Skype

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skype

Skype logo as a symbol
Skype brand logo
The Skype logo above as a symbol and below as a brand logo
Basic data

developer Microsoft Corporation
(formerly Skype Technologies )
Publishing year 2003
Current  version 8.61 (15.61) ( Windows 10 )
June 8, 2020

8.62 ( Windows Desktop)
July 7, 2020

8.62 ( macOS )
July 7, 2020

8.62 ( Linux )
July 7, 2020

8.62 ( iOS )
July 7, 2020

8.62 ( Android )
June 08, 2020

operating system Windows , macOS , Linux , Android , iOS , Windows Mobile , Xbox One
programming language Embarcadero Delphi , Objective-C , C ++ , Object Pascal , JavaScript
category IP telephony , instant messaging , peer-to-peer
License EULA ( proprietary )
German speaking Yes
www.skype.com

Skype [ skaɪp ] is an Internet-based instant messaging - service . It was introduced in 2003 and has been owned by Microsoft since 2011 . The service offers picture telephony , video conferencing , IP telephony , instant messaging , file transfer and screen sharing . It can be used with a special application program or with a browser via the Skype website. The data transmission is based on a network protocol protected by copyright .

Internet calls with customers of other online services are not possible. Fees are charged for connections to landline and mobile networks. In order to receive calls from the conventional telephone network, a landline telephone number must be purchased. Such a number can be set up for around 25 countries without being physically present in these countries. For some countries, proof of residence (but not actual presence there) is required for legal reasons: these are currently Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France and South Korea. In the current versions for Windows and macOS, conference calls with up to 25 participants are possible.

Technical characteristics

The software works behind most firewalls and NAT - routers problem because of the communication among other things, a variant STUN protocol used to connect. In addition, Skype can use the TCP ports 80 and 443 to establish connections, which are normally used for surfing the World Wide Web .

For data compression , Skype uses the codecs SVOPC (16 kHz), AMR-WB (16 kHz), G.729 (8 kHz), G.711 , previously also ISAC and ILBC . The in-house audio codec SILK has been in use since 2009, the source code of which was submitted to the IETF in March 2010 .

Skype works with any standard headset or microphone-speaker configuration - the device integrated in the operating system is recognized.

For connections from device to device, encryption with AES -256 is used according to Skype , the keys would be transmitted with 1,536 to 2,048 bit RSA . However, since this is a closed source program, this information cannot be checked by everyone. However, they were confirmed on October 18, 2005 by a security evaluation commissioned by Skype by the renowned cryptology expert Tom Berson. In contrast, the developer of Pretty Good Privacy , Phil Zimmermann , expressed criticism in connection with plans for its own VoIP software: Zfone . Skype's encryption methods have also been publicly exposed since mid-2010. By reverse engineering that in addition to AES-256 three variants was determined RC4 are used whose implementations are vulnerable. Skype could be wiretapped beforehand by investigative authorities.

Since the Skype IP telephony protocol is proprietary, it can only be used with the original Skype software. However, external programs can also access the functionalities of the Skype client and parts of the network via the Skype programming interface. This is used, among other things, by the SAM answering machine. In addition to telephoning, the main area of ​​application of Skype is instant messaging , whereby chats with several participants are also possible, as well as the transfer of files. There are also Skype plug-ins for Adium , Miranda IM , Pidgin and Trillian , for example , which enable Skype to be shared with other protocols in a single instant messenger. However, the main Skype program must run in the background for this.

Originally, the structure of Skype was designed as a decentralized peer-to-peer computer network ( FastTrack ). In the past, connections from device to device were partially forwarded via computers of other Skype participants, who acted as supernodes . For reasons of susceptibility to errors and since mobile devices are poorly suited for this, Microsoft has decided to change the architecture and use its own dedicated servers. Calls to the landline network are handled using specially designed computers. When making phone calls in the fixed or mobile network, the SIP services of other providers can only be used via the "SkypeOut" function. Microsoft has now completely migrated from dedicated servers to the in-house cloud platform Windows Azure.

Skype can also be operated from a removable storage device such as a USB mass storage device .

The Skype Translator makes it possible to translate video chats and telephone calls simultaneously using machine translation in real time. There are currently eight languages ​​available for voice calls and over 50 languages ​​for text chat. In May 2014, Skype announced that it was working on a translation function for English and Spanish. Later, users could register for a text version . The function was activated for every user in mid-May 2015 and the four languages ​​English, Mandarin, Italian and Spanish were available. Initially, the function was only available on the newer Windows versions after Windows 7, but was later integrated into the Windows app and later enabled for cell phone and landline calls. Since September 2018, Skype calls can be recorded, saved and shared in the apps and the desktop tool with Call Recording.

history

Skype Technologies was founded in July 2003 in Luxembourg by the Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and the Danish entrepreneur Janus Friis . They received support from the Draper Investment Company. The software itself (still called Skyper 1.0 during development) was created by Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jaan Tallinn. The same developers, Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, worked on the file sharing software Kazaa .

One of the first names for the project was “Sky peer-to-peer”, which was shortened to “Skyper”. Since this domain was already out of stock, the “r” was omitted and on April 24, 2003 the domains skype.com and skype.net were reserved.

As of December 3, 2003, the website had already had 3,355,593 downloads of the software and by December 31, 2004 the number had increased to 46,843,528 downloads. In September 2005, bought eBay Skype for 3.1 billion US dollars . Of this, $ 2.6 billion was paid, with the remainder being carried over in the form of shares upon achievement of agreed targets in 2008 and 2009. In September 2009, eBay confirmed the sale of 65% of its shares to investment company Silver Lake for $ 1.9 billion .

In May 2011, Facebook , Google and Microsoft expressed interest in taking over Skype. Microsoft was awarded the contract for a purchase price of $ 8.5 billion, ten times the annual sales of Skype at the time. That was the most expensive takeover by Microsoft to date, and in 2016 Microsoft took over LinkedIn for $ 26 billion. In August 2011, Skype again took over the service provider GroupMe, which specialized in conference calls via Skype. On October 14, 2011, Microsoft announced that the acquisition of Skype was complete. As announced on November 6, 2012, Skype has completely replaced Windows Live Messenger .

send money

Since August 2017, it has been possible to use the "Send Money" function to transfer money with PayPal during a chat . Both the sender and recipient must be from one of the countries that support Send Money. This service has started in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia . Money can be sent in US dollars , Canadian dollars , British pounds and euros . Other currencies and countries should be available soon.

Chat

The Skype chat is primarily used to write text messages, but they can also be formatted. There is also the option of sending emoticons, so-called Mojis, or files. As with calling via Skype, it is possible to send a text, file or contact message to an individual or to a conversation.

Emoticons

In Skype you can send animated emoticons . You can either insert it by clicking in the emoticon menu, or insert the corresponding code (for the emoticon "grin" for example "(smile)"). Some abbreviations have also been adopted that are not written in brackets. A list can be found on the Skype website.

To prevent emoticons from being incorrectly interpreted from combinations of special characters, the text can be displayed in monospace formatting: either a double exclamation mark ( !!) in connection with a line break or a space at the beginning of the message or the word code in curly brackets ( {code}) at the beginning and the end of the area to be deformatted. This enables program code to be transmitted, for example, since, among other things, drive identifiers are retained in their original representation as D:in Windows .

New emoticons are constantly being added. These are no longer just faces, but also hand gestures, animals and objects. For a long time it has also been possible to send small videos suggested by Skype (so-called Mojis). In most cases, these are very short excerpts from movies, TV programs or short music videos.

Formatting characters

Skype supports some special formatting characters, for example to represent italic or bold text. Emoticons are not changed.

Here is a small selection:

Formatting characters example Corresponds to
~ ~ Strikethrough text ~ Strikethrough text
_ _ Italic Text_ Text in italics
* * Bold text * Text in bold
{code} {code} monospace text {code} Monospace-Text

By using the monospace display , all other formatting is ignored. The text within the area shown in monospace cannot be changed by surrounding formatting characters. Formatting can be @@prevented independently of the emoticons by writing and a space or a line break in front of the text. No monospace display is generated and emoticons are still displayed.

Left

Hyperlinks of the HTTP and HTTPS protocols are automatically recognized and displayed by Skype in classic blue. The links are not checked for validity. If a corresponding picture is stored in the HTML code for display, this picture is displayed together with the address of the link. If the link is inserted within a text, it is displayed once in text form in the text itself and once as an image below the text.

Files

Skype can send files of any type that are smaller than 300 megabytes (MB). For larger file sizes, Microsoft refers to its OneDrive service . The files are represented with a specific icon. The symbol displayed is not determined by the installed standard program of the respective file type, but by Skype itself. Images of certain image formats such as PNG and JPEG are previewed in the chat history.

contacts

It is also possible to send your own Skype contacts. Contacts can be sent by simply dragging the relevant contact into the Skypechat input line. It does not matter whether the other contact details have already been exchanged with the contact.

Version differences

Until the end of 2007, a new version appeared every two weeks on Thursdays. Since then, the version steps have been significantly longer.

Version overview

operating system Operating system version minimum Skype version (login possible) Current Skype version
Windows 10
(Skype Electron Version) 		Windows 10 1809+ Older version; still supported: 8.61 (15.61) Older version; still supported: 8.61 (15.61)
Windows 10
(Skype UWP version) 		Windows 10 1709+ Older version; no longer supported: 8.0 (14.0) Older version; no longer supported: 8.56 (14.56)
Windows 10 1607 and 1703 Older version; no longer supported: 12.0 Older version; no longer supported: 12.1815
Windows 10 Mobile 1607–1709
Xbox OS 		Older version; still supported: 12.0 Older version; still supported: 12.1815
Windows
(Skype Desktop Version) 		Windows 10 1507+
Windows 8.1
Windows 8
Windows 7 		Older version; still supported: 8.0 Current version: 8.62
Windows Vista and older Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
Windows
(Skype APP Version) 		Windows 10 1507 and 1511
Windows 10 Mobile 1511
Windows 8 / 8.1
Windows Phone 8 / 8.1
Windows RT / RT 8.1 		Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
operating system Operating system version minimum Skype version (login possible) Current Skype version
macOS
OS X 		10.15 - 10.10 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Current version: 8.62
10.9 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Older version; still supported: 8.49
10.8 and older Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
iOS (iPhone) 13-10 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Current version: 8.62
9 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Older version; still supported: 8.34
8 and older Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
iPadOS
iOS (iPad) 		13-10 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Current version: 8.62
9 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Older version; still supported: 8.34
8 and older Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
Android 10.0 - 6.0 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Current version: 8.62
5.1.1 - 4.0.4 Older version; still supported: 8.0 Older version; still supported: 8.15
4.0.3 and older Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
Linux
(various distributions) 		64bit Older version; still supported: 8.0 Current version: 8.62
32bit Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
Blackberry OS
(non-Android) 		various Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
Symbian various Older version; no longer supported: Discontinued, no more login possible
Browser (Skype for Web) Windows / macOS Older version; still supported: Edge or Chrome Current version: 8.62
operating system Operating system version minimum Skype version (login possible) Current Skype version
Legend:
Older version; no longer supported
Older version; still supported
Current version
Current preliminary version
Future version

Windows

Release date version Comments
Aug 29, 2003 Older version; no longer supported: 0.9 Was developed further as a public beta version for about a year until the final version 1.0 for Windows 2000 and Windows XP was released on July 27, 2004 , which in addition to the basic functions could also use the paid service SkypeOut .
23 Mar 2005 Older version; no longer supported: 1.2 From version 1.2 onwards, Skype also offers an answering machine (Voicemail) for a fee (from version 1.3 as a user of the Skype answering machine you can leave a message on the answering machine for any other user, even if they do not use a Skype answering machine), as well as the SkypeIn service . With SkypeIn, the user is assigned a landline number that can be reached via Skype.
28 Sep 2005 Older version; no longer supported: 1.4 Implementation of the “call forwarding” function, which allows incoming calls via Skype to be forwarded to other Skype user accounts or to the normal landline network.
Jan. 5, 2006 Older version; no longer supported: 2.0 In 2.0, a video conference function was integrated into the application. The maximum resolution is 640 × 480 pixels at 25 frames per second, provided a computer with two processor cores ("dual core") is used in conjunction with a suitable webcam from a certain manufacturer. Windows NT requires DirectX 9.0 for video calls.
May 3rd. 2006 Older version; no longer supported: 2.5 Leads u. a. Skypecasts (a kind of VoIP discussion group), SMS, an integration of Outlook contacts and new payment options (direct payment from SkypeOut from the software). Skypecast was soon shut down; More on this below.
Nov 8, 2006 Older version; no longer supported: 3.0 Since beta version 3.0.0.106, among other things, public chats are supported, with the help of which every user can create a public chat room which, however, continues to work via peer-to-peer. In addition, an add-on manager has been integrated into the software, which means that each add-on no longer needs to be installed individually.
Jun 13, 2007 Older version; no longer supported: 3.5 Allows subsequent corrections to already sent chat messages.
Nov 15, 2007 Older version; no longer supported: 3.6 Higher video quality (VGA resolution with 640 × 480 pixels at 30 frames per second), but only with a multi-core processor and a Logitech webcam with the High Quality Video function .
Feb 3, 2009 Older version; no longer supported: 4.0 Offers some bug fixes, a revised user interface and a significantly larger video window. A newly integrated bandwidth manager should ensure error-free transmissions.
Jun 30, 2009 Older version; no longer supported: 4.1 New function for transferring the screen content. However, this is currently only possible on one side and not by both parties at the same time.
Oct 14, 2010 Older version; no longer supported: 5.0 Support of video conferences with up to four participants and Facebook integration.
Jul 28, 2011 Older version; no longer supported: 5.5 Better integration with Facebook. Skype now shows the status of a friend on Facebook directly and offers a separate tab that only contains Facebook contacts. In addition to new emoticons, the interface has also been slightly adapted and the quality of calls has been improved. For video calls, VP8 is activated as the video codec by default.
29 Sep 2011 Older version; no longer supported: 5.6 Again revised screen transmission. There is now a new menu as soon as you start a screen transfer, in which you can decide which part of the screen you want to share. The homescreen has been revised and improved. In addition, the surface has been changed slightly.
Nov 17, 2011 Older version; no longer supported: 5.7 (beta) Possibility of one-to-one and group discussions with contacts from Facebook. This expanded the existing Facebook functions. In addition, new functions such as push-to-talk and a screen transfer for the entire group have been added. Various software errors from the previous version have also been fixed.
Feb 2, 2012 Older version; no longer supported: 5.8 Video calling support in 1080p . You can also make video calls with Facebook friends, even if they are not Skype users.
Apr 12, 2012 Older version; no longer supported: 5.9 Better number recognition and the ability to unsubscribe from silent updates.
Jun 14, 2012 Older version; no longer supported: 5.10 Favorite contacts. Skype and Facebook contacts are now combined in one list.
Nov 15, 2012 Older version; no longer supported: 6.0.xx Support for six new languages; the entire design has been simplified and made clearer. The user can now also log in directly with his Facebook or Microsoft account without first having to create a Skype account. This makes it possible to communicate with friends who use Windows Live Messenger , Xbox 360 or Hotmail . Communication with Lync is also possible (initially somewhat limited).
Jan. 10, 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.1.xx Support for Microsoft Outlook (from 2010)
Feb 13, 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.2.xx eGifting and new toolbar
May 13th. 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.3.xx Various improvements as well as stability update
Jun 5, 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.5.xx improved video and simplified contact management
Jul 3, 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.6.xx Video messaging improvements
Jul 31, 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.7.xx Sending and receiving video messages through Skype, high contrast user interface
25 Sep 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.9.xx High Contrast User Interface / Improved Features for Ease of Use
Oct 21, 2013 Older version; no longer supported: 6.10.xx New design / update of the video call library / performance improvements and bug fixes
Jan. 22, 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.13.xx Various bug fixes
19th Feb. 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.14.xx Improved stability
May 13th. 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.16.xx Various bug fixes
Jul 16, 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.18.xx Various bug fixes
3rd Sep 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.20.xx Improved stability
Oct 6, 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.21.xx Improvement of webcam support
Dec 2, 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 6.22.xx New design and spell check, PCs with processors with SSE2 instruction set extension are a prerequisite, reintroduction of the optional automatic file download for files received from contacts in their own contact list.
Dec 5, 2014 Older version; no longer supported: 7.0.xx Support for video calling with Lync .
Jan. 28, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.1.xx Improved stability / various bug fixes
3rd Mar 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.2.xx Various improvements
Apr 1, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.3.xx Various improvements
Apr 22, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.4.xx Various improvements
Jun 3, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.5.xx Improved stability
Jul 2, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.6.xx More smileys and improved stability
Aug 12, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.8.xx Improved stability and general bug fixes.
Sep 1 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.9.xx Improved stability and general bug fixes.
8 Sep 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.10.xx Windows 10 Tablet Support.
25 Sep 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.11.xx General bug fixes.
Oct 1, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.12.xx Skype Translator Support.
Oct 22, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.13.xx Support for higher resolutions.
Nov 4, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.14.xx Changes in the translator menu.
Nov 18, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.15.xx General bug fixes.
3 Dec 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.16.xx Media bar / url preview.
Dec 15, 2015 Older version; no longer supported: 7.17.xx Group video messages. Link to Windows 10 online account.
Jan. 12, 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.18.xx Corrected order of messages.
10 Mar 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.21.xx General bug fixes.
24 Mar 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.22.xx General bug fixes. Bot support.
Apr 28, 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.23.xx General bug fixes.
May 24th. 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.24.xx General bug fixes. Increase the microphone volume for calls.
Jul 11, 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.25.xx General bug fixes.
25 Jul 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.26.xx Updated user interface.
18 Aug 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.27.xx Adaptation to Windows 10 1607.
26 Sep 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.28.xx General bug fixes.
Oct 14, 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.29.xx URL preview can be deactivated.
Nov 21, 2016 Older version; no longer supported: 7.30.xx More call forwarding options.
Jan. 9, 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.31.xx General bug fixes.
Jan. 31, 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.32.xx General bug fixes.
Feb. 20, 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.33.xx Various improvements.
22 Mar 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.34.xx General bug fixes.
Apr 12, 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.35.xx Various improvements.
May 9. 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.36.xx General bug fixes.
8 Jun 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.37.xx General bug fixes.
Jun 28, 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.38.xx General bug fixes.
4th Sep 2017 Older version; no longer supported: 7.40.xx General bug fixes.
19 Mar 2018 Older version; no longer supported: 7.41.xx Security update.
from Nov. 2017 Current version: 8.x See release notes page: Desktop Mobile
Legend:
Older version; no longer supported
Older version; still supported
Current version
Current preliminary version
Future version

There are several different versions of Skype:

  • xx0.x is the normal version.
  • xx32.x is the "Business Version" (MSI Installer), without auto-update and without Facebook login.
  • xx59.x is a version with a spell checker that can only be used from Windows 8.1. This feature has been incorporated into the normal version since 6.22.xx.107.
  • xx64 / 81 / 85.x is a version with a new surface, which in the chat area is based on the look of the mobile versions. This feature has been incorporated into the normal version since 6.22.xx.107.
  • xx73.x is a special version for switching from Windows Live Messenger to Skype; this automatically uninstalls Windows Live Messenger .

Windows 8 / 8.1

The Skype “Desktop” version can also be used in desktop mode under Windows 8 / 8.1. There was a different development path for the Modern UI interface, which has since been discontinued. Version information, see table.

Linux

Version 1.0 (March 18, 2005) introduced support for the SkypeIn service and the answering machine. From version 2.0.0.63 video telephony is also supported. Version 2.1.0.47 was released on August 27, 2009, which also offers direct PulseAudio support. A 64-bit package for the Linux distribution Ubuntu is offered, but it only contains a 32-bit Skype that can be installed on 64-bit Ubuntu.

In July 2016, Skype released a new alpha version called Skype for Linux Alpha , which is essentially based on Skype for Web (web.skype.com). The software is available as a DEB and RPM package.

At the beginning of March 2017, Skype for Linux 5.0 was released as a beta version, which now supports shared desktops and calls from landline numbers. The old version 4.3 should no longer be able to access all Skype functions.

For more version information, see table.

macOS

Mac OS X has also been supported since 2005 . Version 2.8.0.851 (Mac OS X) was released on October 14, 2010. Skype skipped versions 3.x and 4.x on OS X. Version information, see table.

PlayStation Portable

With the PlayStation Portable handheld console from Sony Interactive Entertainment , it was possible to access a limited Skype service. The application was available on the model of the PSP-2000 (PSP Slim & Lite), PSP-3000 (PSP Slim & Lite) and the PSP-N1000 (PSP Go).

With the release of the firmware update 3.90 (2008), the PSP-2000 (PSP Slim & Lite) was equipped with the integrated Skype client for the first time. The older PSP-1000 version was left out of the update because the main memory of 32 MB, which is only half the size, is not compatible with Skype.

Skype for PSP has the following features:

  • Calling or receiving calls from other Skype users (free)
  • Calling normal telephone lines (landline or mobile phone) (SkypeOut, a paid feature)
  • Receiving calls from normal telephone lines (landline or mobile phone) (SkypeIn, a paid feature)
  • Sending / receiving voice messages (in some cases a paid feature)

distribution

Skype is available for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, the Apple iOS , Android , Symbian , Maemo , MeeGo , Windows Mobile , Windows Phone and Blackberry . According to the Skype blog, on March 28, 2011, for the first time, more than 30 million users were simultaneously “online”. H. reachable via Skype, in October 2012 there were around 45 million. According to Skype, the software has already been downloaded more than 600 million times (as of January 1, 2014).

Some wireless service providers, such as Deutsche Telekom, block Voice-over-IP telephony and video conference transmissions, not only from Skype, in their wireless networks if no tariff or tariff option is booked that explicitly allows these functions. Critics cite this as a violation of net neutrality , since, for example, large data streams from video streaming portals are not blocked and the customer i. d. Usually has paid a certain high-speed quota in his data plan.

Available hardware and compatibility

landline

Various manufacturers sell hardware products that were developed for VoIP use with Skype. These are mostly cordless phones whose base station can be connected to the analog telephone network (PSTN) on the one hand, but also provide an interface (usually USB ) for connection to a PC on the other . Calls can be made in both networks from the handset. A stand-alone -use that allows switching of calls to the Skype network without an additional computer with running Skype application must be connected, is also possible.

WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS

For wireless and computer-free telephoning, licensed mobile phone-like devices have been offered by Skype Technologies since autumn 2006 under the name “ Wi-Fi Phone”, in which Skype software is integrated and which can log on directly to WLANs . Free and password-protected open radio networks such as hot spots or private networks can be used, but not networks that require registration in a browser form , a so-called captive portal (e.g. many university radio networks ). The password requested by the phone only relates to the WEP / WPA encryption that may be present .

Mobile telephony

At the beginning of 2006, 15 large mobile phone providers from Europe and Asia joined forces to take action against instant messaging services such as Skype in mobile phone networks and to create their own instant messaging service based on IMPS . Conversely, Skype in the US has been trying for some time to prevent cellular network operators from blocking the use of Skype on cell phones.

On April 24, 2008, Skype announced support for around 50 Java- enabled cell phones. Skype is also supported on the PlayStation Portable , but a microphone is required for this. Since April 25, 2012, Skype has also been available for the PlayStation Vita . The Skype software has been available in a modified form (so-called client) for smartphones with Windows Mobile since 2006 .

An official Skype version has been available for Android smartphones from operating system version 2.1 “Eclair” since October 5th, 2010.

In the development of Skype software for mobile phones, Skype works together with the company iSkoot , which has been producing a client for Symbian and Java licensed by Skype since mid-2006. The connection in the cellular network is implemented as a normal voice call; The connection between the cellular network and the Skype network is only established through a proxy in the switching center of the cellular network. This bypasses the sometimes higher latency times for data transmissions in cellular networks. The service is currently available in 41 countries in North America, Europe and Asia. This is partly done in cooperation with cell phone providers who operate the proxies and provide the connection in the cell phone network free of charge or for a monthly fee. The mobile operator Drei also offers software based on iSkoot for using Skype on a mobile phone.

SkypeIn and SkypeOut are now also supported. For this purpose, a voice connection is established to a separate iSkoot landline connection in the respective country and the call is forwarded from there via the Skype user. There are fees for setting up the voice connection to the landline network and for SkypeOut; Data is hardly transferred because it is not a VoIP connection.

Other manufacturers such as Nimbuzz and Fring also offered possibilities to use Skype on mobile phones, for example Nimbuzz supported Skype on Blackberry and Android smartphones (support for Skype was discontinued in October 2010 at the request of Skype Technologies). In contrast to the iSkoot solution, voice transmission in the cellular network was also carried out as data transmission, so it required a higher bandwidth or delivered poorer voice quality and generated different costs depending on the tariff. A proxy was also used here to establish the connection between the client and the actual Skype network.

The Nokia N900 , which uses the Maemo 5 operating system ex works , has integrated Skype functionality, which means that no additional client software is required. This includes both the pure chat function and Skype calls with video telephony. The 2011 Nokia N9 also supports Skype, but only without video calls, voice messages and file transfers. Both support Skype through a telepathy tube.

Since December 30, 2010, Skype for iOS devices from Apple has also been offering video telephony. Video calls can be made in both directions with the iPhone 4 , the iPhone 3GS and the fourth generation iPod touch as well as the second generation iPad . The iPhone 3G and the first iPad can only receive video due to their performance or the lack of a camera, but can still send and receive audio signals.

On devices with HP webOS 3.0, the Skype functions such as video telephony and instant messaging are integrated directly into the telephone and SMS app and are extensively networked with the address book.

Since February 27, 2012, an official Skype app has also been available for Microsoft's own mobile phone operating system "Windows Phone 7". Skype has therefore not yet been integrated into the operating system itself.

3 Skypephone

On October 29, 2007, Skype introduced its own cell phone, the 3 Skypephone . Its “Skype button” allows free Skype calls and Skype chats through an iSkoot client. The mobile phone was developed together with the mobile phone provider 3 and apparently initially sold exclusively through them. It received the “Global Mobile Award” in the “Best Mobile Phone” category at the “Mobile World Congress” in Barcelona. It was only sold in Austria , Great Britain , Italy , Denmark , Ireland , Sweden , Hong Kong and Australia .

SIP telephone systems

Since May 19, 2010, Skype has offered the option of creating a Skype Connect account via the Skype Manager for a flat monthly fee, which enables SIP telephone systems such as Asterisk to be connected to Skype. In order to be able to receive calls on the SIP telephone system, at least one line must be activated. According to Skype, however, it is not possible to call other Skype users via the SIP telephone system.

Linux support

The Linux version of Skype hadn't been updated for over two years since June 2014. As a result, functions (e.g. video conferencing) that were included in the Windows version were missing or no longer worked reliably. A new version based on WebRTC has recently been introduced, but it is still missing some functions.

Skypecast

Skypecasts were group chats that anyone could access but were controlled by moderators. They were supposed to serve the worldwide exchange of views, but were discontinued on September 1st, 2008 because, according to Skype, they cannot fully meet the high standards and expectations of a communication solution.

Eavesdropping security

Skype offers encryption for direct conversations between users, which creates significant problems for criminals and law enforcement agencies, but there has been speculation in the past about possible backdoors that could be used by government agencies to eavesdrop on conversations: In 2008 it became known that that Austrian authorities and police can tap Skype.

In 2009, the European authority for the coordination of cross-border criminal investigations ( Eurojust ) accused Skype of using an encryption system to prevent the interception of VoIP calls. This allegation was retracted when Skype offered to collaborate.

As it became known in October 2010, the German customs authorities use specially developed software as part of the so-called source telecommunication monitoring to transfer the content of conversations via Skype to a specific server before they have been encrypted. The software called Skype Capture Unit even comes with a signed driver (signed by the fictitious Goose Cert ) for 64-bit versions of Windows. This means that the previously assumed increased security of Windows in 64-bit versions must be viewed as bypassed.

In 2011, scientists at the University of the US state of North Carolina developed a method to decrypt parts of Skype calls.

In June 2013, PRISM, a surveillance program of the US intelligence service NSA, became known, within the framework of which a considerable part of the entire Internet traffic passing through the USA is recorded, stored indefinitely and evaluated. As part of the Microsoft participating in this program, Skype was immediately suspected of making all communications over the network available to American intelligence services immediately after PRISM became known, without any particular reason and without the user learns about it. Years before Skype took part in PRISM, according to the New York Times, an internal Project Chess was set up at Skype to research the technical means that could be used to legally make Skype calls to the secret services and the police.

On July 12, 2013, it became known through information published by Edward Snowden that Microsoft actually granted the American secret services direct access to all Skype traffic and that text chats as well as phone calls and video calls could be recorded and evaluated by the NSA at will, since it is possible for the secret service to bypass the Skype encryption with the help of direct access to the Skype server.

criticism

privacy

In February 2007, a software bug made it known that after Skype was started, it created an executable file named 1.com in the directory for temporary files , which could read all BIOS information from the PC; Skype tries to prevent the user from reading this file. According to Skype, this check is used by the “Skype Extras Manager” to uniquely identify computers, so that it is ensured that extras subject to license are only installed and operated by authorized licensees.

In May 2013, after a user informed him , heise Security uncovered that Skype not only allows itself to read and evaluate the entire communication content of the user, pro forma by accepting the terms and conditions and using the service, but that seamless reading, scanning and Check at least the Skype text chat is actually carried out in practice. This was revealed by the fact that HTTPS URLs sent privately via Skype chat and specially set up for this purpose, including login data, were automatically retrieved and checked a short time later by an IP address assigned to Microsoft . Heise concludes:

“Anyone who uses Skype not only has to agree that Microsoft can use all transmitted data as it were. He has to assume that this will actually happen and that the company will not reveal what exactly he is doing with this data. "

Risks for companies

Analysts in the international environment warn of security risks for companies that arise from the use of Skype. For example, Skype tries to prevent the use of analysis programs such as debuggers through encryption. The program also prevents its change.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Embedded Systems and Communication Technology ESK has been warning of the risks of (unregulated) use of Skype since 2013 and advises against its use in companies due to security concerns.

Chinese variant

When residents of the People's Republic of China access the Skype website, they are redirected to a Chinese partner's site where they can download their own Chinese version of Skype: TOM-Skype. In 2008, human rights activists at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab research group revealed that Skype in China scanned messages for political terms and recorded them. In this context, messages with personal data, user names , IP addresses or telephone numbers were logged and stored on several servers from TOM, Skype's Chinese partner. The data also ended up on unsecured servers, which are easily accessible from the outside and even contain the codes for decrypting the data. Users of the "normal" international versions of Skype also fall victim to Chinese control if they communicate with one of the 70 million users of TOM-Skype. Skype said it would comply with local laws and regulations.

Access and billing

In order to be able to use Skype for telephone calls, Internet access with at least ISDN speed is required; a telephone modem is not sufficient because the data rate is too low. The compression codec adapts to the low transmission speed; the delays in the transmission make a reasonable conversation impossible.

Originally, the Skype credit on an account that had not been used for a paid service (SkypeOut, SMS, personalization) for more than six months expired without replacement. This period was always extended by six months after the last use of one of these services. In a judgment of January 26, 2006 (Az. 12 O 16098/05), the Munich Higher Regional Court ruled that expiry clauses in cell phone contracts are ineffective. According to some lawyers, this means that the Skype credit must not expire. In the current version (as of April 2013), the Skype Terms of Use do not provide for the expiry of credit (apart from a special case). Instead, the credit is "deactivated" after a period of 180 days of inactivity and can be "reactivated" via the website, after which it is available again in full. However, reactivated funds are no longer refundable according to the Terms of Use and users are warned some time before the deadline that if they continue to be inactive, their funds will soon expire, which has led some underinformed users to use up funds just around the time limit to prevent.

Restriction to special hardware

In the spring of 2006, the expansion of the function for conference calls in version 2.0 of the Skype software, which now allows ten instead of five participants - but only if an Intel multi-core processor is working on the conference host's computer caused displeasure among many users . The official reason for this was an enormous power requirement for such functionality, which, according to Skype and Intel, only these processors could cover. The Athlon 64 CPUs of the Intel competitor AMD, which were current at the time , offered by no means less performance, which is why this coupling of functionality to certain processors was quickly seen as a pure marketing ploy. In fact, after a few weeks, a hack appeared for the Skype client that also unlocked the 10-session conferences on other CPUs, thus exposing Skype's claims as obviously false. This artificial limitation no longer exists with beta version 2.6.0.103 since October 2006. A similar limitation existed in Skype 3.6, which was released for Windows in November 2007. Here, a higher video quality was only made possible for users of webcams from Logitech.

License infringement

In 2007 Skype was successfully sued by gpl-violations.org for violating the GPL . A Linux-based telephone was delivered by Skype without the source code .

See also

literature

  • Thor Alexander: The Skype book. Internet telephony: Everything via Skype. Make free calls around the world . 3rd, revised edition. Rhombos-Verlag, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-941216-52-5 .
  • Markus Daehne: Skype Me from Single User to Small Enterprise and Beyond . Syngress Media, US, 2005, English, ISBN 1-59749-032-6 .
  • Julian Finn: The book on Skype: Everything about Skype - phone calls, video calls, chatting and more . O'Reilly, Beijing / Cambridge / Farnham / Cologne / Sevastopol / Tokyo 2011, ISBN 978-3-86899-109-3 .
  • Patrick Hollecker: Skype - the instructions in pictures (easy and free to stay in touch with family and friends) - phone calls, video calls, text messages and more . Vierfarben-Verlag, Bonn 2012, ISBN 978-3-8421-0045-9 .

Web links

Commons : Skype  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: skype  - explanations of meanings, word origins , synonyms, translations
 Wikinews: Skype  - in the news

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Release Notes for Skype for Desktop, Mac and Linux. In: skype.com. Skype, June 8, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c Skype's Microsoft Store app is being replaced with the desktop version. Accessed March 27, 2020 (English).
  3. ↑ a b c Release Notes for the new Skype on Mobile. In: support.skype.com. Skype, July 7, 2020, accessed on July 25, 2020 .
  4. ↑ web.skype.com .
  5. ^ A b An Analysis of the Skype Peer-to-Peer Internet Telephony Protocol. (PDF; 286 kB) In: columbia.edu. Columbia University , September 15, 2004, accessed September 20, 2013 .
  6. ^ Karlheinz Wurm: Skype and a New Audio Codec. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, September 12, 2012, accessed September 20, 2013 .
  7. ↑ Does Skype use encryption methods? In: support.skype.com. Skype, accessed September 20, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Tom Berson: Skype Security Evaluation ( Memento from October 25, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) on skype.com with signature (binary file) , October 18, 2005, English, PDF
  9. ↑ Kate Greene: "Encryption is not just black and white". In: Technology Review . Verlag Heinz Heise , June 9, 2006, accessed on September 20, 2013 (interview with Phil Zimmermann on the subject of VoIP and encryption).
  10. ↑ IT security: Hacker cracks Skype encryption. In: spiegel.de. Spiegel Online , July 9, 2010, accessed July 10, 2010 .
  11. ↑ Skype's Biggest Secret Revealed. Sean O'Neil, July 7, 2010; archived from the original on July 10, 2010 ; Retrieved July 10, 2010 .
  12. ↑ Skype: the state is listening. In: lawblog.de. Udo Vetter , August 17, 2010, accessed September 20, 2013 .
  13. ↑ Juha Saarinen: Skype super nodes sap bandwidth. In: computerworld.co.nz. International Data Group , October 24, 2005, accessed June 17, 2006 .
  14. ↑ Skype Download & Skype Secrets. How to prevent Skype "SuperNodes" from consuming your Internet Bandwidth. (No longer available online.) In: voip-download.com. VSF, archived from the original on July 6, 2014 ; accessed on September 20, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.voip-download.com
  15. ↑ Jonathan Allen: Matthew Kaufman on why Skype is Dropping Peer-to-Peer. In: infoq.com. C4Media Inc., June 24, 2013, accessed July 30, 2013 .
  16. ↑ Tomás Freres-Flete: Microsoft is converting Skype to Azure Cloud. In: hardwareluxx.de , December 19, 2013.
  17. ↑ Skype Download & Skype Secrets. How to run Skype from a USB stick. (No longer available online.) In: voip-download.com. VSF, archived from the original on July 6, 2014 ; accessed on September 20, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.voip-download.com
  18. ↑ Skype Translator - translate voice and video calls. Skype, accessed June 27, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Skype Translator: Microsoft is testing automatic interpreters. In: Der Spiegel Online. Retrieved June 27, 2017 .
  20. ↑ Johannes Wendt: Microsoft introduces translation function for Skype. In: Zeit Online . May 28, 2014, accessed June 27, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Martin Maciej: Skype-Translator: real-time translation in video chat (now available to everyone). In: GIGA . May 20, 2015, accessed June 27, 2017 .
  22. ↑ heise online: Translator: Skype Translator now integrated in the desktop app. Retrieved June 27, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Ingo Pakalski: Real-time translation integrated into Skype for Windows. In: Golem.de . Retrieved June 27, 2017 (2016-01-14).
  24. ↑ Jörn Brien: Real-time translation: Skype activates the translator for cell phone and landline calls. In: t3n . December 13, 2016, accessed June 27, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Thomas Pitscheneder: Skype: Translation now for mobile and landline calls. In: Computer Bild . December 13, 2016, accessed June 27, 2017 .
  26. ↑ Skype now offers recording functionality for calls. heise.de, September 5, 2018, accessed on September 6, 2018 .
  27. ^ Barry Mansfield: Joosting for power. (PDF) In: Ink. CNBC European Business, November 1, 2007, accessed on February 18, 2015 (English).
  28. ↑ About Skype: What is Skype? (No longer available online.) In: about.skype.com. Skype, archived from the original on May 11, 2011 ; accessed on July 28, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / about.skype.com
  29. ^ Andreas Thomann: Skype - A Baltic Success Story. (No longer available online.) Credit-suisse.com, September 6, 2006, archived from the original on April 23, 2012 ; Retrieved January 22, 2012 .
  30. ↑ The World's Hottest VC? ( Memento from January 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  31. ↑ terminuz: Origin of the name / word "Skype". (No longer available online.) In: blogs.skype.com. Skype January 11, 2005, archived from the original on February 18, 2013 ; accessed on January 22, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blogs.skype.com
  32. ↑ Andreas Wilkens: eBay wants to bring Skype to the stock exchange. In: Heise online . Verlag Heinz Heise, April 15, 2009, accessed on January 22, 2012 .
  33. ↑ Jens Ihlenfeld: eBay buys Skype. In: golem.de . Klaß & Ihlenfeld Verlag GmbH, September 12, 2005, accessed on January 22, 2012 .
  34. ↑ Volker Briegleb: eBay gives majority to Skype. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, September 1, 2009, accessed on February 1, 2010 .
  35. ↑ Andrea Rungg: Skype on hold. (No longer available online.) In: ftd.de. Financial Times Deutschland , May 7, 2011, archived from the original on March 2, 2013 ; accessed on January 22, 2012 (JavaScript must be deactivated!).
  36. ↑ Om Malik: More Skype Rumors: Big News Soon, Microsoft In The Mix. In: gigaom.com. GigaOM, May 8, 2011, accessed on January 22, 2012 .
  37. ^ Microsoft to Acquire Skype. In: microsoft.com. Microsoft , May 10, 2011, accessed January 22, 2012 .
  38. ↑ Microsoft takes over Skype - purchase price of 8.5 billion dollars. (No longer available online.) In: tagesschau.de . ARD , May 10, 2011, archived from the original on May 11, 2011 ; Retrieved January 22, 2012 .
  39. ↑ Lisa Bruness: Takeover: Skype buys group chat provider GroupMe. In: netzwelt.de. Netzwelt , August 22, 2011, accessed on January 22, 2011 .
  40. ↑ Microsoft completed takeover of Skype. In: microsoft.com. Microsoft , October 14, 2011, accessed October 31, 2011 .
  41. ↑ a b Tony Bates: Talk to your Messenger Contacts on Skype. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, November 6, 2012, accessed July 31, 2013 .
  42. ↑ Together with PayPal, Skype offers the new function "Send money" . In: Skype Blog. August 25, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  43. ↑ What are mojis? | Skype support. Retrieved May 11, 2018 .
  44. ↑ Skype file sharing: file types and sizes and time limit | Skype support. Retrieved May 11, 2018 .
  45. ↑ https://support.skype.com/de/faq/FA34933/wir-prasentieren-ein-aktualisiertes-verbessertes-skype-fur-windows-10
  46. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w What are the system requirements for Skype? Retrieved July 5, 2017 .
  47. ^ Answers.microsoft.com
  48. ^ Answers.microsoft.com
  49. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Updating to the latest version of Skype. Retrieved November 1, 2018 .
  50. ↑ a b c d e f g h Which Skype enabled devices or platforms are no longer supported? Retrieved July 5, 2017 .
  51. ^ A b answers.microsoft.com
  52. ↑ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/skype/forum/skype_linux-skype_startms-skype_installms/end-of-life-of-skype-for-linux-5x/  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / answers.microsoft.com  
  53. ↑ An overview of Skype on the web and Outlook.com. In: support.skype.com . Retrieved March 24, 2017 .
  54. ^ JA Watson: Tech Talk - Special Edition - Skype Video Resolution. In: zdnet.com. CBS Interactive, December 13, 2007; accessed September 21, 2013 .
  55. ↑ What do I need for a video call? In: support.skype.com. Skype, accessed September 6, 2013 .
  56. ↑ The beta version of the Skype software supports "Skypecasts". In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, May 3, 2006, accessed on September 6, 2013 .
  57. ↑ VGA videos with Skype 3.6. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, November 15, 2007, accessed on September 6, 2013 .
  58. ↑ Skype 4 released with better video functions. In: winfuture.de. WinFuture.de, February 3, 2009, accessed on September 6, 2013 .
  59. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 4.1 Gold for Windows. (No longer available online.) In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, June 30, 2009; archived from the original on November 6, 2013 ; accessed on September 6, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blogs.skype.com
  60. ↑ Florian Klein: Skype 5.0 released - with Facebook integration. In: gamestar.de. GameStar , October 15, 2010, accessed September 6, 2013 .
  61. ↑ Skype 5.5 is here: Deeper integration of Facebook (update). In: netzwelt.de. Netzwelt , July 29, 2010, accessed September 4, 2013 .
  62. ↑ Chris Messina: Skype Emoticons Cheatsheet. (No longer available online.) September 5, 2011, archived from the original on February 7, 2014 ; Retrieved April 13, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / factoryjoe.com
  63. ↑ Jens Ihlenfeld: Video telephony: Skype is switching to Google's VP8 codec. In: golem.de . Klaß & Ihlenfeld Verlag GmbH, August 4, 2011, accessed on September 4, 2013 .
  64. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 5.6 for Windows with improved screen sharing. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, September 29, 2011, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  65. ↑ Skype beta complements Facebook video calls. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, November 17, 2011, accessed on August 4, 2013 .
  66. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 5.7 beta for Windows with Group screen sharing and video calls to Facebook. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, November 17, 2011, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  67. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 5.8 for Windows: Full HD video-calling, Facebook integration, Group Screen Sharing. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, February 2, 2012, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  68. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 5.9 for Windows. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, April 12, 2012, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  69. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 5.10 for Windows: Now with Favorite Contacts & Contact List Design Updates. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, June 14, 2012, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  70. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows Desktop. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, October 24, 2012, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  71. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 6.0 for Windows Desktop Update. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, November 15, 2012, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  72. ↑ Lync Federation will continue as Windows Live Messenger transitions to Skype. In: technet.com. Microsoft , November 9, 2012, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  73. ↑ piero: Skype 6.1 for Windows Desktop with Outlook Integration. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, January 10, 2013, accessed August 4, 2013 .
  74. ↑ Raul Liive: Skype 6.2 for Windows with a New Toolbar and eGifting. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, February 13, 2013, accessed August 1, 2013 .
  75. ↑ Aga Guzik: Update to Skype 6.3 for Windows. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, May 13, 2013, accessed August 1, 2013 .
  76. ↑ Aga Guzik: Skype for Windows Desktop 6.5 with Easier Ways to Share and Add Contacts. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, June 5, 2013, accessed July 31, 2013 .
  77. ↑ Aga Guzik: Skype for Windows Desktop 6.6 - Making it Easier to Use. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, July 3, 2013, accessed July 31, 2013 .
  78. ↑ What's new in Skype 6.7 for Windows Desktop? (No longer available online.) In: support.skype.com. Skype, July 31, 2013, formerly in the original ; Retrieved August 2, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / support.skype.com  
  79. ↑ Tom Huang: Giving Your Computer A Break with Skype for Windows Desktop 6.13. In: blogs.skype.com. Skype, January 22, 2014, accessed March 5, 2014 .
  80. ↑ 6.14 - latest Skype for Windows is available! - Skype Community
  81. ↑ Skype for Windows version 6.16 is available now - Skype Community
  82. ↑ 6.18: Quality improvements based on your feedback - Skype Community
  83. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj What new features does Skype offer for Windows desktop?
  84. ↑ The Redesigned Skype for Windows Desktop - Skype Blogs
  85. ↑ Cannot change to undefined button 264, 23 - Skype Community
  86. ↑ Skype and Lync deliver video calls - Skype Blogs
  87. ↑ Video calling between Skype and Lync available now - Office Blogs
  88. ↑ Skype Fix for crashes caused by bad URL. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 15, 2015 ; accessed on June 28, 2017 .
  89. ↑ Update 7.18: Bringing chat messages in order again. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 12, 2016 ; accessed on June 28, 2017 .
  90. ↑ What is Skype - business version and how is it different from Skype? (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 16, 2014 ; accessed on June 28, 2017 .
  91. ↑ Are Skype's Facebook features available in the business version of Skype? (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 16, 2014 ; accessed on June 28, 2017 .
  92. ↑ Re: How turn on spell checking in Skype? In: community.skype.com. Skype Community, March 13, 2014, accessed May 15, 2014 .
  93. ↑ Re: How turn on spell checking in Skype? In: community.skype.com. Skype Community, April 13, 2014, accessed May 15, 2014 .
  94. ↑ Restart for Skype on Linux. In: heise online . Retrieved August 15, 2016 .
  95. ↑ Skype for Linux Alpha and calling on Chrome & Chromebooks. July 13, 2016, accessed August 15, 2016 .
  96. ↑ iX: Video telephony: Skype for Linux reaches beta status. Retrieved April 26, 2017 .
  97. ↑ What is Skype? Retrieved July 7, 2017 .
  98. ↑ Long live Skype: PSP firmware 3.9 now available . In: Ars Technica . ( arstechnica.com [accessed July 7, 2017]).
  99. ↑ Markus Pilzweger: Skype update available for PSP . In: PC WORLD . ( pcwelt.de [accessed on July 7, 2017]).
  100. ↑ peterparkes: 30 million people online on Skype. (No longer available online.) In: blogs.skype.com. Skype on March 28, 2011, archived from the original on October 29, 2013 ; accessed on September 16, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blogs.skype.com
  101. ↑ Skype Statistics Feed. (XML) (No longer available online.) In: share.skype.com. Skype, archived from the original on April 24, 2014 ; accessed on January 5, 2014 (English, statistics as RSS feed, updated every minute). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / share.skype.com
  102. ^ Daniel AJ Sokolov / Jürgen Kuri: 3GSM: Mobilfunker-Pakt against Skype, ICQ & Co. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, February 14, 2006, accessed on September 26, 2013 .
  103. ↑ Volker Briegleb: Skype calls for neutral US cellular networks. In: Heise online. Heinz Heise Verlag, February 22, 2007, accessed September 26, 2013 .
  104. ↑ Skype Tests Software for Mass-Market Mobile Phones. (No longer available online.) In: about.skype.com. Skype, April 24, 2008; archived from the original on August 26, 2013 ; accessed on September 26, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / about.skype.com
  105. ↑ Skype Expands Mobile Strategy at 2008 International CES. (No longer available online.) In: about.skype.com. Skype January 7, 2008; archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on September 26, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / about.skype.com
  106. ↑ Lisa Bruness: Free download: Skype for the PlayStation Vita. In: netzwelt.de. Netzwelt , April 25, 2012, accessed April 25, 2012 .
  107. ↑ Download Skype for Mobile. In: skype.com. Skype, accessed September 26, 2013 .
  108. ↑ Urs Mansmann: Skype 2.0 for Pocket PC. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, February 14, 2006, accessed on September 26, 2013 .
  109. ↑ Reiko Kaps: Telephony software Skype for Android phones. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, October 5, 2010, accessed on September 26, 2013 .
  110. ↑ Skype for Android is now available for free. Test: Skype calls via WLAN and UMTS possible. In: teltarif.de. teltarif.de online publisher, accessed on January 20, 2014 .
  111. ↑ Download Skype for Android. In: skype.com. Skype, accessed September 26, 2013 .
  112. ↑ Matthias Parbel: iSkoot makes Skype mobile. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, August 10, 2006, accessed on September 26, 2013 .
  113. ↑ Oliver Weiss: iSkoot brings Skype to mobile phones. (No longer available online.) In: computerwelt.at. Computerwelt , January 15, 2007, archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; Retrieved September 26, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.computerwelt.at
  114. ↑ iSkoot press release: Skype Selects iSkoot to Deliver Mobile Solution to Mobile Operators ( Memento from March 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) , November 16, 2006 (English)
  115. ^ Daniel AJ Sokolov / Peter-Michael Ziegler: 3 Austria starts X-Series. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, May 30, 2007, accessed September 26, 2013 .
  116. ↑ Which functions does Skype support on my Nokia N9? In: support.skype.com. Skype, accessed October 13, 2013 .
  117. ↑ Skype Brings Video Calling to iPhones. (No longer available online.) In: about.skype.com. Skype, December 30, 2010; archived from the original on June 30, 2013 ; accessed on September 26, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / about.skype.com
  118. ↑ Windows Phone (Germany). In: windowsphone.com. Microsoft, accessed September 26, 2013 .
  119. ↑ Panagiotis Kolokythas: Skype brings first cell phone. In: pcwelt.de. PC-Welt , October 29, 2007, accessed September 27, 2013 .
  120. ↑ Global Mobile Awards 2008 - Winners ( Memento from December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  121. ↑ Skype: Buy 3 Skypephone ( Memento from June 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  122. ↑ peterparkes: Our new tool to manage Skype in your business. (No longer available online.) In: blogs.skype.com. Skype May 19, 2010; archived from the original on October 2, 2013 ; accessed on September 28, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blogs.skype.com
  123. ↑ Skype Connect TM User Guide. (PDF; 1.4 MB) In: download.skype.com. Skype, accessed September 28, 2013 .
  124. ↑ Arno Eisner: New Skype for Linux: Update after two years of lull. In: CHIP.de. July 14, 2016, accessed September 3, 2017 .
  125. ↑ Skype for Linux does a restart. In: derStandard.at. July 14, 2016, accessed September 3, 2017 .
  126. ↑ Internet telephony: Skype is difficult to intercept. In: spiegel.de. Spiegel Online, October 10, 2007, accessed October 6, 2013 .
  127. ↑ Daniel AJ Sokolov / Daniel Bachfeld: Speculation about backdoor in Skype. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, July 24, 2008, accessed October 6, 2013 .
  128. ↑ Dieter Brors: EU criminal investigators take back allegations against Skype. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, February 28, 2009, accessed October 6, 2013 .
  129. ↑ Special program: Customs investigators eavesdrop on web calls. In: spiegel.de. Spiegel Online, October 9, 2010, accessed October 9, 2010 .
  130. ↑ Jürgen Schmidt: Kaspersky discovers a new version of the state trojan. In: Heise online. Heinz Heise Verlag, October 18, 2011, accessed on October 21, 2010 .
  131. ^ Digital Signatures for Kernel Modules on Systems Running Windows Vista. In: msdn.microsoft.com. Microsoft, accessed October 21, 2010 .
  132. ↑ Christian Kirsch: Computer linguists listen in on Skype. In: iX . Verlag Heinz Heise, May 27, 2011, accessed on May 29, 2011 .
  133. ↑ Phonotactic Reconstruction of Encrypted VoIP Conversations: Hookt on fon-iks. (PDF; 686 kB) In: cs.unc.edu. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , May 22, 2011; Retrieved May 29, 2011 .
  134. ↑ Andreas Wilkens: Report: US government taps customer data from Internet companies. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, June 7, 2013, accessed June 9, 2013 .
  135. ↑ Tom McCarthy: Obama defends secret NSA surveillance programs - as it happened. In: theguardian.com. The Guardian , June 7, 2013, accessed June 9, 2013 .
  136. ↑ James Risen, Nick Wingfield: Web's Reach Binds NSA and Silicon Valley Leaders. In: nytimes.com. The New York Times , June 19, 2013, accessed June 19, 2013 .
  137. ↑ Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, Laura Poitras, Spencer Ackerman, Dominic Rushe: How Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages. In: theguardian.com. The Guardian , July 12, 2013, accessed July 13, 2013 .
  138. ↑ Jürgen Kuri: PRISM surveillance scandal: Microsoft enables NSA access to Skype, Outlook.com, Skydrive. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, July 12, 2013, accessed on July 13, 2013 .
  139. ↑ Christiane Rütten: Skype reads BIOS data. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, February 7, 2007, accessed October 1, 2013 .
  140. ↑ Kurt: Skype Extras plug-in manager. (No longer available online.) In: blogs.skype.com. Skype February 8, 2007; archived from the original on October 4, 2013 ; accessed on October 1, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blogs.skype.com
  141. ↑ Christiane Rütten: Skype Extras Manager uses BIOS data for DRM. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, February 9, 2007, accessed October 1, 2013 .
  142. ↑ a b Kristina Beer: Be careful with Skype - Microsoft reads with you. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, May 14, 2013, accessed on May 14, 2013 .
  143. ↑ DE Edit and Dietmar Müller: Burton Group shoots sharply against Skype. In: zdnet.de. NetMediaEurope Deutschland GmbH, March 21, 2006, accessed October 10, 2013 .
  144. ↑ Burton Group warns companies against Skype. In: computerwoche.de. Computerwoche , March 17, 2006, accessed October 10, 2013 .
  145. ^ Daniel Bachfeld: Skype under the microscope. In: Heise online. Heinz Heise Verlag, March 21, 2006, accessed October 10, 2013 .
  146. ↑ Fraunhofer ESK: Skype is a security risk for companies. In: heise.de. Retrieved January 25, 2016 .
  147. ↑ Fraunhofer Institute expresses clear security concerns about Skype. In: ht4u.net. Retrieved January 25, 2016 .
  148. ↑ Andreas Wilkens: Skype in China filters and stores political messages. In: Heise online. Verlag Heinz Heise, October 2, 2008, accessed October 6, 2013 .
  149. ↑ a b dpa / Dieter Brors: Skype admits censorship and violations of privacy in China. In: Heise online. Heinz Heise Verlag, October 3, 2008, accessed on October 11, 2013 .
  150. ^ John Markoff: Surveillance of Skype Messages Found in China. In: nytimes.com. The New York Times , October 1, 2008, accessed October 11, 2013 .
  151. ↑ Az. 12 O 16098/05 - full text of the judgment of the Munich Higher Regional Court. In: medien-internet-und-recht.de. Media Internet and Law, February 21, 2006, accessed April 14, 2013 .
  152. ↑ Expiry of Skype Credit. (No longer available online.) In: jurablogs.com. NicheContent, LLC, December 14, 2006, archived from the original on January 13, 2010 ; Retrieved April 14, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.jurablogs.com
  153. ↑ Skype Terms of Use. 9.2 Inactive Skype Credit. In: skype.com. Skype, accessed April 14, 2013 .
  154. ↑ Christoph Langner: Reactivate Skype credit that has expired after 180 days of inactivity. In: linuxundich.de. Christoph Langner, July 31, 2012, accessed April 14, 2013 .
  155. ↑ Skype credit expires - tip. In: dreibeinblog.de. Peter Wilhelm, November 18, 2010, accessed April 14, 2013 .
  156. ↑ Wolfgang Pries: Skype: Your credit has expired. (No longer available online.) In: taxedo.de. September 25, 2008, archived from the original on May 17, 2013 ; Retrieved April 14, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.taxedo.de
  157. ↑ Peter König: VGA videos with Skype 3.6. In: Heise online . Heinz Heise Verlag , November 15, 2007, accessed on October 25, 2013 .
  158. ↑ Jens Ihlenfeld: Skype convicted of GPL violation. In: golem.de. Klaß & Ihlenfeld Verlag GmbH, July 24, 2007, accessed on October 28, 2013 .
  159. ↑ Victory: Skype withdraws appeals case, judgment from lower court accepted. (No longer available online.) In: gnumonks.org. Harald Welte , May 8, 2008, archived from the original on October 29, 2013 ; accessed on October 28, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / laforge.gnumonks.org