skype

[jd1008]

On 01/18/2016 12:59 PM, Rick Stevens wrote:
> On 01/18/2016 11:49 AM, jd1008 wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 01/18/2016 12:38 PM, Rick Stevens wrote:
>>> On 01/18/2016 06:43 AM, Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> Is there a 64-bit version of skype for anything? MS users are two
>>>> stupid to realize that their machines (no different from ours) have
>>>> been 64-bit for a long time....
>>>>
>>>> I agree that it would be good to not have to install a 32-bit skype
>>>> and associated libraries, but I am not aware of such a possibility.
>>>>
>>>> Ranjan
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:08:56 +0100 Patrick Dupre <pdupre at gmx.com> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>
>>>>> Is there any 64-bit version of skype for fedora 22 ?
>>>
>>> There is no 64-bit Skype for Linux (any flavor), never has been and
>>> probably never will be. Remember that Skype is now owned by Microsoft
>>> and Linux is really the "poor stepchild". I'm frankly amazed the 32-bit
>>> thing is even maintained.
>> This is the crap about closed source proprietary software. If you need
>> it, then you
>> have to put up with what it is - no custom builds for your preferred
>> architecture,
>> let alone preferred GUI.
>
> I suppose someone with DEEP pockets could set up a VOIP gateway with
> landlines so we could use OSS like ekiga, twinkle, kopete, pidgin,
> etc. as normal and also have landline access. I don't see that happening
> in the near future.
>
> Of course, if you happen to know any of the people who won the last
> Powerball lottery, perhaps you could convince them to sink a million or
> so into it. ;-p
So, I am wondering why is the skype implementation proprietary?
Since it is the physical infrastructure (the communications equipment
and accounts database computers ...etc) that is (are) the primary 
investment,
why should the protocol implementation be so proprietary?
If anyone wanted to set up a similar service and had the money for the 
equipment,
they can do so now, using open source, without the proprietary 
implementation of skype.
So, I am just somewhat puzzled by the secretiveness of MS and the
previous proprietors of skype.