New Skype for Linux beta
The latest Skype for Linux beta adds video support, finally enabling Linux users across the globe to benefit from the same features as the rest of their Skype buddies. Skype, however, is non-free software in that it’s closed source (although it’s free in the free beer sense, it’s not free as in freedom). Does this mean we shouldn’t welcome this development?
Well, it sends a clear message to other companies (notably, the BBC) that services can and should be given equally across operating systems, that Linux users are an important sector of the market. This is true especially for peer-to-peer applications such as Skype and the BBC’s iPlayer - the more users on a network, the better quality service had by all. For Skype, this move might mean adding several thousand users to its network with more reliable, stable PCs; this is particularly important when we bear in mind the big Skype outage over the summer, when Microsoft sent out an upgrade that required Windows users to restart their computers. With so many people doing this at the same time, the Skype network couldn’t cope; more Linux users would help in situations like this.
As for the BBC and its iPlayer service, the benefits are greater. At present, unlike with Skype, there are no Linux users. Given that there are quite a few across the country (see recent media coverage about this one…), it would be adding quite a few new users to the network. For existing users who find that the p2p service eats up their processor’s power, it would lessen the load and improve service at the same time. For Linux users themselves, it would offer the same service that the BBC is providing to Windows users - downloadable content, rather than the planned streaming service (which is inherently unfair, and probably against the BBC’s charter).
