A truer description might be that the brand is being axed.
I believe that Skype has been migrated onto a messenger backend... so really this is a unification of the chat tech onto messenger, and the brand onto Skype.
Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
61–70 of 79 posts
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#62I still use MSN and I guess I don't really mind, MSN has a lot of history but it's a mediocre client and Skype is much better. I used to have 100s of contacts on MSN with ~50 online at any one time, now everyone that used MSN casually uses Facebook chat so I have... 2 people online (both of which are listed as away) and anyone that uses IM seriously seems to use Skype. It was inevitable. Does anyone here still use MS…
I think the reason China is excluded is probably because China gets its own customised Skype as opposed to using the standard client.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#63Skype client should be axed instead. It's a pile of ugly looking mess and eats half of computer's resources. I dread to turn it on anywhere else than on my overpowered home PC. And don't even get me started on the Android client. It's completely useless on a high-powered tablet, and equally useless on a low-powered phone. I remember the times when official IM clients were lightweight and pleasant to use. Now you eith…
Yes, but the MS Messenger Service loses money with no sign of an actual workable business model, Skype at least generates revenue. "Merging" the two gives Microsoft a way out of Messenger without losing too much face.
MS Messenger is actually the foundation for their Enterprise level Unified Communications offering.
It will be interesting if that client also gets the axe in favour of Skype, or if they intend to keep it as a separate product.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#64Did anyone notice how Skype now shows ads on the their iPhone app? Far as I'm concerned it and live messenger have the same overall experience. I'd do away with Skype if I weren't using it to keep in touch with clients.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
I use it to talk to my other half whilst in the office - that is it. I'll switch to IRSSI over SSH onto my hosted server (I'll just run a local ircd) and she can use mIRC on her laptop instead. I have no intention of using another hosted service. It would be more reliable as well - Live Messenger reliability has always been crap. (For ref, I do not use Skype, Facebook or any social tools).
Just as an FYI, you can setup your own XMPP server in 20 min, and chat with people on facebook, gtalk, etc. www.prosody.im
Thanks for the heads up. Might have a bash if I can be bothered. I already know how to set up IRC servers though (I was an op for a few years).
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't disagree with you. Skype is ugly, bloated and has been crashing frequently since the last couple of updates on my computers. The problem is: it works. I tried to do a Google Hangout last night, and the plugin couldn't find my mic. Logged into Skype, it worked perfectly. It'll be a while yet before someone really takes Skype's business. For now it's my #1 goto communication line as a remote freelancer.
This was the point I was going to make too. Skype is terrible, but yet it is still the best compared the competition. Let's consider the competition: - Live Messenger: It was the next best, now discontinued, but before that it was poorly supported, rarely updated, and had a ton of bugs. No external connectors (e.g. telephone networks). - Google Hangouts: Browser only. No external connectors. - Facetime: Apple ecosyst…
Skype is also the only reliable option for VOIP calling on Android, which is unfortunate since the Android Skype client is buggy and missing some obviously needed features. The alternatives (groove ip, sipdroid, csipsimple) are even flakier and/or require you to have an account with a reliable sip provider.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Skype has a Win8 App
It does indeed. But have you used it? It is missing most of Skype's features and requires you to sign in using a Live Account. Merging Live and Skype Accounts is a problem for me personally since I want to use Skype on insecure WiFi (and obviously my Live account is also an e-mail account).
What's the problem? As long as your terminal is secure, the channel should be safe even over insecure Wifi, since the Skype client has a copy of the certificate of the server and can therefore authenticate it.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#68Performance aside, here is what I hate about Skype compared to MSN / WLM: privacy. (1) Skype logs you in to your last known status / on MSN you could choose before login (for example, "appear offline"/"invisible"). If I just want to check if a contact is online without my aunt start chatting, I can't. (2) There is no easy way to block whole contact groups temporarily. When I'm at work, I don't want my friends to see…
(2) surely isn't a bug; if you have two subsets of contacts that you want to keep entirely separate why use a single account?
Skype doesn't make it easy to use two accounts. There is no "multiple accounts" feature where you can be logged in as one or both; instead, you have to log out and log back in again as the other. Sometimes, you might be on-call, so chatting with friends is OK, but you still need to be available to coworkers.
The problem with Skype is that it's totally closed. I use a multi-protocol IM client, with multiple accounts, so I can chat with people over AIM, FB, Google Chat, my work chat, and so on. Sadly, despite the fact that my work has Google Apps, which includes chat, they have standardized on Skype instead, so I need to have an entirely separate client, and log out and log back in when switching between work and personal accounts.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
This was the point I was going to make too. Skype is terrible, but yet it is still the best compared the competition. Let's consider the competition: - Live Messenger: It was the next best, now discontinued, but before that it was poorly supported, rarely updated, and had a ton of bugs. No external connectors (e.g. telephone networks). - Google Hangouts: Browser only. No external connectors. - Facetime: Apple ecosyst…
Skype is also the only reliable option for VOIP calling on Android, which is unfortunate since the Android Skype client is buggy and missing some obviously needed features. The alternatives (groove ip, sipdroid, csipsimple) are even flakier and/or require you to have an account with a reliable sip provider.
linphone works just fine.
Re: Microsoft and Skype to axe world's most popular IM client early 2013
#70I sign onto my various IM accounts from a variety of locations simultaneously (e.g. desktop at home, laptop in office, phone) and I find it infuriating that every protocol has a different way of handling that.
MSN: Sends incoming message _only_ to the last active computer (where last active seems to be defined by which computer last sent an IM or updated your status)
AIM: Sends incoming messages to all computers
XMPP (Gtalk): Inconsistent behaviour. I think the priorities set by various clients screw things up.
Skype: Does weird chat/history syncing between all your computers (this raises Privacy issues, as many times if I delete a chat on my desktop, it somehow reappears on my phone when I sign in on it. Also although it syncs the chat text, why not also sync whether the messages have been read or not, because at the moment if I sign in on my phone, it constantly buzzes for about 5 minutes as it 'catches' up on a ton of unread messages (which I've read ages ago on my computer).)
What's worse is status fragmentation. I've set my desktop and laptop to auto-away after 5 minutes, so people know if I'm there or if they can leave a message I'll read later. Run through this situation: 1) Signed in on desktop, go away. Pidgin sets Away on my accounts. 2) Some time later, turn on laptop. Adium sets all my accounts as Online. 3) Turn off laptop to go somewhere. Adium signs out and my accounts get left as Online. Desktop doesn't re-auto-away and so people think I'm there when I'm not.
None of these are ideal, and the only 'solution' I've found is to use a service like http://imo.im where their service only signs on _once_ to the accounts, but you access imo.im on any number of devices so it can make sure that every device has the same chat there. Problem with this is I don't like using web apps and would prefer to use native Pidgin/Adium if possible.
Any suggestions?