[HowTo] Install Skype on Puppy

[jackieflorida]

Since I use Puppy in setting up older computers, I am wondering what would be the minimum processor speed for voice only and also for video calls when using Skype in Puppy 4.X.

The Skype site states 1ghz as an overall specification but I figure that some forum readers may have experienced results at lower processor speeds.

[Iguleder]

Plug in your microphone and make sure to select it in the options to make it work.

[hakar]

Microphone connected. mhWaveEdit Audio recordre / editor recording and playback. Streamtuner ok. My machine is a Pentium II 350 MHz, owerclock to 392 MHz, SB 16 ISA card, Alsamixer, the message does not change "the problem with the Audio Capture" Puppy 4.2

[Iguleder]

Try every option in the audio capture thingy (device 0, 1, 2 ... ) until you get it to work, that's what I did, since I didn't know where's 0 (red, green plug?).

[Paddy]

Thanks for this guide, it was a great help. Everything worked as you said.

I bough a Microsoft LifeCam VX-700 very cheap on clearance sale. Plugged it in and it works really great with Skype on Puppy. To my amazement. No adjustments, no drivers needed. I know it works on windows machines without drivers. Some kind of generic human interface thing.

Is there Hardware compatibility list of stuff that works with Puppy somewhere? I tried numerous other cams to no avail. Hope this helps someone avoid this.
I am using Puppy 431 frugal on a Compaq Presario V4000 Skype beta 2.1.0.47 installed as per this guide.

[r__hughes]

Thanks to everyone to wrote in this article and thanks Paddy for your ref to the M'Soft Lifecam VX-700. I had tried a couple of cheapo webcams with no success but this worked out of the box on my frugal pup421 and pup431 - all I had to do was use Xorg rather than Xvesa.

I bought the VX-700 for around C$25 here in Montreal. I don't know if any of the other VX series work but they seem to be up to VX-6000 now.

I d'loaded the skype_static-2.1.0.47.tar.bz2 file as per instructions, unzipped it, renamed the folder to skype & put the whole folder in my mnt/home with symlink to /usr/share. I put the skype symlink on the desktop as described & it worked first time ( although I had voice only until I got the VX-700)

My computer is a Dell Latitude D610 Laptop which can now travel in style in Linux

[scrat]

Thanks a lot. All working on my crotchety pc.

Any way of changing the fonts size of the program? I'm older than my fabulous pc...

[Mitchellray]

Hello Iguleder,
The Skype install went according to steps.
I had no problems whatsoever.
My soundcard had already been configured and bark tested successfully by Puppy on bootup process.
Skype testing call worked on the very first try!
That was a first for me.
Every previous attempt to install Skype in other Linux distro's resulted in a bit of...
(Previously, I thought I had determined that my hardware would only function with 'older' versions of Skype for linux and I had saved one for future use. Now it seems that determination was incorrect.)

When working from Slackware and Fedora, there was an issue with the capture and the mixers are a bit confusing with pink, red, or green lights.
As you indicated, trial and error prevailed more than once over memory and lack of experience.
Thanks much.
Mitchellray

[tlchost]

I made a SFS file out of it and it works great!
If you want to you can post it...

Was it posted? If not, I can host it for you.

Thom

[Iguleder]

It's quite easy to create an SFS from skype.

Download skype_static-2.1.0.47.tar.bz2 ...

tar xjf skype_static-2.1.0.47.tar.bz2
mv skype_static-2.1.0.47 skype
mkdir -p skypesfs/usr/share
mv skype skypesfs/usr/share
mksquashfs skypesfs


By the way, I think I can write a script that automatically downloads the latest Skype and creates an SFS. I already created automatic compilation scripts for Vim, udev and Dropbear ... whaddya think?

[Mitchellray]

Hello,
(I have had previous success with these instructions on my desktop.)
Now I tried the Puppy 4.3.1 on my 1005HA and I installed Skype per link and instructions.
However, the mic will not pick up. The mic works in skype in xp on this machine.
I tried the options sound options, but there are only two that are not USB.
I tried both ALSA mixer and Zmixer. Zmixer will not let me move the slider for mic.
I could not follow some of the previous posts and whether the suggestions would address this problem.
Mitchellray

[KC Lee]

Really nice guide Igulder. Many thanks!

Michellray: I am very new to Puppy and I had the same problem after installing Skype. Solved it by using Alsa Mixer. Use the "Tab" and "up key" to adjust volume, mic, capture etc and it works! Good luck. Don't give up on puppy - it's so good.

Thank you Barry and the team!

[tom4jean]

Under quirky 010 does not start and I get this from the Command line;

# ./skype
./skype: error while loading shared libraries: libXss.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
#

EDIT;

I got the files libXss from here;
http://www.puppylinux.ca/tpp/ttuuxxx/Libs/

Copied them to /usr/lib

And it works.

[Bluebris]

A wonderful guide, even for a Puppy linux newbie like me.

Thank you so much!

Actually it was easier to get Skype working on puppy than on Ubuntu (which was a nightmare with Skype) and Mint (which was easier than Ubuntu, but still harder than Puppy!).

Thanks again!

[arslan79]

Hello! Could anyone here help me?

I`ve just installed Skype (2.0.0.72). Hardware: Acer aspire one 110. The same Puppy with the same Skype works on laptop HP Compaq 6720s. Also, on this netbook (acer aspire one) with Ubuntu 9.04 Skype works well enoogh. Buil-in microphone works. In Puppy`s Skype the built-im mic doesnt work, I tried to setup devices in Preferences, I tried to setup ALSA Mixer - but I cant make this MIC work ((( Please help!

[arslan79]

By the way, in HardInfo there is no MIC!!! ((((((((((

What`s the problem?

[yaku runa]

Skype in Tuxxx's dpup works quite well with the webcam so far. I had Ubuntu and Skype running on 7.04 and had problems with mic etc. I had to manually assign the mic as the onboard mic and not the webcam mic etc. I had to go in and manually specify all of the settings such as mic, speaker etc. I manually compiled the UVC drivers for the webcam... The UVC drivers on Dpup are already compiled and work out of the box like ubuntu 8.04 would... so if you haven't already got it working then good luck.

[corvan]

Great guide - worked perfectly for me with puppy 4.0 (hardware: 128mb ram, 600mhz, together with usb-stick).
Now I am giving puppy 431 a try - downloaded latest skype static (2.1.0.81), but cannot install the package.
tar breaks off at the end - not sufficient memory, as it appears. (less than 1mb)
System recommends reboot. After doing this, I get error-message:
Error saving Pinboard /root/Choices/Rox-Filer/PuppyPin: No space left on device.
Well, there is still plenty of space on the stick - so what is wrong?
Or do I have to use older package - and if so, how do I get it?
Would appreciate some advice very much.
corvan.

[corvan]

I finally gave up trying to install skype in Puppy 431. So I inserted CD with Puppy 4 and pup-save via usbstick and am working with puppy 400 again. Wonder whether this means my notebook is too old for newer versions of Puppy. Is it? Or is the latest skype too big?
I remastered Puppy 400 to safe a working version with successful install of Skype (2.1.0.47) for the future - only to discover that the skypefolder was not includet in root automatically. Made a manual copy to root/skype before remastering - but I am still a bit confused, why skype would not be included the first time.
Also wonder why the remastered system now has skype, but the desktop doesn't show the proper icon, only this machine-wheel for executable files.
Any suggestions?
corvan.

[Flash]

... Wonder whether this means my notebook is too old for newer versions of Puppy. Is it? Or is the latest skype too big? ...

How would we know? You didn't tell us anything about your hardware except that it's a notebook. How much RAM does it have?