Re: Skype 2.0 beta on debian sid amd64?
On Monday 10 Dec 2007, Lars Schimmer wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I want to use the skype 2.0 beta .deb package on my debian amd64 sid
> system. I saw hell a lot of guides hwoto use chroot, but I don't want a
> chroot! Any guide available which is simple enough (e.g. just install some
> .deb and it works?)?
This is entirely Skype's fault, not Debian's.
Skype is Caged software. The download is a pre-compiled binary which requires
a certain system configuration, with exactly the right versions of exactly
the right libraries in exactly the right places.
If Skype simply made their Source Code available, then anybody would be able
to compile it and run it on anything. And Skype would not lose anything;
they already give the binaries away for nothing, for crying out loud! In
fact, they'd end up making a net gain in the long run; because VoIP using the
(Free) SIP and IAX protocols is already big, and it would be bigger if not
for interoperability concerns.
Interoperability is something we all take for granted, every day, in every
field except computers. When you buy any electrical appliance, you don't
have to worry about whether it will work with the voltage and frequency in
your home. When you buy a tethered phone, you don't have to worry about
whether it will work with your local exchange. When you buy a car, you don't
have to worry about whether it will work with the fuel available in your
area. I believe the town of Baltimore, Maryland learned an important lesson
on the subject of interoperability in 1904.
The best thing to do is to write to your Elected Representative and ask for a
law, mandating user access to Source Code. Otherwise, it's a matter of time
before something really serious happens that would have been prevented if
Caged software were banned.
--
AJS
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