Skype is garbage and Microsoft turns every product they touch into shit

[Dan Druff]

On November 1, 2018, Microsoft officially ruined Skype.

This was a long time coming. They've been trying to encourage everyone to go to "New Skype" for quite some time -- a version with a cleaner interface, but with a huge reduction in features.

Sadly the 2008 Skype was vastly superior in functionality to the 2018 Skype. How do you release a software product which is INFERIOR feature-wise to the version you had a decade ago?

Microsoft found a way.

Everyone hates new Skype, yet they don't seem to give a shit.

On November 1, they no longer allow you to use old Skype versions. They simply won't connect.

Unless there's a workaround of which I'm unaware, I'm going to have to let Skype go.

[Mintjewlips]

Maybe they do it on purpose? I have a hard time believing that people that intelligent can make a product less inferior unless that was the goal...

[Belly Buster]

Druff you should look at teamspeak 3. The only downside I can see is that anyone wanting to call in would also need it but there may be ways to work around that as well.

[limitles]

On November 1, 2018, Microsoft officially ruined Skype.

This was a long time coming. They've been trying to encourage everyone to go to "New Skype" for quite some time -- a version with a cleaner interface, but with a huge reduction in features.

Sadly the 2008 Skype was vastly superior in functionality to the 2018 Skype. How do you release a software product which is INFERIOR feature-wise to the version you had a decade ago?

Microsoft found a way.

Everyone hates new Skype, yet they don't seem to give a shit.

On November 1, they no longer allow you to use old Skype versions. They simply won't connect.

Unless there's a workaround of which I'm unaware, I'm going to have to let Skype go.

It's called the new Apple model. Microsoft can't help but copy

[BeerAndPoker]

I haven't loaded up skype in about 6 months so I'm unsure what changes are made and they sound bad.

One thing I will say is back when I ran a few radio shows a few years back one thing that bothered me was the radio server software because if forced me to turn stereo mix on for everything and I don't have to do that with some things I'll broadcast it automatically will where people I'm broadcasting to can hear other people talking through skype as well as the music/sound effects I am playing on my computer. Sometimes those on the call can't hear the sound effects though but others can.

I agree skype has been messed with too much by the programmers. They have to make changes for security purposes I get that but they don't have to change every little thing to ruin it in the process.

[Gordman]

Does anyone even use Skype anymore? I got the impression that most people who used Skype started using Discord instead.

[Zap_the_Fractions_Giraffe]

I have used it in the past, but it's a huge resource and bandwidth hog and they* use it to spy on you

*the jews

[MumblesBadly]

You can thank George W. Bush for stopping the court-ordered breakup of Microsoft into two separate companies (operating system and all other products) per the outcome of the Clinton administration’s successful antitrust lawsuit against it. In its place, Microsoft made a “promise” to not bundle app software with its operating system software, but that doesn’t prevent Miscrosoft’s operating system team from working with its app teams to give the latter a leg up on forthcoming changes to the operating system. Boo hoo for competing app makers whose software got repeatwdly temporaily crippled orndegraded with successive versions of Windows releases.

[Gordman]

You can thank George W. Bush for stopping the court-ordered breakup of Microsoft into two separate companies (operating system and all other products) per the outcome of the Clinton administration’s successful antitrust lawsuit against it. In its place, Microsoft made a “promise” to not bundle app software with its operating system software, but that doesn’t prevent Miscrosoft’s operating system team from working with its app teams to give the latter a leg up on forthcoming changes to the operating system. Boo hoo for competing app makers whose software got repeatwdly temporaily crippled orndegraded with successive versions of Windows releases.

What does this have to do with Skype?


Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[sonatine]

im sure indians had no hand in this.

[MumblesBadly]

You can thank George W. Bush for stopping the court-ordered breakup of Microsoft into two separate companies (operating system and all other products) per the outcome of the Clinton administration’s successful antitrust lawsuit against it. In its place, Microsoft made a “promise” to not bundle app software with its operating system software, but that doesn’t prevent Miscrosoft’s operating system team from working with its app teams to give the latter a leg up on forthcoming changes to the operating system. Boo hoo for competing app makers whose software got repeatwdly temporaily crippled orndegraded with successive versions of Windows releases.

What does this have to do with Skype?


Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

By having a competitive edge over developing Windows-compatible apps, Microsoft continued to have the ability to outbid competitors when buying app developers, including the makers of Skype. But that competitive business advantage doesn’t automatically translate into greater benefit for consumers, as Microsoft still effectively hobbled competitors to those apps with its periodic Windows updates. And that allows Microsoft to mill the users of those captive apps for greater economic rents without having to be diligent in maintaining the apps’ functionality or economy for the user. Think cable TV service and pricing in rural America to get the picture. And certainly Skype is an example of such a captive app.

[Dan Druff]

Mumbles, you're half right, but it doesn't really apply here.

Yes, Microsoft has been playing fast and loose for years by intentionally inducing compatibility issues into products competing with their own. This is what killed Netscape many years ago, which gave rise to Internet Explorer's popularity, which then got spanked itself by Chrome.

But that's not what's going on in this case.

Skype had a huge market share of the consumer VOIP market. That's why Microsoft bought them -- because they wanted to have the biggest provider of that seemingly growing market under their control.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has ruined Skype, and the reason seems to be due to a combination of not caring much about the product and misunderstanding its valuable features.

Microsoft seems to be aiming for simplicity and cross-platform compatibility, whereas most users enjoyed Skype for its features and reliability. Microsoft has ruined the latter while focusing upon the former.

This is more a case of a large company buying a smaller company, and misunderstanding its flagship product.

[Rally]

Have you tried Google Hangouts?