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Microsoft is killing Skype

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Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#671

Post by tracker1 »

dcminter wrote: post #110
bayindirh wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Microsoft killed it the moment when they made everything move through central servers before everyone had good network connection, everywhere. It was P2P before. It was slow, laggy and unstable for most of the time. Also, they didn't invest in the transportation codecs much. After it's marred, they didn't try to mend it much, and when it started to work well due to better bandwidth, they didn't push it back a…

Personally I think their big, incomprehensibly stupid manoeuver was the Skype vs Skype for Business (Link) split. Had they merged them into a single client that could speak either protocol and share contact lists the story would have been very different. Why are megacorps so incomprehensibly clueless about this? Is the money pit so deep that they knock each other in while in-fighting for control on the edge of it?

Microsoft had MANY opportunities for this, Google as well for that matter. Especially if you consider Instant Messenger clients. I absolutely loved Google Hangouts when it was the all in one solution (including GV and SMS integration on the phone). MS(N) Messenger could have been very close as well a couple times.

It's the management decisions to try to dramatically change or replace things that lands with lesser solutions in the end. Because the incentives and bonus structure are mostly screwed up in many of these companies.

Skype could have been the best, be all, end all solution for MS and brought everyone to their knees and just killed them. But it wasn't the first, or last time this would happen.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#672

Post by tracker1 »

Izikiel43 wrote: post #372
drooopy wrote: post #101

The way Microsoft and Skype missed their opportunity during the pandemic to maintain or even expand their lead in video conferencing, while allowing a complete unknown (outside of the corporate world, at least) like Zoom to become the dominant platform, should be studied in business schools. The term 'Skype' is so synonymous with video calling that, based on personal experience, it is still used in place of FaceTime…

Microsoft didn’t miss their opportunity with COVID, teams user base grew by the millions

The anti-trust reactions may undo a lot of that, that already hasn't been undone. I know too many orgs that hate Teams and just want to stick to slack, etc.

Personally, I don't really love any of them... I miss the simpler UI/UX of Instant Messenger apps or Trillian/Pidgin etc. Aside, just looked at Trillian and looks like they did a nice spin on their business model.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#673

Post by tracker1 »

petepete wrote: post #603
tshaddox wrote: post #452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't Microsoft Teams soundly defeat Zoom, Slack, and all the others? I was under the impression that Teams has at least an order of magnitude more active users than any competitor.

Teams has more users but most of those users didn't choose Teams - it was thrust upon them. When it's bundled with O365 and shares admin tools, accounts etc, there's no wonder companies pick it. I don't know anyone who uses it outside of work.

I tried for a bit.. it really sucks outside the work context, and much like when there were too many competing IM products, it just doesn't work without all the people.

Wasn't too bad when most were under ICQ, AIM or Yahoo messenger... but after FB, Google and MS got in the mix it just went to hell mostly. Still is. I mean I have half a dozen messenger apps on my phone each with half a dozen contacts that thing $FOO messenger is better for privacy/comms/etc.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#674

Post by tracker1 »

falcor84 wrote: post #244
Timpy wrote: post #240

Back in the Windows 7 days I installed Skype on my parents computer before moving abroad, their user experience was basically like receiving a phone call. Even though they weren't tech savvy we never had any issues. I would call them, and if they were home and near the computer, they could answer it and we'd be video chatting. A year or so ago I found this to be impossible, there was no application for desktop that w…

On a related note, a bit over a decade ago I had installed logmein on my parents' computer to be able to easily help them with any IT issues. But they since pivoted away from personal accounts and I never found anything else as straightforward. I feel that in a lot of ways tech has regressed. EDIT: I just found that logmein actually offer a personal product again, named GoToMyPC, but what used to be entirely free at…

I think Chrome Remote Desktop works pretty well. It's easy enough to configure for use and put a link to the host page in the browser toolbar. I might setup RustDesk if I get the time, it was in a state of flux last time I looked at it, but it seems to be more solid now.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#675

Post by h2zizzle »

marcosdumay wrote: post #335
h2zizzle wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America has multiple examples of companies that thrived for decades until a certain type of manager showed up (of which leet code engineers are an aspect; clueless MBA grads are another; there are more). Sears. General Electric. IBM. Companies need to develop a sort of immune response to this type, as they are as charismatic as they are deleterious to company outlooks, and WILL worm their way in if not checked. A mor…

As long as the companies have a completely autocratic structure, there is no possible way to develop any kind of immune response.

This is assuming that companies are initially led and managed by people who actually care about it and the service/product produced, and that the bean counters and corporate climbers only show up later, when it becomes clear that the business is ripe for exploitation.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#676

Post by tracker1 »

darrylb42 wrote: post #348
jjice wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Duo (might be lumped in with Meet now) worked well for me when I was on Android and everyone around be was iOS. It's cross platform and worked out of the box. Discord probably has a bit more going on since it also has a community focus, but it may be worth looking into since it's a platform that won't be going away anytime soon. It also works from the browser if having them download something is a headache.

Google Duo is gone. The functionality has moved to Meet, causing much confusion for non-technical users and annoyance for everyone.

I miss when Hangouts had all the functionality in one app. Google's stupid bonus incentives just killed it all.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#677

Post by TedHerman »

This is a response to search query of a related topic (I know it doesn't directly address the topic of the posting).

Cisco has a reputation for sometimes "killing" companies it acquires by discontinuing successful products from those companies after integrating them, most notably exemplified by the case of the "Flip" video camera, which Cisco purchased and then quickly shut down despite its popularity, often citing strategic alignment with their core networking business as the reason for such decisions; this practice has led to criticism of Cisco's acquisition strategy, where some argue they prioritize short-term financial gains over the long-term potential of acquired companies and their products.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#678

Post by Friedduck »

Teams has never been as good as Skype at calls, even in the very early days.

I was shocked at how good Skype was when my son called a friend in a French village where he was an exchange student. The quality rivaled the best local calls on a landline.

Teams still feels disjointed and awkward, is slow as hell, and manages to make the simplest tasks (adjusting volume) incredibly difficult.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#679

Post by jacobgkau »

Lammy wrote: post #589
jacobgkau wrote: post #570

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's interesting to see the focus on PDAs now that the product category is entirely dead: In the context of screen sharing, I guess smartphones are the evolution of what they meant by "Pocket PC". Sure, the mobile remote desktop use-case is a little niche, but the product class isn't dead, it was just reinvented.

I see them as fundamentally different because PDAs mostly didn't have network connectivity at all, while modern phones are connectivity-first and gained functionality from there. It was novel to have a PDA with a modem that did anything, much less provide connectivity back to one's home computer.

That's a fundamental difference in their history, but not in what they turned into. Especially, again, in the context of screen sharing-- a PDA would've needed to have networking in order to run GoToMyPC. It's "device in your pocket that lets you control a bigger computer with remote desktop" either way.

Re: Microsoft is killing Skype

#680

Post by igorguerrero »

Scoundreller wrote: post #488
igorguerrero wrote: post #394

Oh man I actually use it to get a US phone number... What's a better alternative for this? I like skype cause you can request a new one every time you wanted.

it’s not as user friendly, but VoIP.ms is cheap and powerful.

Thanks I'll give it a shot! 0.85/month is CHEAP!
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