Skype
Skype uses P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to provide voice- and video-based communication with other Internet users. The technology is extremely advanced, but easy to use. It features excellent sound quality, end-to-end encryption, and automatic negotiation of firewalls or routers. Among major features are SkypeOut and SkypeIn, adding the possibility to make low-cost calls to land line phones and having a fixed number to be able to receive calls from land line phones.
| Tags | Communications Internet Phone Conferencing Telephony multimedia Sound/Audio Speech |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows Windows Windows POSIX BSD FreeBSD Linux |
Recent releases
- 30 Aug 2009 05:22
Release Notes: Support was added for high quality video, for Skype's SILK audio codec, for PulseAudio, for sending of SMSs, for contact groups, and many other features. Many minor improvements and bugfixes were made.
- 30 Aug 2009 05:22
Release Notes: Many minor bugs were fixed. Stability and performance improvements were made.
- 08 Feb 2008 13:00
Release Notes: This version includes support for non-accelerated (regular X11) video output for video calls, extra debugging information for video problems, and a slew of bugfixes.
- 25 Jan 2008 06:22
Release Notes: This release adds a commandline login, highlights the person who is talking, and fixes several video problems.
- 07 Nov 2007 23:55
Release Notes: This release brings the much awaited video feature to Skype for Linux, as well as some other minor bugfixes.
Recent comments
Re: 1.3 beta => needs root access
> The 1.3 beta running on Linux 2.6.18
> needs root
> privilegies to made and recieve calls
> which is a security
> nightmare!!! If its running as user it
> hangs when it tries
> to establish a call (incoming and
> outgoing).
Hi -- this is not true, and only affects a small handful of users, although Skype are yet to find a common factor here.
Skype is designed to run as a regular user on the system. There is a thread about it in the Skype forums, just post your info there and see if we can help each other out.
1.3 beta => needs root access
The 1.3 beta running on Linux 2.6.18 needs root
privilegies to made and recieve calls which is a security
nightmare!!! If its running as user it hangs when it tries
to establish a call (incoming and outgoing).
I've contacted the skype staff but no answer (yet).
Re: Skype sucks
> Skype, however, uses the OSS interface
> and therefore needs complete control of
> my soundcard.
Not any more - 1.3 beta versions have very nice ALSA support.
Re: beta?
>
> % We must call this version alpha, it
> has
> % many bugs about the sound
>
>
> OK, I know we - GPL junkies - have a
> tendency to diss closed-source apps.
> But please...
%
A beta version must have minimun functionality
that this version hasn't.
> % and runs only as root.
>
>
> Please... configure your system! Stop
> spreading FUD. If it works under root
> priviliges it means this is 99.99%
> permissions problem. It runs fine here
> as non-root user... Slackware -current.
I don't know which type of permissions you talk about. Skype 1.2.0.18 works well, Ekiga Gizmo Wengophone linphone etc... are working as normal user too, no sound server is blocking the audio card.
Maybe there are some other things to set?
The README included in the package (related to v0.92.0.16 ) cannot help.
Regards
Re: beta?
> We must call this version alpha, it has
> many bugs about the sound
OK, I know we - GPL junkies - have a tendency to diss closed-source apps.
But please...
Yes, there is Skype 2.x for Windos already and this beta is buggy (perhaps that's why it's called so?) e.g. after very long uptime trying to use voice service causes Skype to gobble 100% of CPU cycles and lack of sound... BUT overall it works and I expect this version or later to co-operate with ALSA properly (thank you, from me and hopefully every other Linux user, very much to whoever, responsible at Skype Corp, is working to achive this goal!).
> and runs only as root.
Please... configure your system! Stop spreading FUD. If it works under root priviliges it means this is 99.99% permissions problem. It runs fine here as non-root user... Slackware -current. And on good days let's me talk to friends and listen to music at the same time, now there is something to fuel my ADS ;-)
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