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Microsoft Linux

Microsoft Fixes Bugs in Skype for Linux (softpedia.com) 89

After neglecting Linux's Skype client for years, Microsoft released a new app of Skype for Linux in July, giving comfort to millions of users. The app, however, had a fair share of bugs. Microsoft today has updated the app to iron out those bugs, and introduced a handful of interesting options. An anonymous reader writes: There were plenty of users who complained that Skype for Linux was reconnecting automatically when not using the app for a certain amount of time and Microsoft has already acknowledged the bug. This new version fixes the problem, so everything should work correctly after updating. Additionally, Skype for Linux 1.7 introduces a new grid layout of the group calls, but also fixes the standard behavior of unread messages. According to Microsoft, this means that "when opening chat with unread messages, the view will focus on the first unread message and as you scroll, messages will be marked as read."

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Microsoft Fixes Bugs in Skype for Linux

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  • Too little too late.
    Bye Skype. If the US govt. really wanted my trade secrets they should have done a better job at catering to the most savvy and thus valuable user base.
    • by Anonymous Coward

      Because MS want's to attract developers to it's Azure cloud services.

      Many such "cloud" developers are using Mac or Linux. After all they need to be developing stuff that will run on Linux cloud servers. Be it from AWS, Google, MS, whoever.

      So it makes sense to make such developers happy by providing things like Skype for the platforms they use.

      It's the same reason MS created the open source and cross platform MS Visual Studio Code IDE. The same reason they are making sure node.js works with their open source

      • by jcdr ( 178250 )

        Mind you Visual Studio Code is a wonderful thing. It's the first software from MS I have been using on a regular basis for real work ever.

        For you maybe. Totally unusable in my case.

        • For you maybe. Totally unusable in my case.

          What an uninformative way to completely dismiss anything, equally applicable to whatever it is you use. Firstly "totally unusable" is likely hyperbole and given that it is multiplatform (Windows, OS X, Linux - with deb and rpm packages) open source [github.com] and also has an interface for extensions [visualstudio.com] I'm wondering what exactly the problem is here. What is your use case in which it is "totally unusable"? Or is it just because it's made by Microsoft?

          If I'm doing quick edits I most often use vi (was never an emacs fan) bu

          • by Anonymous Coward

            The problem I have with a lot of these IDEs and fancy editors is they try to do too much for you, while simultaneously having a terrible editing interface. Key bindings are crap compared to the modal beauty of vim. It's super-annoying to have a fuzzy selector via Shift+arrow or Shift+Ctrl+Arrow. Deleting an entire line might be possible through some weird binding, but in vim it's simply dd (or in my case kk, but that's irrelevant). I can edit everything inside quotations with ci". I'm sure that, with some t

          • by jcdr ( 178250 )

            I do mostly Linux embedded software and I like to develop directly on the remote targets that don't have a screen. In this context Visual Code Studio is unusable as virtually any graphic IDE.

            • I do mostly Linux embedded software and I like to develop directly on the remote targets that don't have a screen. In this context Visual Code Studio is unusable as virtually any graphic IDE.

              Well yes, so that's a pretty massive caveat that you failed to mention. It's blindingly obvious that any graphical IDE is going to be totally unusable if you don't have a GUI.

      • Because MS want's to attract developers to it's Azure cloud services.

        Impressive that you managed to go through school without understanding and learning something that basic.

  • by Grishnakh ( 216268 ) on Monday September 12, 2016 @09:49AM (#52870455)

    Ok, what's the catch? Why would MS spend even one man-hour working on this thing? MS working on software for Android makes sense because it has a huge marketshare, and same with stuff like MS Office for Mac (not huge marketshare, but enough to make it worth the investment for them). But Linux has a minuscule market share, which I admit as a Linux proponent, so what's MS's real plan here? They never do anything on non-MS platforms without a really good (and likely nefarious) reason.

    • by decipher_saint ( 72686 ) on Monday September 12, 2016 @10:00AM (#52870535)

      They also ported Powershell to Linux

      My best wild ass guess is that they themselves are using it more and need common tools across OS's

      • by Anonymous Coward

        I gave Powershell (on Windows) a look in the interest of objectivity. It looks like it is more sophisticated than say, Bash and can do more, but holy crap is it unintuitive and clunky about the way it does it.

        I'll probably get hosed for saying this, but if you need anything above DOS commands or bash, python or (less so) perl are still where it's at, whether you're on Windows or Linux.

        -ph

        • I do Powershell stuff for Exchange quite often as part of my job, and no disagreement. It is unintuitive at times and quite clunky, but it is trying to be Visual Studio on the command line (running against remote servers too).

    • Because they are transitioning from being a software company to being a data company. That's why Windows 10 is free* and they grab so much (and push so much) data on customers in W10.

      * If you thought Windows 10 was no longer free, see https://www.microsoft.com/en-u... [microsoft.com]

      • by Anonymous Coward

        * If you thought Windows 10 was no longer free,

        Windows 10 was never free, in any sense of the word.

    • by gmack ( 197796 ) <[gmack] [at] [innerfire.net]> on Monday September 12, 2016 @10:24AM (#52870691) Homepage Journal
      It's a network effect. For each person who can't use Skype, all contacts to that person are forced to use an alternate client It's better for Microsoft to keep as many people on as many platforms as happy as possible.
    • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      Ok, what's the catch? Why would MS spend even one man-hour working on this thing? MS working on software for Android makes sense because it has a huge marketshare, and same with stuff like MS Office for Mac (not huge marketshare, but enough to make it worth the investment for them). But Linux has a minuscule market share, which I admit as a Linux proponent, so what's MS's real plan here? They never do anything on non-MS platforms without a really good (and likely nefarious) reason.

      Because probably a lot of

    • > Ok, what's the catch?

      Here is your answer:

      Windows 10 has been installed on this computer.
      To restore this computer to a usable state,
      please send 3 Bitcoin to Microsoft.



      In order to do this, Microsoft must get you to first install some Microsoft software as a beach head.

      Or try . . .

      Clippy: It looks like you're trying to get useful work done. Would you like to install Windows 10?
      To install Windows 10, do any of the following:
      1. Click Yes, I want to install.
      2. Click No, I do not want to
    • It requires PulseAudio. I doubt this is a nefarious plan by MS, but it does annoy me, since I deinstalled PulseAudio after it caused problems.

    • Ok, what's the catch? Why would MS spend even one man-hour working on this thing?

      Because of the reports filed by their most important customer: the NSA. The bugs were interfering with their warrantless surveillance work.

    • by jez9999 ( 618189 )

      Ok, what's the catch? Why would MS spend even one man-hour working on this thing?

      MS hate Windows 10 so much they're planning to switch over to Linux internally.

  • by Errol backfiring ( 1280012 ) on Monday September 12, 2016 @09:58AM (#52870517) Journal
    Couldn't Microsoft just send an e-mail to their last Skype user on Linux?
  • by Anonymous Coward

    I mean, why not? Don't just collect information about Windows users. Collect information about Linux too!

  • by Anonymous Coward
    Keylogger, videologger, audiologger, auto installer for Win10?
  • Lack of a Linux client prevents deployment of the Office communication platform in business, since a Linux client is a significant requirement. In most moderately sized organisations, there will be Linux machines. Unless Microsoft can develop the competence to deliver a Linux client, it rules out deployment of their offering. While I'd hardly call Skype for Business a good piece of software, many of the alternatives are equally bad, usually worse. If Microsoft could sort out making their client cross platfo

    • Not really sure why this was modded down. Skype for business compatibility would definitely be a major plus. I just downloaded the Linux Skype client, and it won't let me log in using my S4B creds.
      • by Merk42 ( 1906718 )

        Not really sure why this was modded down.

        Because the explanation didn't consist of any of the following:
        Micro$oft
        Embrace Extend Extinguish
        Data mining

  • I expect Microsoft will continue to support Skype on Linux until they terminate the product or.... for a month... whichever comes first.
  • meh this is a local version of the web.skype.com website
    you're as good going to the website directly.. err you're better off going to the website - its always up to date.

  • Well at least I found out why it was so damned cold this morning.

  • Could never get the package installed on my Debian box no matter how much crowbaring I did.
  • Oh my god! What a beautiful day! Let us celebrate this!

  • Version 4.3 of Skype for Linux (pre MS buyout) at least supports video and audio. MS has no sense of shame pushing an "updated" version of Skype for Linux with less functionality than the ancient version 4.3.0.37. "The more things change, the more things _____________________". You fill in the blanks.

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