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

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.

Comments

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[Luthair]

NT

Nice!

[110010001000]

It has deep integration with systemd too. What could possibly go wrong?

Re:And I guess...

[hcs_$reboot]

The popup will ask "Do you want to downgrade from Linux to win 10?"

lacks sensible security

[Anonymous Coward]

And yet, the skype password is stored in plaintext in a sqlite file on Linux.

Re:lacks sensible security

[Anonymous Coward]

So what?
If you use pidgin, then all passwords are stored in plaintext as well.

Re:lacks sensible security

[quintus_horatius]

... where your password is stored as plaintext in an ACCESS DATABASE!

which really is more secure because, really, who uses Access for anything important?

Re:lacks sensible security

[JustOK]

Alpha means top or best.

exactly the kind of innovation i want to see.

[nimbius]

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.

Re:exactly the kind of innovation i want to see.

[swillden]

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).

Also works with Chromium on Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:Also works with Chromium on Linux

[tepples]

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!

[LichtSpektren]

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...)

Re:Don't use Skype!

[Khyber]

>Telegram listed as secure

Entire list disregarded as bullshit.

Requirements

[arth1]

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)

Re:Requirements

[arth1]

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.

Re:Hell froze over...

[UnknownSoldier]

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. :-)

Re:So how do we sandbox it?

[xvan]

Just install skype on a docker container,
See http://fabiorehm.com/blog/2014...