Skype and Flash

L

Lifeonfull

I'm looking to permanently migrate to FreeBSD as my main operating system, but I have two problems: Skype support and Flash support. Honestly, I feel like both of them are a necessary evil for me, as none of my Skype contacts have an open source alternative to Skype. The Skype4 port is currently broken. I tried installing it with Wine, but it doesn't work that way either. Is there a way I can Skype call with people without the Skype client?

Currently, the Gnash port is broken , too, so I guess I must wait?
 
Lifeonfull said:
I'm looking to permanently migrate to FreeBSD as my main operating system, but I have two problems: Skype support and Flash support. Honestly, I feel like both of them are a necessary evil for me, as none of my Skype contacts have an open source alternative to Skype. The Skype4 port is currently broken. I tried installing it with Wine, but it doesn't work that way either. Is there a way I can Skype call with people without the Skype client?

Currently, the Gnash port is broken , too, so I guess I must wait?
Click to expand...
Gnash was a joke since its inception. swfdec used to work very well but that was at least 4-5 years ago. The development terminated about that time. There were many petitions to Adobe for flash on BSDs including serious system admins who needed flash for various proprietary configuration tools. Adobe never blinked! At this time when HTML5 is coming strong there is very little intensive for anybody to beg Adobe for FreeBSD version of flash and probably even less incentive for them to maintain another version when even Linux version is on the life support.

Skype is a proprietary product protocol for which there is no open source client (please somebody correct me if I am wrong). SIP works great on BSDs my favorite SIP client PJSUA (I run OpenBSD on desktops) I don't see it in FreeBSD ports. Anyhow PJSUA is cli application which exceptionally simple but requires understanding of SIP from the one who runs it. Arguably not something which a "normal" desktop user can use.


Long story short if you are looking for a BSD-ish OS with great support for Skype and Flash your best bet is OS X. Yes I know it costs lots of money but the knowledge of most forum members who run FreeBSD (or BSDs for that matter on desktop) also required significant investment of time and studying. Some members which are less pragmatical than me will probably suggest running Linux version of Skype via emulation and similar solution for Flash. YMMV I personally don't do such things.
 
Both Skype and Flash are becoming dead ends on FreeBSD because either their development is leaping forwards too fast to keep up with (Skype) or the technology is becoming deprecated and the vendor has no interest in supporting even Linux (Flash being replaces with HTML5 Video).
 
Just to make that clear: Flash is dying altogether -- not just for the Linux platform. With HTML5 and good-quality Javascript engines, there's no need for Flash any more. Sites still using it are outdated right now (probably, most of them being pr0n sites or maybe some silly online games). Wait another couple of years and you'll find as much Flash content as you will find Java applets :)

For Skype: I understand the "need", and it's one of the reasons (although, a minor one) why I don't migrate my main Desktop to FreeBSD right now. To get it straight, there are a lot of better alternatives, but they are of no use if "important" people inside your social circle use Skype. Right now, I think Microsoft got it ALL WRONG by making Pulseaudio the only choice for audio in Linux Skype. Nevertheless, the Linux compatibility layer of FreeBSD will support Linux Pulseaudio sooner or later. So, It WILL work again -- until Microsoft comes up with the next stuff-breaking "great idea". Maybe they'll even abandon their Linux port? You'll never know. You COULD end up using a virtual machine running Windows, just to use Skype. Or maybe wine would be sufficient, didn't try this...

For me, after Skype started to misbehave even on my Linux box, I just use my Android phone for it. Works for now. It probably shouldn't be THE showstopper when chosing your Desktop OS.
 
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