
Skype is better, but still problematic - crunchiebones
https://www.steverrobbins.com/articles/skype-still-leaks-contacts/
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sametmax
I had to use the so called "skype for entreprise". If you think skype went
down, wait to try it, it's everything you ever dreaded, and more. It should be
the example in wikipedia for the article "failure".

With the exploding number of chat apps, individual past, preferences and
technical level I gave up on the whole rich client thing.

With all my customers I now use [https://appear.in](https://appear.in)

It doesn't have great noise cancellation, the chat sucks and you can't send
files.

But it works without any setup and little technical knowledge from my
customers. They go to the address, click "accept" a bunch of times, and we see
each others. We can even share screens.

~~~
dade_
Skype for business is finally going away, though slowly, to be replaced by
Teams.

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rasjani
But judging from some error messages I’ve seen, it looks like the voice
capabilities in teams are still just embedded Lync/Skype. Might be wrong.

~~~
nathanaldensr
If you spy on the API calls Microsoft Teams makes, you will see several Skype-
branded domains involved in the overall process. It's likely they are still
relying significantly on Skype back-end technology.

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pks016
Skype has gotten worse from the last time I had used (4-5 years ago).
Recently, I had to use it for interviews.

So, on the day of interview, I usually check if everything is working fine or
not. I opened Skype, it promoted me to update it. I usually ignore this but
this time, there was no update later. So, I was forced to update. Now, I could
not go past login screen whatsoever. I tried different online methods, nothing
worked. Finally, I had to use Skype Web, which worked fine.(relief)

May be they are forcing update due to security issues but in case of
emergency, I should have an option to switch to older version. I do not know.
And yeah, Skype Web is there. That's the only hope.

~~~
sethhochberg
...and of course, Skype for "Web" only works in Chrome or Edge - so better
keep a spare browser around for the fallback web version of the awful
chat/VoIP client.

Is it any wonder Slack is dominating business chat? If they figure out an
elegant way to get guests a one-time call with an org from the web for
interviews or whatever they're in perfect shape.

~~~
fwn
I know that's not really the solution to the problem but it works fine for me
after spoofing the user agent to something chrome would send.

The incompatibility is - at least for now - a lie.

~~~
solarkraft
Until Chrome has sufficiently abused its monopoly.

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point78
I loved Skype and by necessity currently use it all day every day. They
constantly remove features I use with every update. Is it that hard to leave
in what works?

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sschueller
Is there any good open source solution?

~~~
tmikaeld
[https://riot.im](https://riot.im) has reached 1.0 and supports all the same
features - except phones (Can be done with SIP integration).

Riot UI is (still) confusing for new users.

[https://wire.com](https://wire.com) is also open source but much simpler.

~~~
snvzz
But Wire is not a matrix client, is it?

If it is, they hide it well.

~~~
carleton
Correct, Wire is unrelated to Matrix/Riot. They were listing Wire as another
option.

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chewyland
I always thought, and still do, of Skype being the "If a human on this planet
could design a user interface and experience the exact opposite of easy,
efficient and friendly." it would be it. I almost feel like the developers are
playing a trick on me every time I open the app.

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nakedrobot2
Skype is total absolute dog shit.

Nothing about it has been better, ever, since around 2005.

What an absolute clusterfuck. I really don't think it could be managed worse -
if you handed Skype management to a bunch of untrained 13 year olds, it would,
in all likelihood, evolve into a better product than it has been at any point
between 2008 and now.

~~~
rendaw
And to clarify, this applies to both Skype for Business and the personal
Skype.

~~~
ericol
Not to mention the tight grip MS is having on the accounts, trying to link
everything to Live, plus disabling asccounts for "violation of TOS"and forcing
you to provide a cell phone number in order to re enable the account (And no
way to find out what exact part of the TOS you broke: Believe me, I tried).

I've had a Skype acc for 10+ years; I've been holding back updating the app
because the new versions are a total and utterly crap. Last time I opened it
the dialog box changed to an "Update now" only button, so I left it there.

My company changed from a Skype only (With paid accounts) communication based
model to Slack + GoToMeeting when needed.

I'd really like to know how much money they stopped making in the recent
years.

