alternative client for skype for ubuntu.

[keef247]

hi, im on ubuntu 7.04 and using a very old skype that doesn't support video etc and was wondering if there are any alternative linux programs (or windows runs i can run under wine?) of skype.
for example you get amsn instead of msn messenger etc...
cheers for any input.

[directhex]

skype's protocol is secret and proprietary. there is no alternative which can access the same network.

[abeacock]

I thought Skype stayed up to date on Linux?
What does the version from Skype's website give?

[vinnyT]

From the Skype faq; http://support.skype.com/index.php?_...details&_i=190

"What Linux distributions does Skype for Linux run on?

Skype for Linux has been successfully tested on many recent distributions, including, but not limited to: SuSE 9, Gentoo, Debian, Fedora Core 3-5, Sun Java Desktop System Release 2, Xandros, Mandriva, Ubuntu. It should run on all distributions that have the required versions of glibc and Qt libraries available."

So you shouldn't have any probs running it on your system.

Hope this helps.

[keef247]

no it runs i just need video support which the out of date version on linux doesn't have.windows version is alot better

[aidanjt]

Kopete has video support. I'm afraid you wont get skype video support working with anything less than with wine magic, if you're lucky.

[vinnyT]

Sorry Keef247, didn't realise that Skype video wouldn't run on linux. Trawled around abit and found these apps which do run video on linux, out of the tree, I think wengo sounds the best, but you may prefer another.

Wengo - http://www.wengo.com/ -good tutorial fromt he free software magazine - http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/...es/wengo_phone.

Amsm - An MSN compatible messenger application. Works pretty much like its Windows based counterpart. Works on linux - http://sourceforge.net/projects/amsn/ - I think msn allows video calling, so this should too.

Ekiga (formely known as GnomeMeeting) is an open source VoIP and video conferencing application for GNOME. - http://www.gnomemeeting.org/.

There are prob more out there, may be best asking (search the faq first) on a linux forum.

Hope this helps.

[jamena]

if you used a standardised VoIP application (i.e. one that uses the standard protocols as opposed to Skype and it's proprietary ones) you could use it on Linux. Although I'm not sure you could converse freely with people on skype from the other, er, normal-er type of VoIP. Someone with knowledge will reply soon hopefully

[keitaro849]

If you want the video and sound to work in skype you need to download the PulseAudio software thats in the ubuntu software center and you should download the latest version of skype for linux skype.com. After I did that the webcam was working great with no problems. Umm the only big problem I have with linux skype is that I can not call groups of people and i can not join a call it irritates the hell out of me. And skype needs to get off their lazy butt and make an interface that works as well as the windows version. The other problem is if you try to use skype with the Wine emulator, it will crash and will have no sound drivers or webcam drivers. My theory is that linux skype has to rely on an audio control program because it can't simply work off of whatever is in the OS sound settings. Unless there is a program for wine i don't know about that helps with that.

[kellyharding]

Skype is proprietry so you're at the whim of them adding the features. Such software does tend to lag compared to Windows, due largely probably to the different user base sizes involved.

Although Skype are meant to be open sourcing their client sometime soon, but the protocol will remain proprietry iirc.

[peterb]

The previous version of skype for Linux seemed a lot more stable than the recent one. That said, Skype do support the Linux platform, but the features are limited compared with the Windows version.

As others have said, the Skype protcols and codecs are closed and proprietary, so there are no alternatives available.

Other VoIP protocols (notably SIP - Session Initiation Protocol) and the codecs used by other VoIP providers are open, and therefore interoperable. I use Sipgate as a provider, but I can contact users of other VoIP prviders (such as Gossiptel - there are many others) without difficulty.

[aidanjt]

For me the Linux skype client does audio, video, and IM... I think that's all the boxes ticked, no?

[JPreston]

Holy thread resurrection! Well, since it's already been done I might as well post here than start another thread with exactly the same title.

Now it's no longer 2007 skype has indeed added video to its linux version, but I'm finding it unreliable and would like to find a back-up VoIP client to call between ubuntu 9.10 NBR and windows when skype just isn't working. I need a VoIP client to chat to Mrs JPreston while she is overseas, and only her, not interested in calling landlines or anything.

Ekiga and Wengophone are still going as alternatives, so should we go with one of these? Or is there a better non-cross-platform client to use on each OS, that are SIP-compliant or otherwise interoperable?

[peterb]

Ekiga works quite well, but you do need to sign up with a VoIP service
9I use Sipgate) - but I think Ekiga offers one as well. If you buy Siemens VoIP hardware, they also offer a service which, IIRC) is free.