Linphone 3.11.1

[OscarTalks]

I have been very happy with my Linphone 3.8.4-106 builds which I compiled in various Puppies a little while ago. These were custom manual builds which were still quite small and did everything I needed.

Latest release is now 3.11.1 so I decided to take a look at how things have moved on. My main objective was to build a Linphone for Stretch Pup which I am testing. Turns out they have a simplified build system for the desktop version of Linphone which actually worked.

It involves downloading the linphone-desktop source package bundle.

Code: Select all

git clone git://git.linphone.org/linphone-desktop.git --recursive

This downloads everything into a directory named "linphone-desktop"
Best to have this in /mnt/home or somewhere outside of save-file.
You go into it and run the python script ./prepare.py followed by "make" and the whole thing builds inside there in a directory named "OUTPUT"

Furthermore, you don't need to install it into your system, you can run it from that location under /mnt/home as the paths are all set up. Just symlink the "linphone" binary (in the /bin subdir) into your system PATH (/usr/bin) and do the .desktop file tweaks to create your menu entry.

The package contains all the dependencies in versions that are suitable for this Linphone (including ffmpeg) so the package of needed files is larger than my earlier Linphone versions. Once it is built you have the option to delete all the HUGE amount of source file clutter and other unneeded files.

Default build including all codecs completes successfully in Stretch but not in Wheezy (see notes below).Might try some other Puppy versions later since it is quite easy once you know how.

LATER NOTES:-
Requires Cmake version 3.0 or later. Most Puppies have a version that is too old but it is easy to upgrade. Latest stable release is 3.7.2 and this compiles from source with just a few simple steps.
https://yadi.sk/d/8dJPlK3x3GoPQr?force_show=1

Requires Java JDK for the build (but not at runtime once built). Use GetJava or packages from here:-
https://yadi.sk/d/5aP6BYgSoJ5Hp?force_show=1

Build with --all-codecs completes successfully in 32bit TahrPup 6.0.5 and Slacko 6.3.2 which are the 2 current official Puppies at the time of writing.

Wheezy requires libglew and libglew-dev from Debian plus the 2 above steps. Then build with --all-codecs -DENABLE_VCARD=NO and it completes. Only thing is that vCard support is disabled but I never use that anyway.

Precise also needs libglew and libglew-dev from Ubuntu and then same as for Wheezy.

One little bug report - I have to uncheck "Allow IPv6" TWICE in Preferences for the setting to stick.
Also the "Clear call history" button only works after re-start.

Some EXPERIMENTAL packages uploaded for testing here:-
https://yadi.sk/d/qw7vmT9s3GpZnx?force_show=1
See a few posts down for more details.

[slavvo67]

Hi Oscar,

Just uploaded a new RU Xerus64 and looking to possibly add this to the next build. I dislike multiple windows opening in one program, though. Do you know of a fix?

Thanks,

Slavvo67

[musher0]

Thanks, OscarTalks.

If I may ask a few newbie questions:

What is the advantage of using LinPhone or similar?

Free long distance calls? By-passing the telephone company (and the
phone bill) entirely?

What about sound quality? Is it good or just so-so?

Can you still have a phone number and a physical telephone or is it
Internet URLs with headphones only?

TIA for any answers or leads.

[OscarTalks]

Hi Slavvo,

It is normally just the main window that opens at start. You also get the SIP account wizard until you have set up at least one account. I opened the others for the screenshot. The dialpad could be in the main gui I suppose, but this would have to be at source code level so I would not know how. The earlier version had a button for this but it was still a separate window. Now I have to use the drop-down Options menu to open it so it almost seems that its importance has been relegated which I admit does not make sense. Most programs have the "About" dialog as a separate window and same goes for Preferences. I use Linphone pretty much every day including as my main landline phone so I will be interested to see how this new version performs.

[OscarTalks]

Hi Musher0,

It is useful and advantageous in a number of ways. Although there are a few exceptions, generally speaking though it does NOT offer free calls to phone numbers.

It does interface with the phone system and you can use it to receive calls from phones at no cost. The caller would be paying for the call in the normal way in this case.

Otherwise it is audio and video calling and IM using the non-proprietory SIP protocol so it can communicate with other SIP clients on other platforms (in theory). You can encrypt everything too.

A SIP address is almost like an e-mail address so really I don't know why it never caught on as a mainstream way for people to communicate.

Sound quality is fine. You have lots of codecs to choose from in Preferences including some wide-band ones.

The Linphone client is kind of a substitute for the hardware phone and it has more flexibilty eg for free SIP to SIP calling and IM. You can use a normal hardware phone for SIP VoIP for cheap phone calls but that requires an adapter and Linphone would then not be involved although you could have both working on the same line and then choose whether to use Linphone or the hardware phone for making or answering a call.

[musher0]

Many thanks for those clear answers, OscarTalks!

BFN.

[OscarTalks]

This linphone-desktop build system is designed to compile Linphone in the source directory and also run Linphone from within the source directory. One advantage of this is that you can leave it all in place and re-run the script at any time to update the program.

One drawback with this is that I can't move the files into the standard system locations like /usr/bin and /usr/lib and /usr/share because the paths are wrong. This makes it difficult to offer .pet and .sfs packages which I would like to do because not everybody likes compiling. Also we have to make sure that all the Linphone-specific dependency libraries are given priority over any system libraries (eg ffmpeg).

Putting files under /initrd/mnt/dev_save (or /mnt/home) in a .pet or .sfs package seems wrong. In some cases it works but can cause issues in certain scenarios, so I thought I would explore other ideas.

Compiling with relative prefix enabled and launching with a wrapper script I am able to assemble a package which installs in /opt and appears to have all the right paths and priorities. Also this takes the form of a conventional package with nothing in weird locations. If anyone would like to take precautions and test these experimental packages I will upload them here:-
https://yadi.sk/d/qw7vmT9s3GpZnx?force_show=1

I'm afraid it is no longer small, but supposedly offers HD video and other nice features. Some of the bulk is media ringtone files which could be thinned out, but maybe with full installs and save-folders and .sfs loading, size is not all that important compared to function.

[watchdog]

Hi, OscarTalks. I tried your pet for precise but I have had no success to configure linphone to use my sip.diamondcard.us account (ekiga-call-out). I have no friends using free sip accounts and I use linphone or puppyphone-psip to voip call real telephone numbers by sip.diamondcard.us where I have some money. I used previous your linphone builds in this manner. The built-in puppyphone of precise does not longer work for me (I have problems of NAT traversal...) and I installed the old mikeb's psip 0.26 which is working a marvel. Psip 1.41 from fatdog64 works in other 64 bit puppies in development. This is my report. I think I'll stick with the previous versions of linphone.

[OscarTalks]

Thanks for testing and reporting. Maybe there is a problem with the method I used for creating a package. I have never tried to use diamondcard. I would be curious to know what step in the configuration failed to work but only if it is convenient for you to post this. If you only use SIP softphones for calling out to phones then really you don't need this latest larger Linphone anyway. The older and smaller ones are fine for this as you say. For calling out to phones my main provider is sipgate, not the cheapest but has always been reliable. I also have tel2 as a back-up provider. Both of these give me a free normal landline number for my incoming calls, but the SIP addresses they use can not be accessed for free calls (apart from others using the same provider). With Linphone you can log in with several providers simultaneously so you can use free and paid-for services at the same time. This is one thing that PSIP does not appear to be able to do.

[Smithy]

Hello OscarTalks, your Linphone was always the best.
Couldn't get it to run in Bionic though, so I put this one together.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nhnaxm6nfwhl9 ... c.pet?dl=1

Just wondering if they have removed ZRTP though. I seem to remember your 3.6.1 did that?
I think you are on Stretch these days, but if you get chance to have a look at the pet. You are the expert.
I'm sure it does multi party direct conference calls, as well as through SIP or used to, plus send files, and text chat or used to?
It's been ages since I used it, but it was always reliable. And there might be a need for it as the mainstream stuff might go down through overloading at the moment.

[Mike Walsh]

@ Smithy:-

Might be a bit problematic with the current source code. I've just had a look over at

https://gitlab.linphone.org/BC/public/linphone-desktop

.....where it appears that Qt 5.9 is now required, along with a need for C++11?


Mike.

[OscarTalks]

It has been a while since I did any Linphone compiling. I am still using my 3.8.4-106 builds in Dpup Wheezy and Slacko 5.7 and sometimes version 3.11.1 in Dpup Stretch. I use it as my main land-line phone so it is on almost all the time. The only bug I encountered in 3.11.1 is that the "Clear" button does not clear calls from the list unless you restart. In the earlier version it works as it should.

They have now made a lot of changes to the source code including the switch to Qt5 so I have not kept up. The ZRTP support is via an optional dependency so other builds might not contain it even if it is still in the source.

[Smithy]

Ok, thanks to you both. The pet seems to be running well so far transmission and receive, I will check the libs.

ZRTP would be nice, but not indispensable. Ah yes I remember. You had to email the key to your friends and family.
Otherwise they couldn't connect. And that was a geeky step too far for most..good though even in non zrtp mode and also sip.
Zoom used to make consumer and semi pro field recorder audio gear in Japan....


Landline into your comp? So is a sip server used in your setup for anything, international calls?

[OscarTalks]

The provider operates the sip server and gives me a London geographical 020 prefix land-line number free of charge. I pay a charge for any outgoing calls to phone numbers anywhere and the prices are reasonable. With Linphone you can be on multiple sip servers so I can be contacted via free sip address calling or people can ring me from their phones as if they were calling a normal land-line.

[Smithy]

Neat. And most importantly has been reliable.
Stay well.

[soniabu]

Hello to all.
Here I am again, looking for help, I don't know to handle.
I wanted to use Linphone (https://new.linphone.org/) from my PC with Bionicpup64 and I downloaded the software in the format AppImage.
Because some of the other AppImage - but not all - although they have granted the appropriate permissions, does not start with a double-click.
To try to understand something more, I started from the terminal, and the response is that you join because I do not know where to start to solve it.
It seems to me the lack of Qt5coso, or QT_5.12 but there is no PPM.
If someone had a suggestion for which I am grateful.
sonia
P.S.
I found qt5-default 5.9.5 + dfsg in PPM; do you think is correct if I install it?
I also use Linphone on an Android tablet as home phone Voip and it works partially; in the sense that I can receive calls but I can not still them. I have yet to discover why.

[Smithy]

Hello soniabu, is there not a linphone in the ubuntu bionic64 repo?

I just tried a couple of those appimage and snap type things and they crashed badly. Looked nice, cpu hit for a few minutes. Virus.

They are not very good in my opinion and belong in another forum and another linux. Far better to have one made for puppy or dog!

Maybe OscarTalks might put one together for you!

[rockedge]

For an experiment I installed Linphone on a tahrpup 6.0.5 with the PPM and it is running really well right out of the box

[soniabu]

Hello soniabu, is there not a linphone in the ubuntu bionic64 repo?

I just tried a couple of those appimage and snap type things and they crashed badly. Looked nice, cpu hit for a few minutes. Virus.

They are not very good in my opinion and belong in another forum and another linux. Far better to have one made for puppy or dog!

Maybe OscarTalks might put one together for you!

Linphone in Puppy? yes there is Smithy, is a 3.6.1 version but I wanted to try an updated sw.
I also believed that Bionicpup64 release 8 was like Ubuntu Bionic 18.04 but obviously I was wrong.
Okay then I'll try the PPM version.
see you later Smithy

[soniabu]

For an experiment I installed Linphone on a tahrpup 6.0.5 with the PPM and it is running really well right out of the box

Of course it is a version that works only on the S.O. Tahrpup not in Bionicpup64 too; true?