SMS to activate the service (to confirm your number) but that's all..
  Does the SMS have to go to the same device that is running WhatsApp? Or can I receive the SMS on my current flip phone, then buy a $110 Android phone from a prepaid carrier to use solely as the authentication key to start desktop WhatsApp, and key the confirmation code into the app? And even if so, Skype is still $110 cheaper.
4. Re:Why do they suddenly care? by ilsaloving · 2016-07-13 12:25 · Score: 1
  
  Unfortunately that is true. Everything revolves around having a mobile version of WhatsApp first. I also recently discovered that only one desktop can be 'active' at a time. If you switch to another machine, then the first one is disabled.
  But regardless, WhatsApp was just the example I used cause I happen to use it. There are plenty of other options available. A google search shows that there's an absurd number of choices available now. I found this while searching for most "popular messenger apps by country". And that's not even an exhaustive list of all options. Just the ones that people are gravitating to the most.
  https://www.similarweb.com/blo...
5. Re:Why do they suddenly care? by ilsaloving · 2016-07-13 12:35 · Score: 1
  
  As an FYI, I just looked into Viber. It works the same way as WhatsApp.
6. Re:Why do they suddenly care? by tepples · 2016-07-14 04:48 · Score: 1
  
  There are $20 smartphones now. They won't be fast, but they'll run WhatsApp just fine.
  Thank you. I was afraid that cheap phones would be stuck on an Android version too old for WhatsApp.
Re:Skype spys on you / cahoots with N$A by tepples · 2016-07-13 03:42 · Score: 1

I was lead programmer for the video game Haunted: Halloween '85. I did programming work from home on Linux, but my boss used Windows. We used Skype to communicate. And now we're making another game under a similar arrangement. If we were to switch from Skype, what are the pros and cons of each alternative to Skype?
Re:MS Linux by tepples · 2016-07-13 03:43 · Score: 1

I'm just surprised that there isn't a Microsoft Linux Distro yet.
You might not have seen it, but Ubuntu is available for Windows 10.
Reinstalling is free only if time is worth nothing by tepples · 2016-07-13 04:00 · Score: 1

A lot of people, including myself, use long-term supported distributions. Xubuntu, for instance, puts out a new LTS every 24 months in April, and it usually takes until August before it has settled enough to enable LTS-to-LTS upgrades in place. I could try to work around this by reinstalling from scratch, but reinstalling is free only if my time is worth nothing.
Re:Skype spys on you / cahoots with N$A by fluffernutter · 2016-07-13 04:00 · Score: 1

I'm a dad trying to introduce his kids to linux as well as stretching out old laptops for the family's use. I can tell you that I am absolutely relieved to read this since they talk to all their friends with Skype and this was the one hold back.

--
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Re:Skype broke GE Skype Phone by arth1 · 2016-07-13 04:09 · Score: 1

Is Microsoft collaborating with the NSA?
Do ursines defecate in sylvestrian ecosystems?
Re:Skype broke GE Skype Phone by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-13 04:10 · Score: 1

Signal is the best for security/privacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Seems to work with Firefox too by Gerv · 2016-07-13 04:18 · Score: 1

web.skype.com lets me log in using Firefox, no problem, so presumably it works there as well.
Gerv
It's not about new versions by pinkushun · 2016-07-13 04:43 · Score: 1

It's about opening your code for peer review and pull requests.
The Ox is slow by ThatsNotPudding · 2016-07-13 05:10 · Score: 1

but the NSA is patient. Backdoors don't grow on trees, you know.
Re: Skype spys on you / cahoots with N$A by tepples · 2016-07-13 05:25 · Score: 1

Haunted: Halloween '85 is a video game published by Retrotainment Games in October 2015. It didn't need a time machine any more than Capcom needed one for the shoot-em-up 1942 (1984) or that DICE needed one to produce Battlefield 1942 (2002).
Re:Skype broke GE Skype Phone by gmack · 2016-07-13 05:39 · Score: 1

The fact that it only works on cell phones makes it useless to me.
Re:Hell froze over... by hduff · 2016-07-13 05:44 · Score: 1

Close.
Microsoft has implemented a Linux shim that translates all the native Linux system calls into the corresponding native Windows call and back.
http://blog.dustinkirkland.com...
Demo of running native Linux ELFs on Windows
https://sec.ch9.ms/sessions/bu...
Think of it as the reverse of WINE -- I dub it CHEESE. :-)
Just so I'm clear, Does LINUX run in MS Windows or is it just Ubuntu that runs?

--
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
Requirements shouldn't be a problem by crow · 2016-07-13 06:26 · Score: 1

How hard is it to package the binary along with all the required libraries together. Put them in some directory by themselves, and then have /usr/bin/skype be a script that uses something like LD_LIBRARY_PRELOAD to use the versions that work with the binary?
If you have the right versions, you can just move the real binary to /usr/bin, but you're fine if you don't.
Your distribution could set this up when they package it. There's no need for end users to ever have to worry about it.
Personally, I'm just glad that this is a 64-bit binary. I think this leaves only one other program that I need that is only available as a 32-bit binary (the discontinued Adobe Acrobat Reader for those times when Okular can't handle forms).
1. Re:Requirements shouldn't be a problem by thegarbz · 2016-07-13 06:49 · Score: 1
  
  Now where have I heard this before
So how do we sandbox it? by Ungrounded+Lightning · 2016-07-13 06:51 · Score: 1

This Skype is littered with spyware, advertising and intelligence agency collusion.
So, a question for Linux security guys:
How do we sandbox this thing?
(And how sure are we the sandbox is solid / what unavoidable holes still remain?)

--
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
1. Re:So how do we sandbox it? by xvan · 2016-07-13 09:33 · Score: 2
  
  Just install skype on a docker container,
  See http://fabiorehm.com/blog/2014...
Re:MS Linux by loonycyborg · 2016-07-13 07:19 · Score: 1

Why not the other way around? That is, port windows shell to linux. It would pave a way for them to dump NT kernel and use linux like everyone else.
Re:Closed-source on Linux by xvan · 2016-07-13 08:56 · Score: 1

And besides the adds, how is it different from the previous version ?
Keep all of their shit off your computers. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-13 10:22 · Score: 1

Skype video just goes to Microsoft/US Gov and anything they see that may be used against you gets kept. Vids of your kids playing with themselves get leaked too.
Skype is garbage and as spyware as it gets in your home and office. Keep your kids away from it.
Microsoft is not visiting Linux world for your benefit. Remember the shims required to boot Linux on PC's sold with SecureBoot?
gtfo
Re:MS Linux by ChunderDownunder · 2016-07-13 14:35 · Score: 1

That would rely on too much of the Win32 subsystem.
If you really want the experience, ReactOS have reimplemented Windows Explorer from scratch. Hook that up to wine if you wish.
Re:Skype broke GE Skype Phone by LichtSpektren · 2016-07-14 01:07 · Score: 1

The fact that it only works on cell phones makes it useless to me.
OK. The best desktop solution is the using the Off-The-Record protocol, with Pidgin (Windows, Linux) and Adium (macOS).
It's absurd when they don't federate by tepples · 2016-07-14 04:50 · Score: 1

A google search shows that there's an absurd number of choices available now.
Which is part of the problem. If these apps don't federate, I could in the worst case end up needing to install a different app for each contact with whom I wish to communicate.
1. Re:It's absurd when they don't federate by RockDoctor · 2016-07-14 09:46 · Score: 1
  
  Hmmm, "worst" case?
  No, the worst case I can think of is having to install a different app for everyone with whom you wish to communicate, then a second app for everyone you wish to communicate with when they're on their desktop/ laptop/ other machine, and a third app for each one that you wish to communicate with in a social setting - say, 2.3 different applications per communicator?
  But worst cases aside, your general point is good - and is why I have Skype 4.3.0.37 on my ... what am I on, oh, Fedora 23 ... laptop.
  What was that rule of thumb in the days of "walled garden" attempts by ISPs (AOL vs CompuServe vs various others) - the usefulness of the service was in the orer of the square of the number of users of the service (more strictly, O[n(n-1)], the number of connections between users). So, if you divide the userbase for IP-telephony+videoconferencing into 20 pools, then the net utility is 20*(n/20*((n/20)-1)), or about 1/20th of the utility if there were one common pool.
  How much commonality there is between the users of App1 (let's pick Egikia out of the squad seen upthread) and the users of App2 (ummm, Pidgeon?), I honestly don't know. But it is probably the most important question in the subject. If my Skype addressbook - accumulated over a decade and a bit of work - isn't going to work with Appn, then Appn isn't going to get the slightest bit of consideration.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"