After Microsoft’s aquisition of Skype – the worlds most popular VoIP application – many users had assumed that it marked the beginning of the end for the clients’ life on Linux.
Comments by Microsoft Exec Steve Ballmer on the matter didn’t entirely clarify things, with non-specific wording:
“We will continue to support non-Microsoft platforms, because it’s fundamental to the value proposition of communications …whether they happen to be on your device or not.”
That, believe it or not, was exactly one year ago today.
Since then there has been one very minor update for Skype on Linux – compared to 17 updates to the Windows version in the same time frame.
But the Skype team themselves have now stepped in to clarify matters in a thread on their support forum.
Their response is a brief, vague and non-committal but does, for the optimists amongst us at least, point to a brighter future for the Linux version than many feared:
“Development hasn’t stopped. We are still working towards the next update. Can’t share an ETA though. We’ll release “when it’s done” “
So, Skype for Linux: not dead, just in a coma.
Tip: Andrew