Skype has become an invaluable tool for communicating with family and friends. PC-to-PC calls are free and PC-to-phone calls are cheap. Lately, I have been trying Skype on Linux, Windows, and Mac. As an avid follower of the (not frequently updated) “Skype for Linux” blog [1], I was pleased when the latest beta version for Linux, Skype 2.1, was released. Yes, Skype is two releases behind for Linux (on Windows, we’re at 4.X). However, the quality of the basic functionality – making calls – is not noticeably different on Linux and Windows.
What I DID notice was that the new version of Skype brought with it the Skype SPAM I have been seeing on Windows. Skype SPAM is when you block all non-Contact list people from contacting you, but where you cannot actually block “requests” to be added to your contact list. This is a loophole in the blocking logic, allowing bots with fake accounts on the Skype network to bug the crap out of you. On a typical day, I have to deal with 10-20 Skype SPAM requests.
I consider them SPAM for several reasons. First, they are not from anybody I want to talk to. That alone classifies them as junk-mail. Second, they’re not even from real people. I’m not stupid; there are not that many people with the last name “hottie.”
Skype clearly either added a feature (contact requests) or unblocked an old feature. They probably did this with the best of intentions, but to me the negatives outweigh any positives. I’m not alone in this belief. The Skype forums has turned into a flame-fest on this very topic [2].
Even if Skype is responsive to this issue, I fear it will take months or years for the feature-fix to appear in the Linux version. The current Linux beta has the worst of all combinations of features: you get the Skype SPAM, you cannot select all the incoming requests like you can in Windows, and so you must right-click and block each request separately. It’s annoying.
Am I annoyed enough to drop Skype? Not yet. But there are two things that risk breaking my back on Skype. The first is the glacial pace of Linux development. The second is the general Skype sluggishness to respond to the community. I’ll give it more time, but the annoyance-point is fast approaching.
