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Skype 5.0 for Mac Beta With Group Video Calling Now Available
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I'll only download it if I can video chat with a person with a Facetime iDevice or similar device.
I want to be able to video chat with anyone, anytime, anywhere. iPhone to Andriod to PC to Mac to Skype, AIM, ect..., Until then Apple's so called "innovation" (Facetime) is not exciting.
I want to be able to video chat with anyone, anytime, anywhere. iPhone to Andriod to PC to Mac to Skype, AIM, ect..., Until then Apple's so called "innovation" (Facetime) is not exciting.
Same here I have a paid subscription to Skype and I use it for business calls as as well as personal but I'm liking the new 5.0 UI. It's better IMO.
i don't mind a big window, or conversation view, or anything the likes.
what i do mind is the waste of space and bad UI design
if you ONLY take the space occupied by the 'chat' 'video call' 'call' buttons for each contact, you already cover more screen real estate than the entire 2.8 contact list.
they obviously want to look like a native app like iTunes or iPhoto, or finder.
but as i said, i always have my skype window around, skype is nothing i keep open and play around with all the time, spending my entire focus on it. It's a client, not an app, and it better act like one!
and while i agree with people hating extra windows for downloads (in safari or cyberduck) or file transfers (in skype), i get that, but how often do you need those? how often do you need a list of your conversations?
I wouldn't be as harsh with 5.0 if it at least used the 'siderbar' as my contact list and not a list of my contact folders :/
what i do mind is the waste of space and bad UI design
if you ONLY take the space occupied by the 'chat' 'video call' 'call' buttons for each contact, you already cover more screen real estate than the entire 2.8 contact list.
they obviously want to look like a native app like iTunes or iPhoto, or finder.
but as i said, i always have my skype window around, skype is nothing i keep open and play around with all the time, spending my entire focus on it. It's a client, not an app, and it better act like one!
and while i agree with people hating extra windows for downloads (in safari or cyberduck) or file transfers (in skype), i get that, but how often do you need those? how often do you need a list of your conversations?
I wouldn't be as harsh with 5.0 if it at least used the 'siderbar' as my contact list and not a list of my contact folders :/
god, this is so ugly.
i always cherished Skype on OSX for its minimalist design and its lightweight UI ...
now THIS is just horrible ...
yup this is seriously terrible. I hope you guys are using the "Provide Skype Feedback" option to tell Skype what we all think about the new UI.
Going back to the old version right now, not touching skype 5 until they have gone back to a usable UI.
stop complaining about the interface redesign the new interface is much better and quite frankly Skype for mac seemed like some side project for the company. What does however concern me is that even the demo call has bad quality and Skype will want to charge people for crap like this eventually
Yes I do understand that you need fast internet connection in order to pull a good quality conference call but IMO Skype should be focusing their attention to providing a better quality calls and hence better user experience rather than fiddling with the UI is they are really pressed for developer man power ...
k, started up my (german) version of Skype for windows:
see, i don't mind this. It's just the contact list and the chat windows connected to one window, that's ok with me.
When i open up skype i wanna see my contacts, not my conversations
my conversations ... maybe it's just me, but as you can see, i have endless amounts of useless conversations with Alex+me, Alex and Daniel+me, Daniel and Wolfgang+me, Daniel and Andy+me, Andy and Wolfgang+me, Daniel and Andy and Wolfgang+me etc.
the only conversations that might be re-usable to me, are the ones with a single partner, and i can get those with just opening a chat with that person and, voilá, there's my chat history :/
look at how far i'd have to scroll(!) to simply see if ... 'Zarathustra' ... were online. And no, i don't want to use the search function, and also don't want to have to open yet another popup window just to get this _very basic_ information
p.s. sorry about the picture spam, but this beta is just embarassing
up until now, Skype for mac seemed to be very well designed, well thought through.
Now it looks like some sort of cheap freeware app :/
see, i don't mind this. It's just the contact list and the chat windows connected to one window, that's ok with me.
When i open up skype i wanna see my contacts, not my conversations
my conversations ... maybe it's just me, but as you can see, i have endless amounts of useless conversations with Alex+me, Alex and Daniel+me, Daniel and Wolfgang+me, Daniel and Andy+me, Andy and Wolfgang+me, Daniel and Andy and Wolfgang+me etc.
the only conversations that might be re-usable to me, are the ones with a single partner, and i can get those with just opening a chat with that person and, voilá, there's my chat history :/
look at how far i'd have to scroll(!) to simply see if ... 'Zarathustra' ... were online. And no, i don't want to use the search function, and also don't want to have to open yet another popup window just to get this _very basic_ information
p.s. sorry about the picture spam, but this beta is just embarassing
up until now, Skype for mac seemed to be very well designed, well thought through.
Now it looks like some sort of cheap freeware app :/
k, started up my (german) version of Skype for windows:
see, i don't mind this. It's just the contact list and the chat windows connected to one window, that's ok with me.
When i open up skype i wanna see my contacts, not my conversations
my conversations ... maybe it's just me, but as you can see, i have endless amounts of useless conversations with Alex+me, Alex and Daniel+me, Daniel and Wolfgang+me, Daniel and Andy+me, Andy and Wolfgang+me, Daniel and Andy and Wolfgang+me etc.
the only conversations that might be re-usable to me, are the ones with a single partner, and i can get those with just opening a chat with that person and, voilá, there's my chat history :/
look at how far i'd have to scroll(!) to simply see if ... 'Zarathustra' ... were online. And no, i don't want to use the search function, and also don't want to have to open yet another popup window just to get this _very basic_ information
p.s. sorry about the picture spam, but this beta is just embarassing
up until now, Skype for mac seemed to be very well designed, well thought through.
Now it looks like some sort of cheap freeware app :/
In the View menu you can set it to Compact Sidebar and the picture icons go away leaving much more room for your online contacts list.
I hope they fix the audio quality - there's a constant ringing sound all the time, audible on both ends, and it's very annoying.
I also hope they improve the efficiency. My CPU heats up to ~160F every time, but only shows ~33% usage. In comparison, Handbrake heats it up to 180-190F, and that uses every bit of the CPU, over 90% usage most of the time.
I also hope they improve the efficiency. My CPU heats up to ~160F every time, but only shows ~33% usage. In comparison, Handbrake heats it up to 180-190F, and that uses every bit of the CPU, over 90% usage most of the time.
compact sidebar? i don't mind the sidebar except for the fact that it only contains conversations, which i don't really use.
i don't recall any option to make the contact list itself show more entries.
and even then... IF they want this 'one window with sidebar' layout, the contact list should be in the sidebar, along with a tab for conversations, maybe.
after all, i do think that i'm not the only one who thinks that the single most important thing about an instant messaging software is the contact list
Ah, I see what you mean. I thought the only thing you wanted to do was make more room for the online contacts list in the sidebar. Yes, it is odd that the contact list now appears in the larger window and no option for it to be in the sidebar. My guess is they did this to reduce clutter in the sidebar.
WOAH WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED???
I have an interface designed for the people with bad eye sight. Everything is very big and clear, and takes up acres of space.
Why? Why does Skype now fill my whole screen? I don't want it to fill my screen.
Frankly, with this interface, I might be calling time on Skype after using it for 7-8 years.
This interface is total crap.
I have an interface designed for the people with bad eye sight. Everything is very big and clear, and takes up acres of space.
Why? Why does Skype now fill my whole screen? I don't want it to fill my screen.
Frankly, with this interface, I might be calling time on Skype after using it for 7-8 years.
This interface is total crap.
moving from this tidy little window
to this abomination?
and Cover-Flow for contacts? ... seriously?
hell to the no, i'm going back
GOSH!!!!! HORRIBLE!!! What were you thinking?? I thought you were using Qt... Do you really think you are improving something making things bigger?
It’s hard enough to find others that use iChat whereas Skype is a lot more universal. Unfortunately, it was a horrible presentation but if you can look beyond that, it definitely has potential.
If Apple could offer an HD iSight camera with auto backlight adjustments similar to the iPhone-4, that would really be great.
Regards,
Dan
If Apple could offer an HD iSight camera with auto backlight adjustments similar to the iPhone-4, that would really be great.
Regards,
Dan
It's tough to find anyone over 30 that uses AIM.
MSN has its hold outside the US and it's down to Skype's appeal elsewhere for "phone" communcations on a computer.
Good thing I read this. Not going to upgrade unless I can set the Skype window to around the same size, and only showing my contacts, as the last version. I don't care about my conversations enough to have constant access to them.
I guess I better download the last version's DMG and save it somewhere.
BTW, I'm a paying subscriber. I use it to have a phone number that people can call me at when I'm traveling overseas. Also good for calling in sick when I decide to extend my vacations overseas. Boss sees my "home" number on his caller id, and I'm good to go! LOL!
I guess I better download the last version's DMG and save it somewhere.
BTW, I'm a paying subscriber. I use it to have a phone number that people can call me at when I'm traveling overseas. Also good for calling in sick when I decide to extend my vacations overseas. Boss sees my "home" number on his caller id, and I'm good to go! LOL!
Well, I downloaded this at about 10am this morning (UK TIME)... Having spent a few hours on it I've gone back to 2.8. The interface is HORRIBLE. On my 15" MBP it takes up far too much space. You can use that little window that someone posted but you end up going back to the big interface to look at stuff.
I mean honestly. Which idiot designed this interface? It's hardly going forward - it's 25 steps back for me. The new MSN is even nicer...
Change it back Skype and sort it out!!! We're Mac users not Windows users.
I mean honestly. Which idiot designed this interface? It's hardly going forward - it's 25 steps back for me. The new MSN is even nicer
...Change it back Skype and sort it out!!! We're Mac users not Windows users.
Actually, I couldn't agree with you more on both counts. Been using Mac primarily since 1984, but MS is still more useful in many areas. I'm installing Win-7 Pro this weekend on my MacPro in prep for the Win-7 phone!
Regards,
Former Mac fanboy...
Tried it and it runs well.
But good god, the new interface is an abomination. Horrible, simply horrible.
But good god, the new interface is an abomination. Horrible, simply horrible.
You can. They open to a pane with that contact in the large window. I would prefer it if the window wasn't floating, though.
Call me crazy, but I like the one-window interface. Before, it got really cluttered, really fast, if you were talking to multiple people. Does it take too much screen space at the moment? Yes. Fonts are too big, even if you select the "make text smaller" option (it only affects the chat pane) You can't hide the top toolbar--they really need to add a pill button in the top-right. You can alleviate some of the bigness by selecting view--Compact Sidebar. It will get rid of the big icons in the sidebar.
If you are unhappy with the interface, go to "Provide Skype Feedback" in the Skype menu and offer suggestions. They will listen, it's a beta after all. Complaining here won't help.
Edit: OK, I take my praise back. Voice calls give you an irritating floating window that won't go away, and more disastrously, there is NO SCREEN SHARING!
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