(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I have tested working skype 4.3 in slacko64-6.9.6.4 using the tahr pulseaudio-4.0, qt-4.8.5-i686-stripped_5.6.1.sfs, the 32 bit compatibility sfs and a few missing libs which you can take from puppy tahr 6.0.5 (libPNG12 needed,...).

Try skype-4.3.0.37.sfsby loading it with SFS-Load-On-the-Fly. This version uses apulse, all components included. Works well on Tahr 6.0.5
Double check your audio settings (Capture).

here is more about the ALSA PulseAudio emulator :
https://github.com/i-rinat/apulse

skype-4.3.0.37-apulse-slacko14.0.sfs is still working despite MS warnings that it would expire end Jul 2017.....

I have a new webcam with a usb mic How should I change /usr/bin/skype to use this usb mic?i.e. what value for APULSE_CAPTURE_DEVICE=?

I would try:

Skype as we knew it is dead. Microsoft bought it and no longer supports it for Linux. There is a Skype for Linux available but it is not a good substitute at all. Works though

EDIT - From the Slackbuilds site..."**Important notice**

All Skype for Linux clients version 4.3 and older will be retired on
July 1, 2017. To keep chatting, please install the latest version of
Skype for Linux -- the new 'skypeforlinux'"

Also, 32-bit is not supported anymore at all

I believe 32-bit Skype for Linux has just been killed off, finally. I can't even get it to launch any more: splash/login screen and then nothing. It was working last week.

No big loss but I'd like to confirm it's not just me: does anybody have 32-bit Skype still working?

Skype just quits completely when I try to log in here, so unless it is a temporary issue I guess it could be the end. I never really used it much but it was handy to have it there if I needed it.

OscarTalks wrote:Skype just quits completely when I try to log in here, so unless it is a temporary issue I guess it could be the end. I never really used it much but it was handy to have it there if I needed it.

I don't think this is just the old Qt client, neither. Up until the release of the 'full' modern 'Skype 4 Linux' last week, the 'beta' versions were working fine in the 64-bit Pups. Now, when I try to launch the new release, you get the login window. You can login, get the user interface for perhaps 5 seconds.....then the interface goes blank, and....nothing. The app's 'framework' is still there; titlebar. menubar - the window itself - but there's just a big white blank in the middle of it all.

Launching from the terminal gives absolutely no errors, so I don't have a clue what's going on with it. And the final 'beta', 5.05, now won't log in either.

---------------------------------------------

Looks a bit like the old 1-2 from MyCrudSoft, doesn't it? This is why I started using WIRE earlier this year.....and it works brilliantly, too.

WIRE thread


Mike.

I don't usually boot 64bit Puppies but as a test I downloaded the latest SkypeForLinux.
Version number shows as 8.10.0.4
Made a few tweaks including adding libsecret-1
Not sure if apulse is needed but have added it inside skype which should do no harm. Might try to test this more later.
Tested briefly in Slacko64 6.3.0 and Tahr64 6.0.5
Appears to work but I am not sure if it is fully functional or if improvements could be made.

Hi, Oscar.

Do I take it you've extracted the .deb, tweaked it a bit, and re-packed it as a .pet?

Where does libsecret come into the mix (and where did you get it from)? What's its function? Were you getting any clues in the terminal when you tried this (I'm guessing you ran this from the terminal, yes)?

All I got from it was a few seconds of the user GUI, then.....boof. That was it. Nada. Zilch, mate. Just sat there grinning at me.....with a 'blank' expression on its face..!


Mike.

Hi Mike,

Yes, I did download the .deb and re-packed as .sfs
I don't know what libsecret-1 does, but it was flagged up in terminal as missing when I began poking around. I installed it via PPM in Slacko64. I then plucked the lib out of the save-file and inserted it in my package (inside the main directory /usr/share/skypeforlinux). This dir is given priority in my wrapper which is named skype so the program can be started from terminal with this command.

I will upload the .sfs for illustrative and experimental purposes to http://smokey01.com/OscarTalks

The more recent attempts (it's still VERY alpha quality) can be found at:

https://repo.skype.com/deb/pool/main/s/skypeforlinux/

latest is skypeforlinux_8.10.76.7_amd64.deb
it seems to solve the white window on amd cpu's debacle

You can follow the development disasters at:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/sky ... 840?auth=1

also

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/sky ... 4ddf3ad89f

Morning Oscar, peebee.

Thanks for the info there, peebee. That'll enable me to keep an eye on things (hopefully!) I'm getting more & more of my acquaintances to at least try WIRE out.....but there's many stubborn 'hold-outs' who won't even countenance trying anything else.

("If 'twere good enough for me da - and his da - 'twill be good enough for me..." That kind of attitude... )

Jeez. Talk about getting in a rut.

So I still need to keep Skype hanging around, whether I want to or no.

------------------------------------------------------------

@Oscar:- I'll have a look at the SFS. I may do something similar myself, as time (and development) progresses. I can guarantee the Linux version won't get anything like as much TLC as the Windoze/Mac/Android/iOS versions..!

Cheers, guys.


Mike.

Don't want to hijack the topic but I thought that some may find this useful. Whilst Skype is ubiquitous. There are alternatives which have the advantage that you don't need an account and anyone can join and they work well. This is one that I have found. The first web site is the actual site to start the call and the second site is the web site describing it.

https://appear.in/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/move-googl ... ally-good/

We-e-e-elll.....

Okay, so 8.10.76.7 does appear to have fixed the big blank in t'middle of t'screen (sorry, I'm more in touch with me Yorkshire roots than usual tonight!)

Several other folks on that long litany of complaints on the user forums seem to have had the same problem, too.

Mm. I don't know..... I'm not sure as I like this new-style interface. I guess it's not such a bad idea having everything ID'd by icons.....once you get used to where everything is! I do wish M$ would make up their flamin' minds where things are going to be; they've moved things I don't know how many times since they started all this Skype for Linux crap earlier this year.

I guess everything will eventually settle down. Y'know, on second thoughts, it's all a bit smoother than the 'beta' version; softer, rounded corners. Not the sharp angles of 5.5, et al..... I guess I could live with it. Unlike one bloke on that MS forum; bitching because everything wasn't precisely where he was used to it.

It's amazing, isn't it? Friends 1000's of miles away in the States are more than happy to try out different VOIP apps (some of my US contacts have expressed quite a liking for WIRE).....yet family, less than 40 miles away, point-blank refuse to even look at owt else...!!!

Another reason I need to keep it hangin' around like a bad smell...


Mike.

peterw wrote:Don't want to hijack the topic but I thought that some may find this useful. Whilst Skype is ubiquitous. There are alternatives which have the advantage that you don't need an account and anyone can join and they work well. This is one that I have found. The first web site is the actual site to start the call and the second site is the web site describing it.

https://appear.in/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/move-googl ... ally-good/

Nice one, Peter. Yah, there's more and more of these sort of webapps coming on-line almost by the day, now. Another apparently by the name of zoom.us works along similar lines ( https://zoom.us/ ); this one, seemingly, geared more toward enterprise customers.

EDIT:- And within the last 24 hrs there's been the announcement of Windows/MacOS/Linux desktop versions of the iOS/Android Signal video-conferencing app.....although this one needs to be 'paired' with the phone app before you can use it. Many of these mentioned make use of real-time WebRTC/HTML5.

We're getting spoilt for choice, aren't we?


Mike.

I am another unlucky to see my skype not allowing me to login. They stopped it on 7th. What to do now?

Heck, I'm still annoyed Microsoft killed a perfectly workable solution (note: yes, I know it's only text messaging and not really a Skype equivalent, but eh) in favor of the micromanaging they're doing on this platform - MSN Messenger.

peterw suggested appear.in. I've used https://appear.in/ with Chrome. It works well enough. Rather heavy and makes the CPU works harder, but it works.

Another one is https://talky.io/. I haven't used them before.

These two are browser based. You need a recent enough browser with webrtc support.

Someone else suggested https://zoom.us/. I've used this too. You need to download a client for this one. They have clients for 64-bit and 32-bit linux; and I've run them successfully. Sound, video, screen sharing, all works. You just need to edit zoom.sh (the startup script) to make sure it finds the "missing" libraries (not really missing, those libraries in part of firefox or seamonkey so just need to direct it to find it there). A matter of editing LD_LIBRARY_PATH in the zoom.sh script.

Skype is dead.

If you still have some credit money on skype account then you can spend it with skype web and a webrtc browser: for old puppies you can use the gtk2 firefox 45.9.0esr.

https://web.skype.com/