Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've been recently (eg, had a meeting yesterday) interacting with a company that uses Skype for meetings, and I think by far, it's the worst meeting software I've used (vs Webex, joinme, Gotomeeting, etc). It takes several minutes to get things connected and working -- especially the first time, when you have to install something (not sure if it's the full skype client?) to even view the meeting. Screen sharing has s…
I think the problem is that they are using a wrong tool for the job, because of that you are comparing Skype to a meeting software, but Skype is not focused on being a meeting software, it is focused on friends and family video calls by proving a simple interface and basic functions.
Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
161–170 of 285 posts
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Unless Microsoft rebuilds Skype for the ground up" This. This exactly. Is it really unbelievable to assume Microsoft wouldn't attempt to build their own IRC+ clone and save a few billion while they are at it? I do agree with you, Slack is much better than Skype, but I would add that Lync is just as good. I went from Lync to Slack (after changing jobs) and I would say that Lync not only works just as well but has mor…
Lync on Mac was a nightmare the last time I had to use it.
Still is. Huge bane in my personal existence... forces Mac users to do even goofier things like running Lync in a Windows VM on their Mac (super duper for voice quality).
Also, OSX doesn't let you tag packets, so we have to do it at the network layer.
MS is promising us Skype for Business on Mac will be great. We'll see.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#163What amazes me is just how bad the politics in MS must be to not swat Slack aside like a fly.
Slack is basically an IRC server with bots. Office communicator / Msn messenger/ whatever it is now / is installed on every Windows / office machine and ties into the moat used apps in the world.
MS-Slack ought to have "Mary just updated the Walmart contract" messages flinging around every marketing department in the world.
The fact it does not is testament to how far Giants can fall (in the 80s and 90s Microsoft would have already danced on Slacks grave).
Larry And Sergey need to study Microsoft a lot more carefully than "it was Ballmers fault" to try and avoid the same fate.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#164Microsoft should have been the most natural choice of in-team communication. While their sales team was busy selling crappy software to large companies and ignoring small ones someone built a kick-ass product called Slack.
It does not make sense for Microsoft to buy slack. Microsoft already has the sales muscle to reach millions. What Microsoft does not have is a product that can compete with Slack. They should build it ASAP as part of their Office suite. Skype is not that solution.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#165This situation strangely reminds me of MSN Messenger for anyone old enough to remember that. It ended in failure. Most blamed Microsoft's management for it.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#166We initially used Skype on our team to communicate with others. However, the software was horribly buggy on OSX. Slack has become part of our main toolchain. It works, has the basic features you need and doesn't get in our way. The integrations are great and we'll continue to use them. Unless Microsoft rebuilds Skype for the ground up, I don't see us leaving Slack for it. They had their chance, and they dropped the b…
"Unless Microsoft rebuilds Skype for the ground up" This. This exactly. Is it really unbelievable to assume Microsoft wouldn't attempt to build their own IRC+ clone and save a few billion while they are at it? I do agree with you, Slack is much better than Skype, but I would add that Lync is just as good. I went from Lync to Slack (after changing jobs) and I would say that Lync not only works just as well but has mor…
I couldn't copy a line of text on Lync without it randomly grabbing other random lines from earlier in the conversation. Not the line above it, or the last thing I said. Just completely random things that either person had said, that may have been 2 or 3 messages ago, or maybe 2 or 3 hundred messages ago.
This was on Windows 7.
The problem seems to have been solved when we upgraded to Skype for Business a few months ago. There were a lot of other weird nonsensical bugs like this too, but that one was the one that caused me the most grief. Lync was been by far the worst piece of chat software I've ever used.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the problem is that they are using a wrong tool for the job, because of that you are comparing Skype to a meeting software, but Skype is not focused on being a meeting software, it is focused on friends and family video calls by proving a simple interface and basic functions.
http://www.skype.com/en/business/
That's the confusion. That page is selling two completely different products, which some brainiac in Marketing decided to lump under the same banner.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#168And all the slack users breathed a sigh of relief.
Their most beloved tool wasn't destroyed by an accident prone behemoth.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#169I wonder why Discord isn't more popular, it's basically Slack with voice chat baked in that works really well. All of your favorite Slack shortcuts work exactly the same. Even pressing the Up arrow key to edit your last message.
I guess the 'gamer' branding hurts it's potential use in the workplace.
Re: Source: Microsoft mulled an $8B bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Unless Microsoft rebuilds Skype for the ground up" This. This exactly. Is it really unbelievable to assume Microsoft wouldn't attempt to build their own IRC+ clone and save a few billion while they are at it? I do agree with you, Slack is much better than Skype, but I would add that Lync is just as good. I went from Lync to Slack (after changing jobs) and I would say that Lync not only works just as well but has mor…
When I was forced to use Lync (due to an acquisition) in 2014 it was absolutely fucking terrible. The OS X client failed to report online status correctly, couldn't participate in most group chats or video or audio calls, and crashed regularly. Also weirdly non-native UI. And, no linux client to speak of - for a startup like the one I worked for where many devs used linux, that was a nonstarter. Has the story improve…
Lync actually starts for you? Mine just segfaults on startup. I've given up on it entirely.