Skype group video calling becomes free • Hacker News Board

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#121

Post by edent » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 7:48 PM UTC

spankalee wrote: post #73

atonse wrote: post #5

Funny - because just last week I setup new dummy google plus accounts for various family members in Europe and India so we could use hangouts without polluting our regular gmail accounts with Google+ nonsense. We won't need that anymore - We were perfectly happy with Skype, but missed group video.

I work for Google, so I'm obviously biased here, though I don't always like everything we do around our sites and integration. But, I'm genuinely curious, what nonsense does Google+ pollute your regular Google account with? I believe that you get a profile page, but you can leave it entirely blank.

I'll answer. I keep getting annoying notification numbers in the top right corner of every Google page.

If it were Gmail, that would be really useful. But it's not. It's "Bobby Noname added you to a circle!" and "Joe I'veNeverHeardOf invited you to a hangout!" and "Spammy McSpammer liked a your video on YouTube!"

I don't need or want any of that nonsense. G+ isn't useful to me, but I don't have any way of turning off the notifications.

Oh, and as a bonus, the G+ API isn't working. Doubly annoying. http://shkspr.mobi/blog/2014/04/extracting-your-own-location...

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#122

Post by terrifixrex » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 7:50 PM UTC

Finally! Google Hangouts had it since,like forever

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#123

Post by stock_toaster » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 7:55 PM UTC

mcescalante wrote: post #50

_wmd wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer Skype since although it has always been a huge CPU hog, its UI is perfect for beginners (i.e. family) and in the decade I've used it, I've never once been cross-sold some pointless feature the parent company are currently trying to promote. Note Hangouts itself once was Gtalk, which I was a user of, prior to the first cattle herding on to Google+. Now Gundotra is out the door, there is no telling into which…

For some reason, G+ hangouts eat a lot more CPU for me than Skype does.

Same here. Hangouts always seems to turn my aging laptop into a fireball.

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#124

Post by asuffield » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 8:33 PM UTC

izzydata wrote: post #4

I feel like this was the only thing on the premium feature list that even mattered. Does skype even generate revenue?

Skype has only one purpose for Microsoft: to sell Lync.

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#125

Post by npizzolato » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 8:34 PM UTC

dublinben wrote: post #11

devx wrote: post #3

I hope TextSecure/Whisper will get to have video-calling, too, soon. People need to stop using insecure platforms like Skype that make mass spying so easy.

Video calling in Jitsi works fantastically right now. There's little excuse for people still using proprietary video conferencing platforms.

The fact that you think people are making excuses to use proprietary video conferencing platforms (or other communication platforms) is why things like TextSecure and Jitsi will likely never take off. You're really just making excuses for the TextSecure and Jitsi teams.

For the most part, no one cares whether they're using something that is open source or proprietary. Most people don't event care much about abstract concepts like "security" or "encryption" when it comes at the cost of their real goal -- communicating with family and friends. Once some secure platform is as easy to use[0] and as prevalent[1] as Skype or Google Hangouts, maybe people will start using them.

[0] A sibling post suggests setting up Jitsi with IPv6 and starting the program with the -6 parameter to fix some connection issues. I would hope it's clear why needing to use certain command line parameters and understanding "the implications of having a public address" to use a chat program makes it a non-starter for a vast amount of people.

[1] As it turns out, advertising and marketing matter! You can't have a popular chat platform if no one knows you exist!

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#126

Post by tbassetto » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 8:42 PM UTC

jackowayed wrote: post #112

rdl wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Innovator's dilemma matters if you're actually making money from your current product. Skype isn't in any way material to Microsoft's revenues, but is an important mindshare property (and could tie in to other Microsoft tools; integration on WP and Windows desktops, etc.)

I'm not sure how important of a mindshare property it is. I would guess most users don't even realize that Microsoft owns Skype.

I beg to differ. Nowadays Skype is always inquiring people to convert their account to a Microsoft Account! The "Metro"/"Modern" version of Skype for Windows 8 even requires a Microsoft account.

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#127

Post by mcescalante » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 8:57 PM UTC

rikkus wrote: post #51

mcescalante wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For some reason, G+ hangouts eat a lot more CPU for me than Skype does.

Lack of GPU acceleration of Flash?

I dunno, but it always makes me wonder if they test this on any consumer type machines and if their fans are going as fast as mine...

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#128

Post by skiltz » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 9:03 PM UTC

In New Zealand I always come back to Skype. It just works, always seem to have issues with Google Hangouts and FaceTime.

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#129

Post by stoev » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 9:29 PM UTC

rdl wrote: post #61

I don't understand why Microsoft took so long to do this. If they had been faster after Google Hangouts, it never would have gained a beachhead. Xbox One could easily find a secondary market as a conference room device; a Microsoft version of Airplay and Chromecast (ideally open to Mac and general web as well) would take more engineering, but would have been awesome too.

"I don't understand why Microsoft took so long to do this."

Skype had free video group calls long before Google Hangouts even existed. If I remember correctly, they forced their users to pay for it a few months or a year after Google Hangouts launched, which was a really stupid move which surely helped Google's product a lot.

Re: Skype group video calling becomes free

#130

Post by paul_f » Mon, Apr 28, 2014, 9:36 PM UTC

I see another player that Skype is going after - WebEx. Most uses for WebEx are simple video chatting. Most times no one need the dozens of other features that WebEx offers in their bloated product. In true innovators dilemma fashion, I can see Skype now truly eating into WebEx's market from the bottom up.