
Skype-open-source2: Call to donate - skypeopensource
http://skype-open-source2.blogspot.com/2016/03/call-to-donate.html
======
skypeopensource
Hello,

I am Efim Bushmanov skype reverse engineer with first publish of original work
on reversing skype client at June of 2011. And i almost done work on create
open source version of "Skype Network Compatible" client.

Some info about me: [https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/06/03/skype-
protocol-c...](https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/06/03/skype-protocol-
cracked-what-happens-next)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2611299](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2611299)
[http://github.com/skypeopensource/](http://github.com/skypeopensource/)

And now I need some help from community. Thats why i do donate call.

Feel free to ask question about current state and any tech question. But, i
will be prefer, if possible, not disclosure much, for reason ms-skype dont
ruin my work too early by do some changing protocol again. But you feel free
to ask some technical details or general question at all of how skype work.

You can read more at: [http://skype-open-source2.blogspot.ru/2016/03/call-to-
donate...](http://skype-open-source2.blogspot.ru/2016/03/call-to-donate.html)

~~~
makmanalp
This is a great idea, and I bet you could raise a lot more than 3000! Why not
just put this on indiegogo or kickstarter or some other similar trusted
platform instead of asking people to just paypal you money? I figure many
people would feel much more comfortable that way, and you'd probably get a
bunch of publicity from just being on the site.

I don't understand the point of the semi-secrecy. There's almost certainly
hundreds of MS employees on this site which means you've lost that advantage
already, and anyway you're going to have the same problem after you release
the software.

~~~
Luker88
Patreon is also an option, too.

Are there public code hosting (gitlab?) in other countries, where the dmca
does not apply? maybe something in Europe, where reverse engineering might be
less strict?

~~~
skypeopensource
DMCA is not main problem, for now.

------
withinrafael
So, I'd love to help but... there's nothing to show after initial work in
2011. And I found no plans to provide any updates.

Besides, this reverse engineering work should be simpler now that Skype was
bought by Microsoft. For example, Microsoft no longer encrypts/destroys the
executable's import table. And it seems they dumped the anti-debugger code
too.

Let's also not forget Microsoft is pushing out new variants that should lend
themselves to reverse engineering (e.g. web/plugin-free [0] and Universal
Windows Platform [1] apps).

\---

[0] [https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA12316/what-is-the-
skype-w...](https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA12316/what-is-the-skype-web-
plugin-and-how-do-i-install-it#PluginFree)

[1] [http://blogs.skype.com/2016/03/24/skype-universal-windows-
pl...](http://blogs.skype.com/2016/03/24/skype-universal-windows-platform-app-
preview-for-windows-10-is-coming-to-windows-insiders/)

~~~
skypeopensource
Yes...

You are clean right. But for now, we have worked:

1) login (get auth credentials)

2) get contact list

3) find vcard of the given user

4) do relay connect for it

5) send or recv message from it

Its buggy for some reasons, but its worked.

However, yes, its not released an its not public, to not ruin my work until
release date.

~~~
ntauthority
What is the purpose nowadays, given the MSNP/Web gateways for IM control
protocols and the JS-based 'call' client?

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oskarer
I've been working on a JavaScript API for Skype,
[https://github.com/oskarer/skype-js](https://github.com/oskarer/skype-js),
utilizing the same endpoints as web.skype.com. Features currently working are
login, receive and send messages. I have little time to work on it but it
definitely shows potential.

~~~
lukeadams
This project sounds interesting! Would you consider reverse engineering the
Chrome plugin to add calling?
([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/skype-
calling/blak...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/skype-
calling/blakpkgjpemejpbmfiglncklihnhjkij)) Not sure if the plugin uses native
code, but it should be possible to grab the mic / play audio from terminal.

~~~
oskarer
Yeah, I've planned to try this out in NW.js. They have support for the
chrome.* API, which is used by the Skype plugin.

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drdaeman
Have you discussed this with a laywer?

The problem is, as you reverse-engineer Skype and release source code that is
meant to be liberally licensed, it still could be that the code would be
practically unusable, due to possible legal issues.

IANAL, but from my understanding of the law, this is even a gray area in
Russia (local RE laws restrict on what you can do with the obtained knowledge,
and the law's wording feels pretty vague to me), and even if legal here, an US
or EU court may have a different idea.

Maybe that's not true and I'm just over-cautious, but... well... there's
clean-room reverse engineering (where one engineer analyzes the product and
writes comprehensive documentation suite and another, completely unrelated
person, reads the documentation and writes actual code) for a reason.

~~~
majewsky
IANAL either, but as far as I know a clean-room reverse engineering (like the
Samba guys did) should be pretty safe. Of course, other reverse engineering
techniques (e.g. disassembling or decompiling) are pretty illegal.

Also, the ToS for Skype may forbid the use of inofficial clients, and users
using these might be locked out of the service if Skype finds out and cares.

------
chmaynard
People generally donate to a charitable cause _after_ it starts providing a
service, not before. Do you have something we can start using now?

~~~
skypeopensource
No. But i have release from 2011 as proof.

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ivcha
I wonder how does this compare to skype4pidgin [1] -- this pidgin plugin is
working very nicely already

[1]
[https://github.com/EionRobb/skype4pidgin](https://github.com/EionRobb/skype4pidgin)

------
Ameo
This looks like a really neat project that could really benefit me (Skype is a
buggy piece of garbage but it's the place where 90% of my online friends
congregate).

However, one big issue I forsee is issues with Skype changing their
API/protocol and completely breaking the open source alternative. Updating
would require a constant stream of development work which, if past projects of
this type are anything to judge by, may be difficult or impossible to supply.

~~~
ntauthority
Skype currently has 3+ main gateways for connecting to the service - the
poster is using the initial pre-Microsoft protocol which is mainly retained
for devices that can not/will not get an update (like Skype phones, the
original Linux client, ...).

------
skypeopensource
My contact info in social networks, btw. And email.

skypeopensource@gmail.com
[http://vk.com/efim.bushmanov](http://vk.com/efim.bushmanov)
[https://www.facebook.com/efim.bushmanov](https://www.facebook.com/efim.bushmanov)

------
Zekio
seems like the github repo got hit with a dmca take down?

Well one of the repo's

~~~
skypeopensource
One repo and old blog was closed because I posted modified (patched, for
reversing issues) skype binaries. Which is no-no stuff in any case.

And I move all my source files (except forbidden to publish skype patched
binaries) to repo named Epycs (skype word in reversed letters).

~~~
tombert
I thought the issue was that there was some decompiled code in the repo? Maybe
I'm misremembering.

~~~
skypeopensource
"decompiled code" its hard to proof for DMCA. No, situation was simple, i
upload hacked skype binaries in repo for easy distribution. And this is no-no
clear case for DMCA takedown. So, it happens.

~~~
mateuszf
What did the binary do? Someone could actually publish this via tor + torrent
protocol.

~~~
skypeopensource
I post links on tor... But ints not help much. Against be DMCA'ed.

------
skypeopensource
At this moment i have:

Paypal:

50 USD

10 USD

4 GBP

10 USD

~~~
skypeopensource
So, for now, only four people will be on about page in first ever skype
network compatible client. Lucky guys!

