[ The end of an era. I prefer to use Signal now. ]

From: https://shorturl.at/AdiwK (nypost.com)

===
Microsoft retiring Skype after 20 years - as platform failed to keep up with
Zoom, Slack

By Reuters
Published Feb. 28, 2025, 11:52 a.m. ET

Skype will ring for the last time on May 5 as owner Microsoft retires the
two-decade-old internet calling service that redefined how people connect
across borders.

Shutting down Skype will help Microsoft focus on its homegrown Teams
service by simplifying its communication offerings, the software giant
said on Friday.

Founded in 2003, Skype's audio and video calls quickly disrupted the
landline industry in the early 2000s and made the company a household name
boasting hundreds of millions of users at its peak.

But the platform has struggled to keep up with easier-to-use and more
reliable rivals such as Zoom and Salesforce's Slack in recent years.

The decline was partly because Skype's underlying technology was not
suited for the smartphone era.

When the pandemic and work-from-home fueled the need for online business
calls, Microsoft batted for Teams by aggressively integrating it with
other Office apps to tap corporate users - once a major base for Skype.

To ease the transition from the platform, its users will be able to log
into Teams for free on any supported device using their existing
credentials, with chats and contacts migrating automatically.

With that, Skype will become the latest in a series of high-flying bets
that Microsoft has mishandled, such as the Internet Explorer web browser
and its Windows Phone.

Other big tech firms have also struggled with online communication tools,
with Google making several attempts through apps including Hangouts and
Duo.

Microsoft declined to share the latest user figures for Skype and said
there would be no job cuts due to the move.

It added that Teams has about 320 million monthly active users.

When Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion after outbidding
Google and Facebook - its largest deal at the time - the service had
around 150 million monthly users; by 2020, that number had fallen to
roughly 23 million, despite a brief resurgence during the pandemic.

Microsoft said on Friday "Skype has been an integral part of shaping
modern communications. We are honored to have been part of the journey."
===

-- Sean

... A true friend knows who you are but likes you anyway.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Re: Microsoft retiring Skype after 20 years
By: digimaus to All on Sat Mar 01 2025 05:54 pm

[ The end of an era. I prefer to use Signal now. ]

Thanks for the news. I use Signal too, but not for conferences.

I remember testing Skype around the time the Chinavirus hit. It felt like a bit of a mess. No wonder it is getting kicked out.


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Arelor wrote to digimaus <=-

I remember testing Skype around the time the Chinavirus hit. It felt
like a bit of a mess. No wonder it is getting kicked out.

Skype was done by then. Before it went corporate when Microsoft bought
them, it used a peer-to-peer design similar to Kazaa (the founders of
Kazaa started Skype) and there was nothing like it back then.

I worked for eBay at the time, and we bought a minority stake in Skype.
We supported a development office of theirs and rolled out Skype gear to
the company.


--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (618:300/16)

Arelor wrote to digimaus <=-

I remember testing Skype around the time the Chinavirus hit. It felt
like a bit of a mess. No wonder it is getting kicked out.

Skype was much better before M$ bought it. It was originally written in
Delphi and was rock solid. Once M$ bought it, they rewrote Skype in C# and
it went downhill.

I thibnk the last timer i used Skype as a stand-alone product was like in
the early 2000s.

M$, as usual, is retiring a great product that they destroyed.

-- <8D~


... Money isn't everything; usually it isn't even enough.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

digimaus wrote to Arelor <=-

I thibnk the last timer i used Skype as a stand-alone product was like
in the early 2000s.

M$, as usual, is retiring a great product that they destroyed.

I wonder how much of the core of Skype - both developers and code -
went into Teams? I remember at one point they called their corporate
product "Skype for Business", but they were completely different
code bases - then, Lync, now Teams. Teams, IMO, went from being utter crap
to eminently usable, and customary, now compete with the market as
"usable and already paid for" going up against premium, paid products
like Slack.

If you've already paid the license for Teams, why not use it instead of
paying for Slack?

I used to use Slack pretty heavily, still have a group I support using
it. I don't see any base features that Teams doesn't support, video on
Teams is pretty good now, but I don't use the Slack API to automate as
much as we could.

I haven't heard of anyone using Discord in corporate America, I know
they were trying to get a toe-hold in there.





--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (618:300/16)

Hi Kurt,
In a message to Digimaus you wrote:

If you've already paid the license for Teams, why not use it instead
of paying for Slack?

The company I work for is all in on Teams. I wouldn't call myself a power
user but I can do what I need to do and didn't have any training on it.

Most of my job is done in excel which is fine as spreadsheets are the best
damn use for a laptop I've ever found. :)

I haven't heard of anyone using Discord in corporate America, I know
they were trying to get a toe-hold in there.

Never seen discord other then for games or porn around here. LOL

Shawn


--- Grumble
* Origin: From the Dirty Shwa (618:618/12)

Kurt Weiske wrote to digimaus <=-

I wonder how much of the core of Skype - both developers and code -
went into Teams? I remember at one point they called their corporate product "Skype for Business", but they were completely different
code bases - then, Lync, now Teams. Teams, IMO, went from being utter
crap to eminently usable, and customary, now compete with the market as "usable and already paid for" going up against premium, paid products
like Slack.

I'm sure they "recycled" as much as they could from the Skype project into
the Teams project.

I haven't heard of anyone using Discord in corporate America, I know
they were trying to get a toe-hold in there.

I haven't either. Discord is really just an advanced form of IRC from what I understand. I use Discord a lot but I still prefer IRC.

-- Sean

... Borrow a few lines=Plagiarism. Steal *volumes*=Research.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Tiny wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

Never seen discord other then for games or porn around here. LOL

I couldn't see a business actually using Discord. I use it primarily to
talk to streamers I watch. I have my own Discord server for my streaming stuff, but that's it.

I still prefer IRC for chat, LOL.

-- Sean


... When my phone battery died, I was angry and needed to find an outlet.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Hi digimaus,
On <Thu, 05 Mar 25>, you wrote me:

I still prefer IRC for chat, LOL.

I left most "chat" things behind. I can't find one where some moron
doesn't turn a simple programming question into an argument about the war.

Shawn

... Why read it when you can print it?


--- Grumble
* Origin: Dirty Ole' Town (618:618/12)

I left most "chat" things behind. I can't find one where some moron
doesn't turn a simple programming question into an argument about the war.

What war?

-- Sean



--- MBSE BBS v1.1.0 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Re: Re: Microsoft retiring Skype after 20 years
By: Tiny to Digimaus on Thu Mar 06 2025 05:35 am

I left most "chat" things behind. I can't find one where some moron
doesn't turn a simple programming question into an argument about the war.

Shawn

That is what /IGNORE is for lol.

I have found IRC and the like are much better when you find some small rooms with people you like to hang around, instead of staying on active places. For technical discussion I find mailing lists to be better.


--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)

Hi Sean,
On <Fri, 06 Mar 25>, you wrote me:

the war.

What war?

I'm not answering this, if I do you will moderate me.

Shawn

--- Grumble
* Origin: From the Dirty Shwa (618:618/12)

On 07 Mar 2025, Tiny said the following...

I'm not answering this, if I do you will moderate me.

Everything's permitted in moderation!


Jay

... How many Lowe's would Rob Lowe rob if Rob Lowe would rob Lowe's?

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Northern Realms (618:400/23)

Hello Warpslide!

07 Mar 25 09:14, you wrote to me:

I'm not answering this, if I do you will moderate me.

Everything's permitted in moderation!

I'm not falling for that one! ;)

Shawn

... When in doubt, predict that the trend will continue.
--- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20151130
* Origin: Deep in the Dirty Shwa (618:618/12)

Shawn Highfield wrote to Warpslide <=-

I'm not falling for that one! ;)

Everything in moderation, including moderation.

Spontanaiety has its time and its place.



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