Skype was, unfortunately, bought by Microsoft -- and it shows.

Having said that, once one understands that one has to have everything needed for pulseaudio both in 32-bit and 64-bit version, it is not that difficult to get things working.

If I were you, I would not wait until the next version number; rather, you may wish to use the slackware64-current.

metaschima,

I described my struggles with skype here:
Skype on pure Slackware64
Sound in Skype 4.3
Sound in Skype via apulse

you may wish to check it. These were all inspired by LQ discussions and this thread in particular.

Using a "customized" version of Skype package with a special directory and libraries did not work for me either.

If you install slackware64 13.37 (or 14.1) with multilib, then I will be happy to send you with step-by-step instructions on how to get this working.

Alternatively, you may want to start first with a 32-bit system, figure out how to get Skype and pulseaudio working there, and then use that experience to figure out what to do in the multilib setup (this is what I ended up doing).

This is probably an "off the wall" suggestion to many since there are so many Skype users that would be difficult to get to switch to something platform-blind. But of course that is the problem that Microsoft creates and whether by negligence or design doesn't really matter when all we want is something to do a job and by hook or by crook Microsoft ruins it for anyone not absorbed into the collective. Some may find this useful and since Mac users are progressively finding themselves in the same situation we may no longer be a wee voice in the distance.

There are alternative apps that do the same job and that will run on any OpSys. Two examples of apps and services that can be deployed that do everything that Skype does (perhaps excepting calling a landline number, though iirc some can do that, just not these two as of last check) are TeamSpeak and Mumble. They have a free version but it lacks privacy if that is important to you. Some may be satisfied with obscurity in that nobody really targets such apps for nefarious hacking, partly because one is alerted if anyone not invited logs in.

Perhaps much easier and more complete is Googles Google+ Google Chat. It has all of Skypes features and more and the bandwidth is better. It can reportedly handle up to 100 in a conference call and that's just the free version. I haven't found a need for anything more complex/complete than the free version so far.

Any of you readers who might nay-say out of distrust for Google might ask yourself why you would trust Microsoft more before you reply. Bottom line is that communication with the outside world is a vulnerability and we all must judge for ourselves the cost-risk/benefit factors and decide accordingly.

The main thrust of my post isn't to say hop on board any of the three listed but to be encouraged to search for alternatives. Nature abhors a vacuum and M$ creates a lot of such things that suck. ;)

Aside - it just popped into my head that I don't know enough about text/speech conversion or encryption to wonder more deeply how such things might be applied to internet comm apps.

Calling landlines and receiving calls from a number associated with a real phone number is important, unfortunately.

For people that mainly use Skype for chatting, SkypeWeb exists:

https://github.com/EionRobb/skype4pi...aster/skypeweb

I use it all the time and only start up the main client whenever I need to make a call.

The thing that you seem to forget is that it is pretty hard to get a non-tech community to switch to another program if it works well enough for them. In other words if colleagues or friends of the user use Skype you simply have pretty little choice in the matter, ie Skype has to be available on those machines.

So I installed Slackware 14.1, installed the static apulse build, but I can't get the microphone to work. I've tried some '.asoundrc' files, and the APULSE_CAPTURE_DEVICE="hw:3,0" skype.

I prefer an all-in-one package because I don't want to install hundreds of dependencies for this POS.

Try APULSE_CAPTURE_DEVICE=plughw:3,0

I had to do that for my USB soundcard, although I don't know the difference between using "plug" or not.

I got it working ! It was actually something simple, I forgot to unmute the mic AND enable capture.

Thanks to zerouno for the skype static package, it works great and you saved me from having to use Mint, yuk !

OK, I'm feeling a little stupid - I'm running Slackware 14.1 64 Bit - has anyone found a simple solution to running Skype on a clean 64 Bit Slackware without installing Pulseaudio? I tried the all-in-one package, everything worked but the mic, tried the APULSE_CAPTURE_DEVICE="hw:3,0 command before starting Skype, the mic still didn't work.

I've read thru this thread a few times, and I'm struggling to determine what the newest / latest information on this topic is : )

Thanks for any assistance / direction.

Nothing that hasn't already posted AFAIK.

I have been using pulse audio since 2008 in slackware GSB. just learn it. the last two years it has becaome stable. Learn the program. It can be another tool.
I put a build out with a lot of help notes for multi lib stuff. The truth is if your going pulse audio for skype go the whole 9 yards and do it vanilla like the program wants. If you have a issue with pulse audio and the team that develops it do not use the tool. I have it running great from slackware 13.00 to current kde5.
issue is just learning. Skype requires the libpulse to build that does not mean it is a VOIP. This again leaves me very sad at the minimal installs from Slackbuild.
Look at Kdenlive. thats a ridiculous Slackbuild. there is over 25 extra separate programs to actually make that thing do what the developers wanted. yes they are all in slackbuild. same skype. Oh well. Thats Slack. Not the Slackware way when you build it you build it all.

Your set of packages and buildscript is without doubt very useful for many people. But as far as I can tell it is a script that helps installing a set of pre-build SBo packages on 14.1 multilib as well as adding config files. Not sure this is something I would want to add to systems without some form of understanding how to configure Pulseaudio in picking up the right mike, etc.

The bottomline here is that for me the key problem with PulseAudio on Slackware that there is very little guidance on how to get it running. I simply need Skype on machines I support and Skype audio needs to work, nothing more. And like many fixing audio problems on Skype drives me up the wall...

Note that throughout this topic there have been repeated requests for documentation explaining how to get PulseAudio to work on Slackware, see for example http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ml#post5217998 If you have been using it for so long it might be worth adding something on slackwiki that has no info on pulseaudio.

When I was playing with different sound systems, I remember that it was actually difficult to not use PulseAudio. It just keeps spawning (unless you define `autospawn=no` in its config) and stealing ALSA exclusively. I had to google how to stop that behaviour.

So isn't switching to PulseAudio just a matter of installing it and, maybe, running system-wise? And also recompiling alsa-plugins, some applications that have PA support, but it's just not compiled; and writing a simple asound.conf. But these topics have been covered numerous times over years, so it's almost trivial.

I dunno. I tried the newest elementaryOS the other day and PA crashed on me within an hour. I removed it - the sound magically starts working. Do you really need to learn tweaking another abstraction layer, when the sound works perfectly without it?

As I mentioned, everything works accept the Mic - so I know it's close...I'm not deep enough on the config end or what to look for unfortunately. I'm working harder at not using Windows, so the easiest fix is to install Win 7, 8.1 on a box with a Camera & Mic...but I am challenged by the fact I'm so close : )

Anyway, thanks for your input and direction regardless : )

Thanks to zerouno for the wonderful slackpkg available at slacky.eu repository and for post #235 hints on getting the mic to work. After trying the pulseaudio, json-c, speex, skype slackbuilds and lots of optional dependencies that needed installing along with slackbuild settings to set for each build, the install was not functioning. So I removed everything and used the slackpkg from slacky.eu, set alsamixer to capture the mic and everything is good. I also find that all sound applications, except vlc function without trouble. The only thing I'm confused about is if the slacky.eu package is using apulse or true pulseaudio 'user'? If using pulseaudio, what must be done to have vlc audio working again?

For Multi-lib system or X86 only SKYPE
I been using pulseaudo for a long time with Slackware.
these are my build ques. Big!! thing to do is build the 32-bit
compat32 for pulseaudio first. You can uninstall samba so you will
be able to build it. or Uninstall samba then install compat32 samba.
Now we need to build compat32 pulseaudio for skype.
That's where things can be tricky. Your smart and figure it out.
You will need these to build pulse 32bit. for multi-lib
reinstall samba 64 bit on Multi-lib and now build these.
then I build and install FFMPEG and alsa-plugins
and then make pulse audio default device. ~.asoundrc
Skype requires pavucontrol in order to configure sound input out put.
good luck.

Just FTR Google Hangouts does everything Skype does and is all but a clone in interface "in browser" thus requiring no other considerations than if Firefox will run on your system. Lots less headaches and high performance.

I use Google hangouts 98 percent of the time. Free call in USA. Hangouts is awesome.

This is a proprietary with a proprietary replacement, so it does not make sense for me. Also, I have no hangouts users in the contacts. Mostly, I use Jabber.

Drakeo, thank you for continuing to offer help for members attempting to get pulseaudio working on a Slackware64 14.1 Multilib system. While I appreciate your suggestions, if the slackpkg from slaky.eu installed correctly and works, other than the efforts and education gained from installing with your pulseaudio process, what other benefits are there? Alsamixer works properly with Skype and other applications like Audacious, Kplayer, Mplayer, Amorok, XMMS and even Flash (within SeaMonkey pipelight) share the output. If I'm not able to use VLC there are plenty of other alternatives that are working fine. Maybe someday I'll try the extensive build and options you suggest, but right now I just needed a working Skype so I can video chat with my grandson and granddaughters.

But I know you are a dedicated member to the LQ and I appreciate the detailed insightful solutions that you present. They help us properly learn our system and administering it correctly. Thank you again, your GREAT, as Tony the Tiger would say. Blessings from BrianA_MN

Becasue it was referenced.... Here is the Skype update you can easily build your own.
 

My PC now has Slackware64 14.2 Multilib installed as main OS. Upon notice of the July 1 deadline for the 4.3 skype EOL, I downloaded the skypeforlinux-64.rpm today. Saved to disk, then as root in the same download directory ran "rpm2tgz -srdn slackforlinux-64.rpm" and received package skype-5.3.0.1-x86_64-1.tgz which I then used to "upgradepkg skype-5.3.0.1-x86_64-1.tgz". This upgraded my skype to the lastest version and all is well and working. If anyone is not familiar with the Slackware standard installs rpm2tgz is available in all full installs. Pat has included it for years. Although it is no longer developed it still takes modern rpm's and successfully builds proper slackware packages for the standard installpkg or upgradepkg. Although it is not recommended to use rpm's, when I'm stuck or the SlackBuilds.org isn't updated with the latest, I check the source builder for the latest rpm or OpenSUSE and they almost always result with installable packages. Use -srdn flags builds are:
-s extract the install scripts to /usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/ for review.
-n name the output package using the rpm's metadata
-r extract what the rpm's "requires" (dependencies) as documention to /usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/
-d attempt a wellformed slack-desc from the rpm meta data

The only reason I still have multilib is for my "ESET Nod32 for Linux" because of my heterogenous mixed OS network. The folks at ESET focus on WINDOWS which is 32/64 bit capable and therefor design their software to always check and need 32/64 libraries. But ESET continues to have the highest effective rate of blocking Linux and Windows malware, viruses and rootkits; while still providing a Linux Standard Desktop configuration with system-tray status icon and Dolphin/Thunar integration. Oh memory allocation is only 108M! I've tested all 18 different malware/virus scanners listed by AV-Comparatives in April 2015 report and found ESET is lightest in performance/memory impact and highest in effectiveness. I wish ClamAV was as light and effective, but it is 600M memory impact and much lower detection even with the SaneSecurity sigs added.

I know this is a old thread. but I am playing with the latest lxpup64 7.0 and installed skypeforlinuxbeta 5.4.0.1 I know this system has no pulseaudio installed. but it works fine. This lxpup is based on slacko64-6.9.9 . anyone else confirm this.

Oh well.

Yes, skypeforlinuxbeta works without pulseaudio. I'm on Slackware64 with pulseaudio installed but disabled.

thank you Slalik nice little system added some gtk3 to it and runs all the modern browsers now.