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Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Cyber Cynic

No open-source Skype ... yet

38 comments

TAGS:Linux, Linux desktop, open source, Skype, VoIP
IT TOPICS:Desktop Applications, Internet, Linux, Networking, Open Source, Operating Systems, Software, VoIP

Most people love Skype, the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) program, but Linux users have a love/hate relationship with it. Yes, Skype will run on some versions of Linux, but it doesn't run on all of them, and the Linux versions (2.1-beta) lags far behind the Windows version.

Still, Linux users really want Skype, so every now and again, another story starts that Skype is going to go open-source. In the latest Skype open-source rumor, it's claimed that "We are happy to be able to inform you that Skype will from now on be part of the open source community."

The basis for this? Some correspondence between Skype technical support and a Mandriva Linux user (Skype supports generally older versions of Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu). In it, the French-speaking Skype technical support rep said that it's possible that the final version of Skype for Linux will be open source.

That wasn't much, but it did hint that it might be possible that Skype was going to at least make its Linux client open-source. I decided it was worth my time to look further.

I gave Skype a call in Luxembourg. A Skype public relations spokesperson quickly replied: "We appreciate our user community's enthusiasm and realize this is something they have been wanting for a while. We realize the potential of the open-source community and believe that making Skype for Linux an open source application will help to speed up its development and enhance its compatibility with different versions of Linux. While it is our goal to make Skype for Linux source code available to the community in the near future, we are not at a point to disclose an exact release date yet."

I'm not going to hold my breath, but it does sound like Linux desktop users may finally get an up-to-date Skype client, and one's that open source to boot.

As nice as that is, I'm a little puzzled by why people are so excited about Skype. There are already many excellent Linux VoIP open-source programs either already built into your Linux distribution or just a download away.

To name a few clients, there's Ekiga, which is part of the GNOME desktop; LinPhone, which also works on Windows; and QuteCom (formerly WengoPhone), which runs on Macs, Windows PCs, and Linux boxes. Most of these programs use the open SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) standard, so they can work with each other. There are also several open-source VoIP server programs, such as Asterisk and FreeSwitch if you want to run a business or group VoIP phone exchange of your own.

In other words, while an open-source and up-to-date Skype for Linux would be good news, Linux users actually don't need Skype so much as they need to start using the programs that already have. Don't get me wrong. Skype is good. But Skype is far from the be-all and end-all of VoIP.

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nintendo ds r4 kort:

Submitted by nintendo ds r4 kort on November 4, 2009 - 6:58 A.M.

Thanx for the valuable information. I think skype is smart... without open source, it will maintain the quality of the product.... keep posting. Will be visiting back soon.

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Skype is all about the huge

Submitted by Anonymous on November 3, 2009 - 2:06 P.M.

Skype is all about the huge user base it has and the "used to" experience these people accumulated. (Actually - it is like Windows in that sense, an arguably technologically inferior solution that has a very large user base).
The rest of Skype is just icing on the cake.
This is why Ekiga and other sip-based, open VoIP applications on Linux cannot compete with it.
Now, if Ekiga and other Open Source VoIP solutions could interface with e.g. Vonage or other paid VoIP services that integrate into the POTS today and thus have a wide coverage of accessible users, it might change the play completely.
Till then - Linux users will need Skype to communicate with friends and family.

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Skype is a service

Submitted by tuomoks on November 3, 2009 - 12:24 P.M.

No emotions needed - you want a service, not programs, not GUIs, not whatever!

And they could "open source" what they own, unfortunately Skype seems to have parts they didn't buy, copyright still works. And not again, they can GPL it if they want and not lose anything, GPL doesn't say anything that you can't use other licenses, only the part under GPL must be available to the users, you can charge of it if you want. You can sell it or a different version under other licenses, etc. Why is this so difficult to understand?

About Skype and patents, today just adding word Internet to any old invention seems to be patentable. It will change - show me one (sw) invention which wasn't in software a long time ago and I support you - sorry, seen them all, some a long, long time ago. Words, terms, buzzwords, etc different - the results the same. Networks are nothing new, many worldwide long before the "Internet".

Now, yes VoIP is great (I love it) but if you don't have the "service", what good it is? The infrastructure - global "phone" numbers, billing, account management, promoting, dealing with local / global laws and regulations, fighting the old telcos for profit, etc - that's where the service comes. And it isn't cheap always (ever?) - the programs, fancy GUIs, and so on are peanuts compared to the rest!

Anyhow - yes, having the Skype interface "open source", even if to proprietary libraries on all platforms would be great! For developers / whoever want's to use it - think - they do the heavy lifting and you do the part people see, use, love (maybe?), etc.

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Have you read correctly ?

Submitted by ofaurax on November 3, 2009 - 10:09 A.M.

"The French-speaking Skype technical support rep said that it's possible that the final version of Skype for Linux will be open source."

You are journalist, please read carefully the blog post.

I'm french, not the technical support. All the mails were in english (that's why I asked for confirmation).

And the technical support clearly said :
"The Linux Skype version will become open source in the nearest future."

The guess of the final 2.1 version being in open source is from me, and was wrong (see
http://ofaurax.free.fr/blog/index.php5/2009-10-31-00h31-0100.xml#comm1257101926.0296 )

The follow-up is here :
http://ofaurax.free.fr/blog/index.php5/2009-11-03-00h40-0100.xml

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Here's one problem with Open Source

Submitted by Seven of Nine on November 2, 2009 - 10:32 P.M.

Here we have a company that wants to make money. They have a proprietary technology (someone below claims they own it and are suing as well)

This is a case where Skype can't make that Open Source as once it is developed under the GPL, it must be returned to the community.

Now if a company spends $$$ developing a proprietary technology, or licenses that technology from someone else, why would they want to develop under the GPL if they have to return it to the community, giving up their "Secrets" along the way? Just giving that stuff to the competitors doesn't make any sense.

If it's licensed technology, then they can't release it to the community.

How does one get past that?

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I wonder if they will

Submitted by Andrey on November 3, 2009 - 1:04 A.M.

I wonder if they will dissect client into 2 parts - front-end and back-end. Front-end (User interface) can be easily open-sourced (even with GPL - who cares), while back-end (communication daemon) will still be proprietary.

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You miss the overall point

Submitted by Anonymous on November 3, 2009 - 11:15 A.M.

If Open Source is so wonderful, and someone wants to contribute but that technology is proprietary, perhaps owned by someone else, how does Open Source compete in these arena's? Does the Open Source community just ignore the legal issues or does the community do something else?

One wonders.

Captcha $329 lawsuit

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It doesn't have to be

Submitted by Anonymous on November 2, 2009 - 10:50 P.M.

One of the nice things about using Linux is it doesn't have to be open source in order to work.

My Skype works... on Linux.

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Past tense for me --- worked last year

Submitted by MikeBravo on November 3, 2009 - 4:44 P.M.

If I want to talk to someone, I pick up the phone, it is cheap and easy.

I did however like to use Skype with my web cam. It worked perfectly with Ubuntu Hardy Heron and then I upgraded to Intrepid and under Skype the web cam has not worked since. I complain to the Ubuntu community and all I get is a big shrug. Even Microsoft can do better than that. This is why I will always have a copy of Windows running somewhere.

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Linux is pathetic

Submitted by ram on November 2, 2009 - 9:25 P.M.

The only realistic way to have a program available for the various Linux "distros" seems to be to open source it, and have the bums maintain it. Is there any wonder why the vendors are staying away from Linux in droves?

If you want third parties to develop programs for your OS, you strive to maintain compatibility. You define a platform, and you ensure it is maintained without fail across versions and variants. You make it easy for the outsider to develop his program and to maintain it. (If you try to do that, you will immediately realize how foolish it is to have hundreds of slightly different variants, and scrap most of them.) Haven't the Linux imbeciles learned anything from Microsoft? Is there any wonder Microsoft has completely annihilated Linux on the desktop even when the said Linux is free? The rest of the software world has moved into the 21st century while the Linux fools are still mixing their alchemy potions, still trying to figure out which combination gives them the gold.

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