Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant.
> Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant.
When smartphones became the go-to compute device for many. Yes Skype was made available to smartphones too, but like many other 'mobile first' applications which replaced traditional desktop software Skype was pushed down by the chat apps.
But I suppose it's also fair to say that Signal is now a good example of a 'privacy first' app, a new category that WhatsApp equally don't seem too interested in.
I think the analogy still holds both ways: exact uninstalls are not important once the communication starts moving elsewhere, and 'mobile first' and 'privacy first' are categories that companies ignore at the cost of losing millions of users.
Although it's become much less relevant for IM purposes, it's still my to-go application for ad-hoc video calls with friends and family. Mostly because (a) it has an actively maintained desktop client, (b) it is offered as a standalone service, (c) it is home-user friendly (won't splash you with meeting and calendar buttons like zoom).
(a) its actively maintained (b) unsure about requirements of "standalone service", but its stand alone as its only a chat service (c) its just a messaging client, no calendar/meeting kind of stuff
Other than that I've had good success with web-focused services like Google Meet and Jit.si. There isn't a desktop app but to an extent that's been a win. All you need to do is email/text a link to your chosen friends and its all in their browser using web standards (or semi-standards, no plugins at least for modern FF/Chrome/Edge). No accounts, assuming they have a modern browser there's no software to install, just click and go.
As for the definition of a standalone service: One that doesn't tightly integrate with other offerings/ecosystems. Skype is kind of ok because other than connecting with your MS account, it doesn't promote other offerings. Also Microsoft's business model is not based on collecting and selling your data, at least not in the same extent as Google/FB.
Web-focused services work ok if you're comfortable with the web. But for parents, grandparents etc., I feel that a standalone client with a simple interface is more foolproof.
What do you mean? Skype is being used more now than this time last year. It has just been renamed. The first few versions of Teams would even call themselves "Skype" when connecting to PulseAudio.
Say what you want about Microsoft, but they are the (Forefront?) experts at re-re-re-branding.
-- Sent from my MS Passport.NET account.