Skype 2.1 Beta Brings New Features To Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Skype 2.1 Beta Brings New Features To Linux

For anyone that extensively uses Skype on Linux, you will probably want to head on over to the Linux Skype Developer page to fetch the latest beta. Skype has just rolled out the first 2.1 beta (2.1.0.47 Beta) of the Linux Skype client, which adds several new features and also brings a number of fixes and other improvements. The new Skype Linux features are high quality video codec support, Skype's SILK audio codec support, PulseAudio compatibility, SMS sending support, chat messaging editing/removing capabilities, contact groups support, typing notification in chat, chat picture support, mood messages, video/mobile icons are now visible in the contact list along with bookmarked chats, and also added are contact labels/tags. Beyond these key features to Skype 2.1 for Linux, the beta release also brings a number of improvements ranging from better ALSA support (including USB headsets) to an enlarged tray icon...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NzQ5MA

[bulletxt]

If I do a conference with 3 people the audio goes crazy. I had to switch back to the OLD 2.0 series.

Skype is silly, and reminds me of another proprietary software under linux. Guess the name.

[L33F3R]

If I do a conference with 3 people the audio goes crazy. I had to switch back to the OLD 2.0 series.

Skype is silly, and reminds me of another proprietary software under linux. Guess the name.

nero linux? :D

[deanjo]

nero linux? :D

Say what you will but nero linux burns DL and Bluray media far more reliable then K3b and kin.

[Apopas]

If I do a conference with 3 people the audio goes crazy. I had to switch back to the OLD 2.0 series.

Skype is silly, and reminds me of another proprietary software under linux. Guess the name.
Yup Nero Linux... the best way to waste your money under Linux...

[benmoran]

I'm glad that at least they are clearly still working on it. In the last version (2.0.72) only skype-static-oss worked ootb in Karmic. This new beta works OK so far, and finally supports pulse.

Skype is the only proprietary software I use right now (besides a broadcom wifi binary). If a proprietary game stops working with your system you can move on, but it sucks if it's an application you use every day.
I can just hope that one of two things happen:
Skype becomes increasingly popular and the protocol is eventually reverse engineered.
Skype starts charging, making it easier to move everyone to a free alternative.

Please feel free to ignore my rant :P

[L33F3R]

Say what you will but nero linux burns DL and Bluray media far more reliable then K3b and kin.

lol i dont notice a difference. I just said the first proprietary linux software that came to mind :rolleyes:

[cliff]

I'm not really into big brother spying on me via Skype.
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-542267.html

[nanonyme]

I'm glad that at least they are clearly still working on it. In the last version (2.0.72) only skype-static-oss worked ootb in Karmic. This new beta works OK so far, and finally supports pulse. Agreed, I already thought they silently dropped Linux support. Nice to hear they care at least a bit. ;)

[nanonyme]

I'm not really into big brother spying on me via Skype.
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-542267.htmlOh, the classic "any software whose source code isn't in the open can contain backdoors!" claim. If there was a backdoor in Skype, it'd probably be in the network itself, not the client software.
ps. That post is just slightly incoherent. Sources hidden, facts obscured, would make a very bad article.

[Suzuran]

Oh, the classic "any software whose source code isn't in the open can contain backdoors!" claim. If there was a backdoor in Skype, it'd probably be in the network itself, not the client software.
ps. That post is just slightly incoherent. Sources hidden, facts obscured, would make a very bad article.

And not to commit ad hominem here, but anyone not familiar with the site on which that post took place should take a look at it.

[R00KIE]

Too bad they dropped support for OSSv4, for now at least. Appart from that this new version seem to work well (at least for the short time I have used it). Alsa doesn't play well with my notebook so I'm compelled to use OSSv4c and I will only poke pulse with a long stick.

If the skype developers don't add support for OSSv4 it's a big fail imo. I believe part of the _informed_ users are giving OSSv4 a try when alsa does a poor job on their machines and they are generally happier with it than with alsa.

I am a lot happier with OSSv4, flawless playback _every_ single time, with better quality than with alsa, no nonsense whatsoever.

[myxal]

Huh? Is no one bothered to mention that a 64bit build is FINALLY available? Yaay, another piece of software delivered in 64bit version for Linux first ;)

[benmoran]

It was reported on another forum that it's still a 32-bit build using 64-bit compatibility libraries. I haven't bothered to check yet to be honest, but it's not hard to believe.

[panda84]

It was reported on another forum that it's still a 32-bit build using 64-bit compatibility libraries. I haven't bothered to check yet to be honest, but it's not hard to believe.
In the comments of the news:
http://share.skype.com/sites/linux/2009/08/skype_for_linux_21_beta.html
The 64-bit installer contains a 32-bit executable:
# file skype
skype: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), for GNU/Linux 2.6.8, stripped

So, it's still only 32-bit.

[myxal]

Yup, same here. Interestingly though, the package no longer depends on lib32v4l like the version from medibuntu did.

[n0nsense]

Yup Nero Linux... the best way to waste your money under Linux...

I paid for Nero Linux 3 few years ago, and it's the only burning software I can trust to do the work.
Brasero is joke that not working, K3B is not always working.
It is not a shame to pay for something that does the work. I had a choice and i used it. No regrets.
You'll probably waste more money on f...d blank CD/DVD if you don't use Nero.
But anyway, you have the right to use whatever you choose and as long as you don't bash other people choices no one really cares about your choice.

[nanonyme]

Too bad they dropped support for OSSv4, for now at least. Appart from that this new version seem to work well (at least for the short time I have used it). Alsa doesn't play well with my notebook so I'm compelled to use OSSv4c and I will only poke pulse with a long stick.OSSv4 comes with an ALSA compatiblity layer. Use that.

[Apopas]

I paid for Nero Linux 3 few years ago, and it's the only burning software I can trust to do the work.
Brasero is joke that not working, K3B is not always working.
Yeah I see you're giving real facts here.

It is not a shame to pay for something that does the work. I had a choice and i used it. No regrets.
It's idiot to pay for something you can have for free.

You'll probably waste more money on f...d blank CD/DVD if you don't use Nero.
Not a single blank disk as long as I remember. And this is a fact not a personal opinion. So the bucks I would have given for Nero would be practically a waste.

But anyway, you have the right to use whatever you choose and as long as you don't bash other people choices no one really cares about your choice.
As I have the right to use whatever I want, is my right as well to judge if someone else should do this as long as I don't forbid him to choose whatever he wants as well.

[R00KIE]

OSSv4 comes with an ALSA compatiblity layer. Use that.

The distro I use (Arch Linux) has libsalsa disabled in the package and if I try to compile OSSv4 with --enable-libsalsa=YES it aborts with "unknown option --enable-libsalsa=YES".

I guess I'll have to look into it better, but anyway, there is no good reason not to support ossv4 directly, the 2.0 version of skype did have direct support for oss and that works perfectly here.

[nanonyme]

I'd check ./configure --help|less and try to find if there's anything related to ALSA.

[R00KIE]

There is and it's exactly that, the files are all there it's just that configure accepts --enable-libsalsa=NO just fine but not --enable-libsalsa=YES.

Later I'll try to manually compile it instead of using a modified pkgbuild. But even if I can compile it, it doesn't mean it will work. It was not made to be a perfect alsa emulation/translation layer after all.

[curaga]

Guys, just point libasound to use OSS. It works a lot better than either systems' emulation.

http://insanecoding.blogspot.com/2009/05/perfect-sound-with-oss-version-4.html