Microsoft is reportedly killing Skype
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Yeah I've still got my headsets from boxes with Skype For Business branding that have "Compatible with Microsoft Lync" stickers on them.
It's probably closer in UI to Skype from the 2000s that the "real" Skype never really recaptured. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.
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Forgot it was even still around.
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It seems like a very underrated feature but Skype's overseas calling feature was great and the 60 mins I get each month with 365 was really nice. Them getting rid of that basically made Skype useless.
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Reportedly? It's been dead since (in case of Linux) version 8.3 (just to hint at its age, it's in Qt 4 and supports ALSA) stopped logging in.
Exchanging files via Skype was very easy. Roleplaying in groupchats.
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They intentionally killed it, when it wasn't theirs, it was a nuisance, when it was theirs, it wasn't a nuisance, but also not too useful.
It's about control, I think.
I mean, without Skype going bad would all these <censored> IMs, especially Telegram, become so popular?
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It didn't "start to suck", they intentionally transitioned it, from old lean clients working over p2p usable in unbelievably bad connectivity conditions, to something server-based and fat laggy clients with typical Microsoft quality. They they turned off authentication servers for the old Skype.
If the old Skype were still functional today, nobody would say it sucks. OK, maybe no stickers and such.
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That's Microsoft for you
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They just reskinned it and slapped irc in it and called it teams
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I have a load of credit on there still (got tricked by them deactivating my credit and topped up unnecessarily). I still use it for international calls at least once a month, I hope this news story is overblown.
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It also cobbled in groups from Exchange, and the Collab site from SharePoint. Its pretty much three raccoons in a trench-coat.
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Not FOSS but you can check Google Voice and see if the pricing for the country you need to call is convenient
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Thank goodness! My parents refuse to move the group chat to anything else.
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Well, they’re doing what they already have been and absorbing it into teams. Teams video chat is littered with the bits of leftover Skype tech references, they’re just making sure it’s an enterprise product they can bill monthly for instead of a free consumer product
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Do your credits still exist? I was under the impression that they phased out the credit system.
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Around these parts in the 2000s, MSN Messenger was what literally everyone used. Then Microsoft bought Skype and decided to shut down MSN Messenger. Then they also ruined Skype. Microsoft just can't do anything right despite making so much money. It's like they have no long term vision.
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You can do this using JMP Chat, which bridges phone numbers to XMPP. Unfortunately, it's USA and Canada only, for now.
Alternatively, you can use a "SIP Trunk Provider". For instance, in the UK, Andrews and Arnold offers this service. You can then connect any compatible SIP client (e.g. Gnome Calls).
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Embrace, extend, extinguish.
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The bigger headline is "Skype hasn't been dead this whole time"
