Kernel 5.4.50
Slackware 14.2-current

Hi: by Skype-like I mean you can make free calls. For some reason I thought Skype was a paid service but, looking in google with ' What is Skype' I have just learned you can make free calls from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world. So I entered into one of the google items and found "How to install Skype" (also registration is free). It said Skype was aware of the OS and web browser in the machine. So I thought it could be run under Linux. But alas! You have to download skypesetup.exe and run it on your machine! So, after all, it seems it only runs under Windows OSes.

Now there is Adobe Acrobat Reader, a PDF reader, which used to come in two versions: one for Linux and one for Windows. In the same way, perhaps there is a Skype-like application which comes in two versions: one for Linux and the other for Windows and we could have a Linux machine communicating with a Windows machine. My question is: is there an application like that?

Skype is available on Linux (64-bit only). Slackbuild is here: https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...skypeforlinux/

I'm running it on Slackware current.

You need an account, and while calls to other Skype users are free, you need to pay for calls to "traditional" numbered phones.

Hint: I find most people want to switch off the "Automatically start Skype" and "On close, keep Skype running" options. These are found under Tools -> Settings -> General.

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Thanks. You mean I run Skype on Linux and can communicate with a user running Skype on Windows?

Yes you can. I speak to my daughter in Canada every week and she's on MS.
Incidently, she seems to have more trouble with skype at her end than I ever do!

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Yes, it can work this way.

BUT, be warned that the SBo package is designed for Slackware 14.2 and it install silently a fantastic amazing incredible shocking fake logind server, which certainly would mess with the elogind from -current, resulting in spectacular effects like losing your power control commands on Plasma5 and not only.

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Well,, then I'll give it a try! Thanks very much.

I was too slow in replying and you got in the middle, please forgive me. In that case I won't worry because I was just about to install 14.2 in another partition (I currently run -current as you correctly inferred).

Skype is Billys garbage. Use telegram or even that whastapp crap if you must

Other non-skype alternatives are: Discord, Google Duo (web and android), ekiga, jitsi.org, to name a few.

My LUG has been using jitsi for its virtual meetings and it has worked quite nicely for us. You don't need to install anything, unless you want to run a jitsi server; just go to the jitsi website and start a meeting. The only downside I know of is that you can't schedule meetings/communications in advance the way you can with Zoom.

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I clicked your link and then clicked on the sources link (in the slackbuilds page) only to get
How can that be?

I was able to open that link without issue. https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...skypeforlinux/

The Skype website does offer both an *.rpm and *.deb. Perhaps one of them will work with Slackware's rpm2tgz or deb2tgz utilities.

I was able to successfully install the *.rpm on my Mageia box and the *.deb on my Ubuntu MATE box.

I went to the slackbuilds home page and searched for "skype". I found skypeforlinux. I clicked the link and there was the sources link. I click this link and here I got the server error, I swear (I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina).

I did duplicate that error.

Thanks for the additional detail.

Download the rpm or the deb package, your choice. Use either rpm2tgz or deb2tgz to make a slackware package. Works great. rpm2tgz is part of slackware and deb2tgz is on SlackBuilds.org. I ran it on 14.2 that way, and the same package runs on -current.

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