Skype 2.2 Beta For Linux Released Skype Access Support, Improved Audio / Video Quality

After more then a year since the last beta, a new Skype beta version has been released today: 2.2 beta.

Skype 2.2 beta brings "Skype Access" support which you can use to connect to "over 500,000 WiFi hotspots worldwide using your Skype Credit", improved audio and video quality.

Other changes in Skype 2.2 beta for Linux:

• you can now receive a second call while a call is ongoing; you can hold and answer it or join the two calls into a conference call.
• bug fixes for PulseAudio, KDE Oxygen style issues and more

Well, it's not really what I was expecting after a year of development (in theory anyway) but unfortunately since Skype is not open source, the community can't help.

Oh yeah, I just had to mention this: while their announcement advertises "over 500,000 WiFi hotspots world-wide", the Skype Access window says "over 100,000":

I don't use Skype so I can't really tell if the audio and video quality improved substantially so if you use Skype, let us know in the comments!



Download Skype 2.2 beta for Linux (available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and openSUSE) | Release notes

[via H-Online]

Fix Skype Menus With Dark Themes (Like Ambiance) [Quick Linux Tip]

By default, Skype doesn't play very nicely if you use a theme with dark menus. This is a serious inconvenient since Skype is a very popular application and the default Ubuntu theme - Ambiance - uses dark menus. But this is actually very easy to "fix".

To make the Skype menu readable when using a dark theme, go to the Skype options (you need to be logged in to do this) and on the "General" tab, under "Choose style" select "Desktop settings":

Then, click "Apply" and restart Skype. The Skype menus should now be readable.

FOSS Skype Alternative "GNU Free Call" In The Works

The GNU Project has announced a new project called GNU Free Call, an open source Skype alternative that will offer anonymous VoIP and will use the GNU SIP Witch server as the back end:

We use the open standard SIP protocol and GNU SIP Witch to create secured peer-to-peer mesh calling networks, and we welcome all participation in our effort.

GNU SIP Witch requires a minimum of system resources so it can be used on cell phones too so it seems the goal is to provide a cross-platform application, the immediate target most probably being Android.


The comments on the announcement reveal that the GUI is going to be a separate application and also, GNU Free Call itself won't deliver video, however this will be done by other applications such as Ekiga, Empaty and so on:

Video is a function of the user agent, not sipwitch. Since we do not transcode media but let the endpoints negotiate it directly, we do not have to implement code to support it or any other form of media. What we do need to do however is add code to the new gui to discover locally installed clients (such as ekiga, twinkle, empathy, etc, whatever can be supported this way) and then automatically configure your client for you to talk to sipwitch locally.

Read the full release announcement @ planet.gnu.org

Thanks to DownloadSquad for the news!

Install Skype In Ubuntu 11.04 Via Repository

Starting with Ubuntu 10.04, Skype is available to install in Ubuntu via the official Ubuntu partner repository. However, this repository is not available if you upgrade to a new Ubuntu version that's still in alpha/beta/rc.

That means that if you upgrade to Ubuntu 11.04 before the final version is released, you won't be able to install Skype from the Ubuntu 11.04 Partner repository.

To install Skype in Ubuntu 11.04 already (currently Alpha 3), you can download the Skype .deb from the Skype website, but it's better to install Skype from the Ubuntu 10.10 Partner repository because it includes some Ubuntu-specific fixes that aren't available in the official Skype .deb.

To add the Ubuntu 10.10 Partner repository to Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, press ALT + F2 and enter the following:

gksu /usr/bin/software-properties-gtk

Then, on the "Other software" tab click "Add" and add the following:

deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu maverick partner

And finally reload the software sources and search for Skype in the Ubuntu Software Center or run the following command to install Skype:

sudo apt-get install skype

You can also download Skype .deb from Ubuntu 10.10 Partner repository: 32bit | 64bit

Add Tabs To Skype For Linux Using SkypeTab

SkypeTab is a tool that wraps Skype chat windows into a tabbed interface. Besides integrating the conversations, SkypeTab can also embed the Contact List into its wrapper.

Overall, SkypeTab is a really nice tool - if you don't move the window, because the Skype conversation windows lag a lot behind the tabs wrapper when moving the window and unfortunately the author says this cannot be fixed, at least not at this time. Nevertheless SkypeTab is a nice tool if you usually have a lot of Skype conversation windows opened and want to unclutter you desktop.

To use it, firstly run "SkypeTab" (from the Applications > Internet) and then run Skype.

Important: Skype Tabs only works with Compiz, Openbox and Xfwm.

Download Skype Tabs (includes Ubuntu / Debian .deb files) | For feedback, see the SkypeTab Ubuntuforums post.

Super OS Repository For Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx Comes With Adobe Air, Spideroak, TrueCrypt And Lots More

Super OS (formerly: Super Ubuntu) is a modified version of Ubuntu 10.04. But this post isn't about Super OS but about the amazing repository it comes with and which you can of course use on a regular Ubuntu 10.04 installation or any Ubuntu 10.04 based Linux distribution/remaster.

What's so great about the Super OS repository? Well, it comes with some applications which are not available in any other repository as well as other applications which are scattered between lots of PPAs or repositories - all in one place.

The Super OS repository includes applications such as: Adobe AIR, Adobe Reader, DropBox, IBM Lotus Symphony, Spideroak, TrueCrypt, Hulu Desktop, VirtualBox (the proprietary version), the latest WINE 1.2, Reconstructor, Google Earth, Google Desktop, Google Chrome, Picasa, codecs and others. You can find a list HERE - the versions in the list have not been updated, however the packages in the repository are the latest stable version. Unfortunately, a few of the above mentioned applications are only available for 32bit. A complete list of 64bit packages in the repository can be found HERE.

Add the Super OS repository to Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

To add the Super OS repository to Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx, all you have to do is download and install THIS deb - it will add the repository and also install the repository key.

Then power up Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic and search for the application(s) you want to install.


How secure is the Super OS repository? I can't really tell you but since many of you use PPAs, think of it as a PPA - they are not official and you can either trust the repository maintainer or not.

Thanks to Miguel Ferreira and Gerald Young in the comments for the updated .deb link!

Skype In Ubuntu Partner Repository Gets Some Fixes [Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx]

This is a quick post to let you know that Skype (which has been added to the Ubuntu partner official repository a few days ago - Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx only!) package in the Ubuntu Partner repository got some fixes which were previously available for the Medibuntu package (Skype is no longer available in the Medibuntu repository for Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx) so if you didn't enable this repository, now it's a good time to do so.

If you don't know how to enable the Ubuntu Partner repository, see THIS post.

When Skype was added to the Ubuntu Partner repository, it took them around two days to publish it into the actual repository - hopefully this update will get to everybody sooner.

I'm not sure what fixes this update brings, but in case it doesn't fix the webcam not working in Ubuntu, here is a work-around:

Create a file called whatever you want (skype.sh or whatever) and paste this:

#!/bin/sh
export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype.real "$@"
exit 0

Then save the file.

Finally, make the script executable:

chmod +x /path/to/skype.sh

And then use this script to run Skype instead of the original menu entry.

Install Skype From The Official Ubuntu 10.04 Repositories (Skype Added To The Ubuntu 10.04 Partner Repository)

Skype has just been uploaded to the "partner" official Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx repository - correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the first time Skype is uploaded to an official Ubuntu repository (other than Medibuntu obviously - which by the way doesn't include Skype anymore).

So to install Skype in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx from the partner repository, go to System > Administration > Software Sources and on the "Other software" tab, enable (check the box next to it) the "http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu lucid partner" repository.

Then simply do:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install skype

You can also manually download Skype from Launchpad (but that's just like downloading it from Skype's website so it's advisable to enable the Lucid Partner repository so you'll receive updates).

Skype 2.1 Beta 2 For Linux Released, Brings Screen Sharing, Many Audio And UI Fixes / Tweaks

Four months after the first Skype 2.1 beta, a second beta has been released.

Skype 2.1 beta 2 (2.1.0.81) fixes a lot of stability and usability issues, and also brings the Linux Skype client much closer to what the other desktop clients have to offer. Screen sharing has also been finally introduced:

Enter "Talking Screens" - with screensharing. Now you can share your desktop with unprecedented ease. Share whole screen or a selected region - it's just one click away!

Other improvements include UI switching styles on the fly, audio is much better than before - or so say the Skype devs and many other tweaks and fixes. You can see the complete changelog, HERE. The changelog on that page states: "Last build: 20.01.2009 Skype version 2.1.0.81". That should of course be "2010", but this error basically shows the current Skype for Linux state: at least one year behind the builds for other operating system(s).

Note: to share your desktop: make a call first, and then in the call window look under the menu button:

Download Skype 2.1.0 beta 2 for Linux (packages available for Ubuntu (32 and 64bit), Debian, Fedora and openSUSE). Don't worry about it saying "Ubuntu Intrepid", it will work on Karmic too.

Skype, Developing an Open Source Version

The Skype VoIP service is working on developing an open source version of Linux client, according to the Skype blog.

Skype has provided a Linux client for some years now, but it's not as full-featured as its Windows counterpart, working as a binary-only application.

Developing this new open source version, will help Skype be adopted within Linux distributions.

The bad news is the Skype protocol will still remain proprietary, but third-party clients would be able to use this closed lib to support the Skype protocol. This means that we could start seeing third party applications built around Skype code or more powerful third party plugins for Skype that enhance the application's functionality.

via Phoronix

Skype 2.1 Beta For Linux Has Been Released

Skype 2.1 Beta vor Linux has been released yesterday, bringing a lot of new features, including:

• High Quality Video support.
• Skype's SILK audio codec.
• PulseAudio support.
• SMS sending support.
• Chat messages editing/removing support.
• Contact groups support.
• Typing notification in chat.
• Chat picture support (add/change/remove) for group conversations.
• Mood messages are visible in contact list and tooltip.
• Video/Mobile icons are visible in contact list.
• Bookmarked Chats are visible in contact list.
• Contact labels/tags.

There have also been a lot of improvements (such as typing indicator, new emoticons and message editing) and bug fixes. You can see the full list of changes, HERE.

Download Skype 2.1 Beta for Linux (packages available: Ubuntu and Debian .deb, Fedora .rpm, OpenSUSE .rpm and generic installation files).

Issues

If you webcam works but Skype has trouble with using it, create a new empty, let's call it "launch_skype.sh" file and paste this in it:

#!/bin/bash
sleep 2
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l2convert.so skype

Then use the terminal to navigate to where this file is located and:

sudo chmod +x launch_skype.sh

And use this file to launch Skype.