Skype Retires Older Apps for Windows, Linux (techcrunch.com)

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Skype Retires Older Apps for Windows, Linux (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on Friday June 9, 2017 @02:02AM from the leaving-people dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The newest version of the Skype app takes a big hat-tip from social media platforms like Snapchat and Facebook's Messenger with its newest features, adding a Stories-like feature called Highlights, a big selection of bots to add into chats and a longer plan to upgrade group conversations with more features. Now, as part of the effort to get people to use the new Skype more, the company is also doubling down on something else: Skype is trying to get users off of older versions of Skype. As part of that push, the Microsoft-owned company has sent out messages to users this week noting that it will be retiring a host of older iterations on July 1. Those who are still using them after that day will likely no longer be able to sign on. Skype app won't work on the follow OS versions: Android 4.0.2 and lower, BlackBerry OS 7.1 and lower, iOS 7 and lower, Linux (Linux users must upgrade to Skype for Linux Beta), Mac OS X 10.8 and lower, Symbian OS, Skype mobile for Verizon, Skype on 3, Skype on TV, Windows 10 task-based app, Windows Phone 8.1 and lower, and Windows RT.

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What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:12 · Score: 2, Insightful

Their goal is to get more new users by pissing off existing users?
It's Microsoft. This has worked so far, so why not?
1. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:18 · Score: 0
  
  And what about people who can't upgrade?
  Android users on Gingerbread? Windows RT users, for crying out loud?
  I've never used Skype, so I don't know if it's that great.
  But do they really expect people to buy new hardware just for Skype?
2. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 02:28 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  How long ago did you purchase your phone running Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" new? When did its warranty expire? How long is its lithium ion battery lasting on a charge, and how well is its screen holding up to scratches? You've had years to save up for a replacement entry-level Android phone such as the Coolpad Catalyst, which I currently carry.
  Windows RT users can presumably use Skype for Web in Internet Explorer.
3. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:40 · Score: 2
  
  Some of us don't like to just toss electronic equipment like it was an old paper towel after 1 use. My last phone was retired because the charger jack wore out. Its replacement is larger and more power hungry and its replacement even more so. When the battery wore out, I installed a new one, and the screen has been carefully protected. The only thing that actually shows wear is the paint job on the power button.
  Sure, there are lots of cool new features on newer phones. But I don't desperately need them. In the mean time, I have money to spend on other things.
4. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  What do you plan to do once computer intruders start exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in the copy of Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" on your phone?
5. Re: What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:49 · Score: 0
  
  Then you're not even a pinprick on the radar screen. The market ignores you. Go die someplace where we don't have to see you.
6. Re:What was the plan? by fluffernutter · 2017-06-09 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Microsoft says it is time for you to upgrade. Oh, and they recommend Windows 10.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
7. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:07 · Score: 0
  
  Nah - they probably got new marching orders from their NSA overlords to put in a new backdoor as the old one is too well known. Thus everyone has to upgrade to the new security flaw.
8. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:08 · Score: 0
  
  How long ago did you purchase your phone running Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" new?
  November 2013.
  
  When did its warranty expire?
  I have no idea. I don't know what use I would have made of it. The phone's still fine.
  
  How long is its lithium ion battery lasting on a charge,
  Maybe five days or so.
  
  and how well is its screen holding up to scratches?
  Your question made me curious, so I pulled it out and checked. I can't see any scratches. Maybe that's because it has a hardware keyboard, so I don't touch the screen all that much. On the other hand, the letters have rubbed off of two or three of the keys.
  I use this phone every day, as a phone as well as for the Android apps. It annoys me that a lot of the apps on F-Droid have been upgraded to versions requiring Android 4+.
  
  You've had years to save up for a replacement entry-level Android phone
  Since newer phones with keyboards are pretty scarce, I don't know what I'll do when this one actually dies. I try not to think about it.
  Fortunately, I've never used Skype.
9. Re:What was the plan? by Khyber · 2017-06-09 03:17 · Score: 1
  
  "How long ago did you purchase your phone running Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" new?"
  What I'm seeing here in California, many brand new 'free' LifeLine cell phones are old model Blu or ZTE phones still running 2.3.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
10. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 03:23 · Score: 1
  
  Continuing five whys analysis to find a root cause that will inform the eventual solution:
  
  November 2013.
  Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean I" was already out in July 2012. Why were phones with no upgrade path past Gingerbread still being sold over a year later?
  
  Since newer phones with keyboards are pretty scarce, I don't know what I'll do when this one actually dies.
  I don't know how to help at this point other than to concisely sum up the problem when asking others for help:
  
  Skype, a program for text chat, is no longer compatible with phones that have a QWERTY keyboard, an input device for text chat.
11. Re: What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:23 · Score: 0
  
  Pray tell what phone is that. Seems interesting.
12. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 03:32 · Score: 1
  
  many brand new 'free' LifeLine cell phones are old model Blu or ZTE phones still running 2.3.
  I'm curious as to how the manufacturers can still honor their warranty on these devices now that Google no longer provides security updates for Android versions prior to 4.4 "KitKat" to device manufacturers. (Source) They're in the same unsupported no man's land as Windows XP and Windows Vista.
13. Re: What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:35 · Score: 0
  
  It's a Sprint Express, also known as a Huawei M650.
  I understand it's not what most people would want. The small screen would turn off a lot of people, but it does what I want. I especially like playing text adventures on it.
14. Re:What was the plan? by unixisc · 2017-06-09 03:54 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, one thing I don't get. If they're not gonna develop newer versions of Skype for all those older OSs they listed above, why should anyone who still uses those OSs upgrade? In fact, they can't, even if they wanted to. One could urge them to upgrade the OSs, but that's not been possible for a lot of them. I had a Verizon Ellipsis 7, which was stuck on Kitkat, couldn't move to Lollipop. Any Windows RT tablet so far can't be upgraded to the new Windows 10 for ARM. Older iPads can't be upgraded beyond iOS 7, depending on their configuration. And so on.
  Also, outside Windows, why would anyone use Skype? If one is an Android user, one could use Hangouts. If one is an iOS user, one could use iMessages or FaceTime. For desktop Linux, yeah, and I get that people can be screwed over, but anyone w/ a browser can again use Hangouts (assuming the Webcam works w/ Linux). Symbian & Blackberry, don't know. So what exactly would people be missing again if they don't Skype?
15. Re:What was the plan? by Lumpy · 2017-06-09 03:55 · Score: 1
  
  As if phone makers actually give you updates to these phones. Cripes HTC and AT&T barely pushed out updates and only when it was super critical to the point they would get sued.
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
16. Re:What was the plan? by angel'o'sphere · 2017-06-09 04:49 · Score: 2
  
  Hangouts is probably the worst chat client ever.
  And your suggestions make no sense.
  Last I checked hangouts can not communicate with iMessanger or Facetime ... oops!
  And hangouts does not work on my iPad anyway anymore.
  So what exactly would people be missing again if they don't Skype?
  About 100 friends and business colleagues who only use Skype .... Remember: Skype was once. European company. Plenty of people use it here.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
17. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  Web-based versions of Skype and Hangouts support only webcam, not screen sharing, which makes it difficult for one member of the team to walk others on a team step-by-step through, say, setting up a PATH environment variable on Windows.
18. Re:What was the plan? by unixisc · 2017-06-09 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  At that time, upgrading from one Android version to another was completely in the hands of carriers, not the OS makers. It was only after Lollipop that upgradability was made easier, but here too, there are carrier limits. Like my Verizon Ellipsis 10 is still on Lollipop, although I could certainly use Marshmallow instead.
  Also, I had a Lumia Ikon, and it took Verizon forever to authorize an upgrade just from Windows Phone 8.0 to 8.1. And 10 ain't even in the supported list.
19. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 06:12 · Score: 0
  
  How likely is that? Is anyone out there exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in Windows 95?
20. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  If the device is purchased from someone other than a cellular carrier, and the update image is downloaded over Wi-Fi, where does the carrier even enter into it?
21. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 07:31 · Score: 1
  
  Is anyone out there exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in Windows 95?
  No. However, WannaCry attempted to exploit a unpatched vulnerability in Windows XP.
22. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 08:31 · Score: 0
  
  Also, it always could call normal phones, so it's known as the software to phone abroad for cheap, or free if both ends are Skype.
  Also, it's known for webcam chat between family members especially since about all laptops now have internal webcam and mic. Can still be used if you don't have a facebok or don't want that noise. Although, we might just use MSN Messenger if Microsoft hadn't killed it.
  So there's Hangover, Whatscrapp, Snapshat, Fleecetime whatever? Sure but many of these are smartphone only. Some people only have a laptop, or don't use any apps at all on a smartphone. Easier to install Skype on a phone than Whatchap on a laptop.
23. Re:What was the plan? by Ayanami_R · 2017-06-09 08:47 · Score: 1
  
  "Also, outside Windows, why would anyone use Skype?"
  Probably because they like it, that's just one reason, there are a ton of others. That idea seriously didn't cross your mind?
  
  --
  "Science is the power of man"
24. Re:What was the plan? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 08:56 · Score: 0
  
  Let's add a screen sharing API to HTML5 then!
  What could go wrong? lol
25. Re:What was the plan? by Tough+Love · 2017-06-09 09:15 · Score: 1
  
  They pissed off me. Yesterday, Skype worked fine on my (old but good) HTC Desire Z, today it doesn't.
  Goodbye Skype. Goodbye Satya.
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
26. Re:What was the plan? by Tough+Love · 2017-06-09 09:21 · Score: 1
  
  How long ago did you purchase your phone running Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" new?
  Ah, um, let me see... that would be... 9 years.
  
  When did its warranty expire?
  8 years ago.
  
  How long is its lithium ion battery lasting on a charge
  Long time. I replaced the battery, cost me $20, the new one lasts longer that the original, which already lasted days.
  
  and how well is its screen holding up to scratches?
  No scratches.
  
  You've had years to save up for a replacement entry-level Android phone such as the Coolpad Catalyst, which I currently carry.
  My Desire Z still has the best physical keyboard of any Android phone in the history of the known universe. You are a condescending ass.
  
  Windows RT users can presumably use Skype for Web in Internet Explorer.
  See "condescending ass" above. Work for Microsoft much?
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
27. Re:What was the plan? by fluffernutter · 2017-06-09 12:17 · Score: 2
  
  What am I supposed to use to communicate with my developers? Snapchat? Skype is the most widely used basic chat/voice client out there, I'm very sorry that we can't barf rainbows at each other, but it doesn't really get in the way of our work, much.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
28. Re:What was the plan? by tepples · 2017-06-09 16:03 · Score: 1
  
  I apologize for condescending. I was not aware that the primary reason you were holding onto the older phone was that manufacturers had discontinued physical keyboards.
29. Re:What was the plan? by unixisc · 2017-06-09 16:54 · Score: 1
  
  How often do people do that? More often than not, it's people who get a somewhat discounted phone w/ a 2 year contract. The number of people w/ the /. mentality of getting a phone that they can audit is about as high as the number of closet Rastafarians in Mecca.
30. Re:What was the plan? by unixisc · 2017-06-09 16:58 · Score: 1
  
  What exactly is your beef w/ 'Whatscrapp' and 'Fleecetime'? I use both at home over WiFi, although I have enough data in my data plan that I rarely use, but could on the road if needed. I've never had trouble w/ either, except when the other end had a really spotty internet connection (in which case, NO messaging service would work well)
31. Re: What was the plan? by cthulhu11 · 2017-06-10 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  Most of all, those of us using a TV. I bought a TV-specific camera just for using Skype. My son can't sit still, so a laptop's FOV isn't a good option
32. Re:What was the plan? by RockDoctor · 2017-06-11 12:23 · Score: 1
  
  That reminds me - the BlueTooth physical keyboard I normally use has died, and I need to investigate replacements.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Skype by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:13 · Score: 2

Can't we just just please kill it? Permanently? With fire if possible?
The last time I use that abomination it was so bloated and clunky it was basically unusable even ignoring the "send all your conversations to MS" factor.
Also I've had a bunch of people give me a skype address as a text-based IM contact. Seriously what the hell?
1. Re:Skype by tepples · 2017-06-09 02:31 · Score: 1
  
  Also I've had a bunch of people give me a skype address as a text-based IM contact. Seriously what the hell?
  The one advantage of Skype over IRC in this respect is that Skype stores logs of your conversations that you can retrieve later for reference, including messages sent to you while you were offline.
2. Re:Skype by Khyber · 2017-06-09 03:19 · Score: 1
  
  IRC has had plugins for servers to allow for buffering of messages for at least a decade.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
3. Re:Skype by tepples · 2017-06-09 03:27 · Score: 1
  
  IRC has had plugins for servers to allow for buffering of messages for at least a decade.
  Which public IRC network that runs such a plug-in should I recommend to others in this situation? Or would you instead recommend that each discussion group lease an EC2 instance or other VPS on which to run its own IRC server with such a plug-in?
4. Re:Skype by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  yeah and ms and the nsa have a copy too. but hey, "if you have nothing to hide what's the problem" right? god forbid your kid decides to be an activist/journalist/whatever.
5. Re:Skype by Khyber · 2017-06-09 06:25 · Score: 1
  
  If you need an EC2 or VPS to run an IRC server, you're doing it wrong.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by tepples · 2017-06-09 02:19 · Score: 5, Insightful

As RAM capacities increase, software becomes inefficient to compensate rather than allowing use of more applications at once.
Like Discord for Linux, Skype for Linux Beta is essentially Skype for Web wrapped in Electron, which is a special-purpose web browser using Blink (the engine of Chrome) specialized for one site at a time. In my tests, it has the same RAM footprint as running a second web browser. Having the equivalent of several 100+ MB web browsers running at once, one for Skype, one for Discord, etc., adds up quickly for people stuck on a machine with 2 GB of RAM, such as my laptop with one RAM slot that cannot use modules larger than 2 GB.
In addition, Skype for Linux Beta requires more vertical scrolling than Skype for Linux 4.3 because the "bubble" around each message in Skype for Linux Beta takes a lot more vertical space than the more IRC-style message list in Skype for Linux 4.3.
So what's the alternative? Setting up a VPS and running your own IRC or XMPP server and requiring all your contacts install an IRC or XMPP client with which to continue to communicate with you?
1. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by Gravis+Zero · 2017-06-09 03:18 · Score: 1
  
  Like Discord for Linux, Skype for Linux Beta is essentially Skype for Web wrapped in Electron, which is a special-purpose web browser using Blink (the engine of Chrome) specialized for one site at a time.
  While some frameworks can use CSS for styling or even HTML for layout they only partially use of javascript for event handling, I think the lesson here should be clear: never go full javascript.
  
  --
  Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
2. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:59 · Score: 0
  
  What is the point of running skype though? It's a dead platform where most of the accounts are hacked and full of spammers.
3. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by tepples · 2017-06-09 04:15 · Score: 2
  
  What is the point of running skype though?
  My clients in recent contract programming jobs have preferred it. Its advantage over IRC is that Skype has chat logging without needing to lease a VPS to run your own server to install a logging plug-in.
4. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by angel'o'sphere · 2017-06-09 04:40 · Score: 2
  
  Most Businesses and my girl friend(s as in ex) use Skype for video calls.
  Telegram does not support video calls so far.
  If your Skype account for hacked then it was likely hacked from the device you use and your device is compromised.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
5. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 09:03 · Score: 1
  
  You could try using Pidgin with the skypeweb plugin instead. You can be connected to 10 Skype accounts at once and still be using less memory than a single electron wrapper.
  There's even a Discord plugin that's just come out. I don't think it does voice yet though.
6. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 11:31 · Score: 0
  
  You don't need a VPS nor run your own server to log chats in IRC.
7. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by tepples · 2017-06-09 15:36 · Score: 1
  
  What ensures your logger bot user remains connected to the IRC server if the logger bot doesn't run on a server? And what replaces file attachments without an FTP server or equivalent?
8. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by tepples · 2017-06-09 15:39 · Score: 1
  
  I built skypeweb for Pidgin but couldn't find a way to retrieve old logs within Pidgin. It had other deficiencies as well, but because it was months ago, I forget their exact nature.
9. Re:Skype for Linux Beta is a RAM hog by theCoder · 2017-06-10 01:34 · Score: 2
  
  I use Pidgin at work to connect to the Skype for Business server. One of the things I like about it is that it keeps a log of all the conversations. It is named something odd, though, and it usually takes me a second to go though all the context menu options to remember which one to use.
  I also like it because it lets me disable the emoticons, which makes reading pasted code much easier. Too much code syntax has things that look like some form of smiley :)
  
  --
  "Save the whales, feed the hungry, free the mallocs" -- author unknown
Too late Microsoft! by mugurel · 2017-06-09 02:20 · Score: 0

Thank god there's WebRTC...
1. Re:Too late Microsoft! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:11 · Score: 0
  
  To those who aren't familiar with how to use WebRTC: I've used appear.in (WebRTC-powered) a few times for meetings. It's so much better than Skype.
2. Re:Too late Microsoft! by Blaskowicz · 2017-06-09 08:51 · Score: 1
  
  And did you know that Firefox Hello solves the problem of getting your WebRTC session to work between two browsers?
  Oh wait...
From a stable version to a Beta version? (Linux) by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:25 · Score: 1

"Linux users must upgrade to Skype for Linux Beta" - how about they wait until it's no longer "Beta" but a stable product? I keep trying it and reverting to the older version as it is STABLE even thought it's 32bit running on a 64bit Fedora 25 install. IF there were a workable alternative that my over-seas friends would actually use, I'd drop Skype in a heartbeat due to this sort of backhanded BS.
Don't use Skype by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:27 · Score: 0

They report directly to the NSA and you have no rights, period.
Some of Trump's Lies by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:33 · Score: 0, Offtopic

1. March 30: Trump claims MSNBC edited their released version of his interview with Chris Matthews in which Trump stumbled on abortion: “You really ought to hear the whole thing. I mean, this is a long convoluted question. This was a long discussion, and they just cut it out. And, frankly, it was extremely — it was really convoluted.” Nope; that was a lie.
2. March 29: Trump lies that Wisconsin’s effective unemployment rate is 20%, saying, ""What? Is it 20 percent? Effective or regular? I mean just -- effective unemployment rate, 20 percent. Hey, this is out of the big book." According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The U-3 official unemployment rate in Wisconsin was 4.6 percent in 2015; Wisconsin’s U-6 rate for 2015 was 8.3 percent.
3. March 29: Told Sean Hannity, “You know, I look at what’s happening in Wisconsin with the numbers, the job numbers, the trade numbers, how it’s a stagnant economy, how they owe $2.2 billion in terms of their budget.” As Factcheck.org reported, Wisconsin’s general fund is currently projected to have a positive balance when its current two-year budget cycle ends next year, according to an analysis by nonpartisan budget experts.
4. March 29: Trump alleged that when Michelle Fields "found out that there was a security camera, and that they had her on tape, all of a sudden that story changed." Absolutely untrue.
5. March 29: Trump said the Secret Service was worried about Fields, alleging, "She went through the Secret Service, she had a pen in her hand, which Service Service is not liking because they don't know what it is, whether it's a little bomb” As Katie Pavlich of Townhall noted, “All reporters at campaign events, like regular attendees, go through Secret Service security before being allowed into a venue. The security is thorough, with a back check, wanding and a metal detector walk through. Fields wasn't carrying a knife, she was carrying a pen and if the Secret Service thought it was dangerous, they would have taken it from her at the security checkpoint before entering the room.”
6. March 27: Trump claims Cruz bought the rights to the ad featuring a nude Melania Trump: Debunked.
7. March 26: Trump lies, "There’s a tremendous tax that we pay when we (American businesses) go into China, whereas when China sells to us there’s no tax." China’s tariffs are higher than those imposed by the United States, but the Chinese exporters are taxed when they sell in the United States.
8. March 23: Trump accuses Cruz of coordinating with Super PAC in its ad featuring a nude Melania Trump. Tweeting, “Lyin' Ted Cruz denied that he had anything to do with the G.Q. model photo post of Melania. That's why we call him Lyin' Ted!” Debunked.
9. March 21: Trump lies, "Out of 67 counties (in Florida), I won 66, which is unprecedented. It's never happened before." Nope. In 2004, John Kerry won all 67 counties for the Democrats; in 2000, Al Gore won all 67 for the Democrats and. George W. Bush won all 67 for Republicans. In 1996, Bob Dole took 66 of 67 counties for the GOP primary and the 67th was a tie between Dole and Pat Buchanan in Washington County.
10. March 19: Trump said the 2016 federal omnibus spending bill "funds illegal immigrants coming in and through your border, right through Phoenix." Nope. The omnibus bill does not fund undocumented immigrants "coming in and through" the border; it funds the very agency tasked with keeping undocumented immigrants out, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
11. March 17: Trump on Fox News denied that he ever accused President George W. Bush of lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. “I didn’t say lie. I said he may have lied.” That’s false. Trump said in a February that Bush “lied.”
12. March 13: Trump states that the man who rushed the stage in Dayton, Ohio, "had chatter about ISIS, or with ISIS" in his social media posts. Trump was
1. Re:Some of Trump's Lies by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:49 · Score: 0
  
  Kewel story bro.
2. Re: Some of Trump's Lies by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:53 · Score: 0
  
  And that would be one of your huge fatass lies, you stupid libtard liar.
I used Skype twice in the past year by I'm+New+Around+Here · 2017-06-09 02:35 · Score: 1

I forgot my phone at home one day, and had to make a phone call. pull up Skype, pay $10, make the call. Lesson learned, stop forgetting phone.
Last fall I needed to use it for the video only, so a remote tech support could see the results as me made changes to a configuration for a video display. That was free.
I am so glad I am not tied to it for my routine jobs. And I don't have any friends, so there's that too.

--
If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
1. Re:I used Skype twice in the past year by Khyber · 2017-06-09 03:20 · Score: 0
  
  You couldn't make a free google voice call to find your phone?
  You *MUST* be new around here.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
2. Re:I used Skype twice in the past year by Lumpy · 2017-06-09 03:57 · Score: 1
  
  I simply picked up the phone at work and used that.
  You do know that phone on your desk can be used for phone calls right?
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
3. Re:I used Skype twice in the past year by I'm+New+Around+Here · 2017-06-09 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  I wasn't at my desk. I don't have a desk. I do onsite repair work.
  That particular day I was in a fitness center diagnosing their Audio/Video system, and needed to speak to my tech support office.
  I could have used the customer's phone, but that wouldn't have looked very professional. And if it wasn't cordless, I would be at the front desk, 100 feet (30 meters) from the A/V rack while calling about it. So, overall, Skype was the best option to cover the "Oh, FUCK!" problem.
  
  --
  If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
I can't keep up by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:36 · Score: 0

with all the communication platforms that I am supposed to be reachable on.
That's okay by fustakrakich · 2017-06-09 02:41 · Score: 1

I retired Skype

--
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Skype for Linux - no video support? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 02:47 · Score: 0

The whole reason I've used Skype on Linux was because of the video capability.
The new beta doesn't appear to support video - at least on Linux.
Is that the intent for Skype?
I know that when I use Skype for Business at work, running on Windows 7 Enterprise, video is still an option.
I really really hate microsoft by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:01 · Score: 0

ill say it again to fulfill length requirements but I REALLY REALLY HATE MICROSOFT
1. Re:I really really hate microsoft by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 03:29 · Score: 0
  
  I stopped using Skype when Microsoft bought it. I haven't updated Minecraft since Microsoft bought it, but that one may still be safe.
What about the Chinese spyware version? by Nocturrne · 2017-06-09 03:13 · Score: 2

I wonder what this means for Tom Skype. Pretty much every action from Microsoft over the last few years has been to reduce our privacy and collect even more data, so maybe it's an upgrade to increase their surveillance capabilities.
U.S.-only by tepples · 2017-06-09 03:35 · Score: 3, Insightful

Google Voice is exclusive to the United States, and I imagine that for most people, Google Voice isn't worth the cost of immigrating.
1. Re:U.S.-only by ItsJustAPseudonym · 2017-06-09 06:00 · Score: 1
  
  ...Google Voice isn't worth the cost of immigrating.
  Fewer and fewer things are.
2. Re:U.S.-only by Khyber · 2017-06-09 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  As if the world doesn't know what a VPN is.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
3. Re:U.S.-only by tepples · 2017-06-09 07:06 · Score: 1
  
  I imagine that most VPNs don't also forward the SMS that Google Voice's enrollment process sends to verify your existing number (source).
4. Re:U.S.-only by Khyber · 2017-06-09 08:38 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, it does, which is how scammers steal cell phone numbers using said Google Voice two digit verification.
  As in I just fought this exact scenario two days ago for one of my neighbors who had her phone hijacked after listing her number on CL and fell for the scam.
  GV forwarded EVERYTHING.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
5. Re:U.S.-only by tepples · 2017-06-09 15:45 · Score: 1
  
  GV forwards text messages. The VPN that you use to sign up for GV in the first place doesn't.
6. Re:U.S.-only by Khyber · 2017-06-10 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  The VPN forwards anything that is data and you can do SMS over just about any protocol now days.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
7. Re:U.S.-only by tepples · 2017-06-10 14:27 · Score: 1
  
  Someone subscribing to Google Voice outside the United States in violation of the Google Voice TOS would still need a U.S. SMS number that'll forward messages "over just about any protocol".
32-bit Linux is out by bmomjian · 2017-06-09 03:40 · Score: 2

The summary should have mentioned there is no solution for 32-bit Linux machines.
1. Re:32-bit Linux is out by Carewolf · 2017-06-09 05:26 · Score: 1
  
  The summary should have mentioned there is no solution for 32-bit Linux machines.
  In deed there is no solution to 32-bit linux machines.
  Wait, what was the subject? Nevermind, it doesn't matter...
Don't care by Neuronwelder · 2017-06-09 03:48 · Score: 1

I personally don't care what they do with Skype, Empathy, or any other similar programs. They compromise security. You can have it.
Skype useless on Linux by OFnow · 2017-06-09 03:57 · Score: 4, Informative

Since Microsoft bought Skype the Linux support went from fine to out-of-date to mostly unusable to skype-no-64-bit (so useless). I still have a few dollars credit on skype but will never use the cash. I used skype as a way to call numbers outside our landline zone, but now I just use a mobile phone: the cell signal is just enough better (now) to make that possible.
So what are good alternatives? by Ungrounded+Lightning · 2017-06-09 03:59 · Score: 2

I see lots of complaints. But no suggestions for alternatives.
(Example of a bad alternative: Google Hangouts. Some of my correspondents don't have skype and set up a business conference on that. Turns out Netscape removed the feature it depended on (as a glaring security tarpit) back in March, and Google has yet to come up with an alternative so I had to install a variant that could still run it - miss the first about eight minutes of the meeting when it didn't join correctly - and later unscrew my browser history after it made itself the default - for a total loss of several hours of work time. Also: It assumes video is almost always wanted (a bandwidth disaster) and makes it nearly impossible to do voice-only without an initial video connection.)
So:
* What are good alternatives?
* Are there any good open source alternatives?

--
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 what are good alternatives? by kaur · 2017-06-09 04:38 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Wire.
  https://wire.com/en/privacy/
  Open source, open protocol, end-to-end crypto.
  Based in Berlin thus not subject to US laws.
2. Re:So what are good alternatives? by SeaFox · 2017-06-09 05:57 · Score: 1
  
  (Example of a bad alternative: Google Hangouts. Some of my correspondents don't have skype and set up a business conference on that. Turns out Netscape removed the feature it depended on (as a glaring security tarpit) back in March, and Google has yet to come up with an alternative so I had to install a variant that could still run it...
  You're gonna have to explain that a little better. Netscape hasn't existed as an independent company for years, and is nothing more than a brand name used by parent AOL now. They stopped supporting their browser officially in 2008. So I'm curious how they could have an impact on any web service they don't own as recently as three months ago.
3. Re:So what are good alternatives? by erapert · 2017-06-09 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  Ekiga?
4. Re:So what are good alternatives? by gmack · 2017-06-09 06:18 · Score: 1
  I am currently experimenting with Ring:
  
  It handles every platform I use (Linux, windows, Android)
  It handles my 1080P webcam that Hangouts chokes on
  Allows multiple devices per account which make or break feature for me considering my office has bad cell reception.
  Seems lighter weight resource wise than most of the alternatives
5. Re:So what are good alternatives? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 06:23 · Score: 0
  
  http://meet.ji.si/ rocks. Zero install WebRTC from any modern web browser and fully FOSS.
6. Re:So what are good alternatives? by Ungrounded+Lightning · 2017-06-09 08:03 · Score: 1
  
  You're gonna have to explain that a little better. Netscape hasn't existed as an independent company for years ...
  Sorry, meant Firefox. (Had "Netscape" on the brain because I'm an old fart who predates the split.)
  
  --
  Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
7. Re:So what are good alternatives? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 08:34 · Score: 0
  
  That link goes to a nothing page for me.
8. Re:So what are good alternatives? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 11:03 · Score: 0
  
  Tox https://tox.chat/
  Open source
  Works on Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS, Windows, Android, iOS
  Encrypted
  Distributed
  Chat
  Voice
  Video
  File transfer
  More
9. Re:So what are good alternatives? by AHuxley · 2017-06-09 11:28 · Score: 1
  
  Ty for the tox.chat/ link AC.
  
  --
  Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
10. Re:So what are good alternatives? by Quietti · 2017-06-09 21:42 · Score: 1
  
  I'd really like to know the answer to that one too.
  Every time finding a replacement for Skype is brought up, suggestions fall into two camps:
  – Whatever the GNOME guys currently like.
  – Some other obscure app-in-the-making that has not yet achieved mainstream usability and that is not ported/portable to all OS (typically: closed source and only for Mac/PC, or open source and essentially designed for a specific Free Desktop's toolkit).
  Sorry, none of these qualify as a replacement that will guarantee seamless integration with personal contacts on all platforms the way Skype still does.
  
  --
  Software is not supposed to be about how to work around a useability issue. - Ken Barber
International toll avoidance by tepples · 2017-06-09 05:08 · Score: 1

You do know that phone on your desk can be used for phone calls right?
You do know that traditional landline and cellular carriers charge far more per minute for international calls than, say, Skype or Discord or Hangouts?
1. Re:International toll avoidance by Lumpy · 2017-06-15 04:40 · Score: 1
  
  Almost no businesses use "traditional" lines anymore they are all VOIP and typically have very low international rates.
  Disclaimer: I worked for years managing phone systems, traditional phone lines do not get installed for anything but fax machines and alarms anymore.
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Reinstall 64-bit Linux and continue by tepples · 2017-06-09 05:12 · Score: 1

Many PCs running the i686 version of Linux actually have x86-64 CPUs. Reinstalling from x86-64 installation media, as I did in December 2016, allows running x86-64 applications. Even a 7-year-old Atom N450-based netbook supports x86-64.
What substantial numbers of PCs with i686-only CPUs have been manufactured in the past seven years?
1. Re:Reinstall 64-bit Linux and continue by bmomjian · 2017-06-09 05:21 · Score: 1
  
  Mine, Intel Core Duo CPU T2400 @ 1.83GHz × 2 . :-( Runs Ubuntu just fine.
2. Re:Reinstall 64-bit Linux and continue by bmomjian · 2017-06-09 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  I will probably just use the web client for Skype text chat and do voice/video calls using my Android tablet, which is what I usually do now anyway.
In Europe, Skype for business replaces WebEx... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 05:28 · Score: 0

...and thus becomes difficult to avoid, in both business and academia. Other tools seem to not scale enough, even voice-only.
Skype for business on Linux! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 06:55 · Score: 0

Where's Skype for Business on Linux!!!!
1. Re:Skype for business on Linux! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 08:31 · Score: 0
  
  Where's anything for business on Linux?
Yonah was 11 years ago by tepples · 2017-06-09 07:21 · Score: 1

What substantial numbers of PCs with i686-only CPUs have been manufactured in the past seven years?
Intel Core Duo CPU T2400
A first generation Core Duo CPU (codename Yonah) would have been sold in 2006 or 2007 (source). By the end of 2007, it would have been replaced by a Core 2 Duo (codename Conroe/Allendale), which introduced support for x86-64 (source). Any Intel Core CPU from the Dale, Nehalem/Westmere, Bridge, Well, or Lake generation will run 64-bit code.
1. Re:Yonah was 11 years ago by bmomjian · 2017-06-09 07:51 · Score: 1
  
  Oh, interesting. These laptops are scheduled for replacement in the next two months.
TOS and NAT by tepples · 2017-06-09 07:28 · Score: 1

If VPS is wrong for a private IRC server used by a team spanning multiple countries, then what's right? Running it off a home connection? That would probably violate your ISP's TOS. Even if it didn't, the incoming connection would probably get refused by the ISP's carrier-grade NAT device.
1. Re:TOS and NAT by Khyber · 2017-06-09 08:36 · Score: 1
  
  You run the IRC server as a VPN service on your home system. That's how the fuck you do it. Plenty of ways to join multiple IRC servers together via each person's home connection (which offers server redundancy for the buffer cache in caseof netsplit/server failure on one end) and get things going.
  You must have less than a few months of experience actually running an IRC server if you're not aware of how it's typically been done and usually still done to this very fucking day.
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
2. Re:TOS and NAT by Blaskowicz · 2017-06-09 08:44 · Score: 1
  
  Yet ISPs typically provide their users a home router / modem / access point combo, with a web GUI that includes a section for port forwarding.
  I think it's a bit nuts to expect people to have a home server though. (and maintain it for a decade, if you want to buffer messages this long)
3. Re:TOS and NAT by tepples · 2017-06-09 15:52 · Score: 1
  
  Only those ISPs giving each subscriber a separate IP address even have an option for port forwarding in their home modem/router configuration. Those that do not do not. Please read the "Carrier-grade NAT" article that I linked above to learn why some ISPs do not give each subscriber a separate IP address.
4. Re:TOS and NAT by tepples · 2017-06-09 15:59 · Score: 1
  
  You run the IRC server as a VPN service on your home system.
  Then what do you use as the VPN endpoint through which other people connect to the IRC server on your home computer? And even if you do use a VPN service to work around carrier-grade NAT, how do you avoid getting disconnected by your ISP for running an unauthorized server on a home connection?
  
  You must have less than a few months of experience actually running an IRC server if you're not aware of how it's typically been done
  You are correct that I lack experience running an IRC server. So will many people who (probably incompetently) try to set up an IRC server in the wake of Microsoft's sunset of old Skype client versions.
5. Re:TOS and NAT by Khyber · 2017-06-10 03:51 · Score: 1
  
  "how do you avoid getting disconnected by your ISP for running an unauthorized server on a home connection?"
  VPNs are generally encrypted. Unless the ISP is breaking the law by cracking your shit, how will they ever know you're running a server?
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
6. Re:TOS and NAT by tepples · 2017-06-10 14:25 · Score: 1
  
  Unless the ISP is breaking the law by cracking your shit, how will they ever know you're running a server?
  In other words: "It's not illegal if you don't get caught." Have I mischaracterized your reply?
  You haven't answered the question of where the VPN server is located. Discussion of the advantage of running the IRC server on a home PC and connecting to it through a leased VPN server as opposed to running the IRC server on a leased VPS depends on this.
Blocking old versions should be forbidden by allo · 2017-06-09 07:58 · Score: 2

It's absolute evil to block old versions without a real need. People may have reasons to stay with this version. And when they now make a hipster version, they have even more reasons.
1. Re:Blocking old versions should be forbidden by Blaskowicz · 2017-06-09 09:09 · Score: 1
  
  Wow your username is the name of yet another chat or video service (I don't know) that only runs on some limited platform and will likely be shuttered in a couple years by the company that makes it (Google)
2. Re:Blocking old versions should be forbidden by allo · 2017-06-09 10:50 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, i should really sue them. My username is older than google ...
Things Determined to Kill Themselves Day by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 08:21 · Score: 0

Today is apparently "Things Determined to Kill Themselves Day" on /. The Academy Awards, Intel, and Skype. The stupid, it hurts.
Microsoft elects to reduce marketshare by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 10:41 · Score: 0

I started migrating our entire company to Slack. Good riddance, Skype.
I used it like once or twice by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 11:12 · Score: 0

So you are saying it is OK if I delete it now.
It's all about the spying by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 11:54 · Score: 0

I would guess that Microsoft wants to get everyone off the old software because the new software has twice the spyware.
Big No for beta on Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-09 22:57 · Score: 1

Unfortunately beta for Linux sucks big time. For past two weeks it stops showing new messages while ancient 4.x works fine. And they want to retire it.
= Killing off Skype on Linux by OneAhead · 2017-06-10 01:20 · Score: 1

Given that VIDEO doesn't work in Skype for Linux Beta (only audio and chat), and video is pretty much the whole point of using Skype, this news should be read as "Microsoft kills off Skype on Linux".
"We'll keep supporting (platform X/technology Y/...)" these days seems to be a promise that can be made easily to generate goodwill with the FTC and its European counterpart, only to be broken afterward without consequences.
1. Re:= Killing off Skype on Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2017-06-10 03:21 · Score: 0
  
  I've had video calls in the Skype for Linux (beta) client a couple of times. It worked okay, but the quality wasn't as good as the old Skype client.
2. Re:= Killing off Skype on Linux by OneAhead · 2017-06-10 09:37 · Score: 1
  
  That's news for me. Thanks for the tip, I'll have another look at it.
Updates on Wi-Fi-only tablets by tepples · 2017-06-10 14:19 · Score: 1

It happens all the time for Wi-Fi-only tablets. I don't see Comcast imposing any conditions on Samsung to update my Galaxy Tab A. If cellular carriers were the bottleneck, then tablets would still get prompt updates.
And I was under the impression that buying an unlocked phone in mainland Europe was like buying a Wi-Fi-only tablet: phone and service sold separately from separate stores.
1. Re:Updates on Wi-Fi-only tablets by unixisc · 2017-06-11 12:21 · Score: 1
  
  Okay. I wasn't talking about WiFi only tablets or laptops, just cellular tablets or phones. In that scenario, for the older OSs (other than iOS), one had to go through the cellular carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, et al) rather than Google or Microsoft to get an upgrade, since that device had to be certified by the carrier. Google changed that from Android 5 (Lollipop onwards), and Microsoft changed that in Windows 10 Mobile.
  But those older tablets did not get upgrades, for various reasons, be it memory configuration to a desire by the vendor to discontinue that and push the newer iterations. I had a Verizon Ellipsis 7, which could at best be upgraded to Kit Kat: I tossed it when the sound stopped working, and got an Ellipsis 10, which has Lollipop. So if I had the 7, the sound worked and I used Skype, I'd be SOL by now due to this. At any rate, only times I use Skype is on a laptop, so I'm somewhat safe.
New Skype is a disaster by diekhans · 2017-06-20 04:49 · Score: 1

I am a long time Skype fan; it was a powerful communication tool, not a social networking toy. If offered easy transitions from text to voice to video, easy exchange of files, cross-platform consistency,
reliability with an easy to use interface.
No more. The Skype Android June 2017 is a disaster. They have deleted important features and added toys.
1) there is no more contact list; you can't tell who is available.
2) bad use of screen real estate
3) no configuration
4) no user alpha/beta; it's just install
I use to be able to collaborate all over the world; this appears to be coming to an end for a bad imitation of snap chat.
If you actually find Skype a great tool, please go to
https://answers.microsoft.com/...
and complain.