A workable way to install skype 4.3 in puppy

[watchdog]

I installed pulseaudio on Upup Precise 3.8.3 and desperately trying to run it by spot user. I see the same error message that others see in this topic:

Code:
# su spot
# pulseaudio --start
E: [pulseaudio] main.c: Daemon startup failed.

I tested many pet and config combinations on many machines (and on Virtualbox, too) proposed in this forum thread but failed. Only root can run pulseaudio (with the warnings mentioned in your posts).

I would appreciate if you could help me with a working configuration of any pulseaudio pet/sfs file for spot user.

I think it's a permissions' problem. Try to tick SUID in properties of /usr/bin/pulseaudio or other related pulseaudio binaries.

[saintless]

I installed the newest version skype 4.3 as directed in forum. I cannot get the app to stay up long enough to configure the sound or mic or anything else. It keeps saying "aborted" and I did not do anything to it.

I would like to have sound, and mic, but that is not as essential as have skype up so I can at least get information, texts and files. I am so frustrated I could chew and spit nails.

Welcome to my world!
I have few computers with the same problem. Typing skype in terminal exits with "Aborted" message.

OK, "Aborted" message mistery solved:

stoychod wrote:

Hello everybody ,

Let me clear the matter:

Skype has dropped support for SSE processors so Skype 4.3 won't work on such machines.Open up a terminal and type:

$ cat /proc/cpuinfo

Check the output of the command-look for the "flag" line/s.If you don't see "SSE2" (only "SSE") you are out of luck!!!

And of course they won't let you sign in with version 4.2 and below!!!Crap!!!

For the guys who see only BLOGBEGIN in their log files-you are trying to open the log files with a text editor.It won't work beacuse the log files a in a binary format!!You should use a hex editor to be able to read them!!I've made the same mistake

Edit: Do not type the $ symbol in consloe/terminal. Type only

Code: Select all

cat /proc/cpuinfo

More information here:
http://community.skype.com/t5/Linux/Sky ... 892/page/9
I do not have processor with SSE2 flag according to cat /proc/cpuinfo output.
This means I should buy new computer in order to use skype 4.3.0.37.

[FeodorF]

OK, "Aborted" message mistery solved:
...This means I should buy new computer in order to use skype 4.3.0.37.

Yes, this is really a nice move from micro$.

Looks like they hate us like hell.

Hey, fellows over there at Microsoft.

Placing phone calls to cell phones and landlines through Skype accounts means earning some money to you!

Am I get it right - you don't want that money?

[jamesbond]

It's a matter of which business unit is important.

It has been said many times that people upgrade Windows only when buy a new machine. Old machines don't get upgraded to newer Windows - they get Puppy installed on it instead - so this is a lost opportunity.

Using skype to force people to buy new hardware (that comes with Windows) means more money for the Windows division. Sure, it comes at the expense of the Skype division (people abandoning it) ... but hey, it's about priorities here!

[seadog]

Hi Chaps,
First a big 'Thank You' to all the guys working on Precise Puppy. This is one outstanding operating system for small net-books.
Ok, the pc is a Packard Bell, with a dual core atom processor. It runs at 1.6 ghz and boasts a 10'' screen. It is a real work-horse for me. I run Precise from an external cdrom drive, with the 'Puppy save' file being kept on the hard drive. Simple and quick to run.
I require skype in my work/travels, so needed to get it working after the recent Microsoft re-vamp of the system.
First I tried downloading the Precise deb file from the skype web site, which ran ok, but no sound, as pulse-audio was not running on this pc.
This then was removed and instead used the workaround suggested here on the forum, using the skype 4.2 binary with the 4.3 packaged installed. This worked fine, everything working - until it appears skype discovered this and once more closed the loophole. (why I wonder?).
So.....tried to get pulse-audio running, so the skype 4.3 version would work. Tried several different ideas, which either became complicated or didn't work, so was on the point of giving up, until this.
I figured out that if pulse-audio was running, then skype should work correctly.

Firstly it was tested on a clean Puppy, but worked on my working Puppy in the same way.

Right, downloaded the pulseaudio-2.1-i486-w5.pet from this forum and installed. Opened the console and typed 'pulseaudio' to start it. The console returned the following:

# pulseaudio
W: [pulseaudio] main.c: This program is not intended to be run as root (unless --system is specified).
W: [pulseaudio] module.c: module-detect is deprecated: Please use module-udev-detect instead of module-detect!
E: [pulseaudio] module.c: Failed to load module "module-alsa-source" (argument: "device_id=0"): initialization failed.

Which I initially took to mean it was not running - but it was!
Having figured that out, I next installed the skype-4.3.0.37-w5.pet and installed this. Upon starting the skype application, found everything was working and running as 'root'.
The last thing was to drag the pulse-audio binary from usr/bin to the ~/Startup directory and make a relative link, so that the pulse-audio application starts when the computer is booted.
Thus job done.
Thanks to you chaps and all your hard work solving this problem, but the point I failed to realize was that pulse-audio had to be manually started.
Hopefully these notes will be of use to someone running the same sort of set up.

[saintless]

This then was removed and instead used the workaround suggested here on the forum, using the skype 4.2 binary with the 4.3 packaged installed. This worked fine, everything working - until it appears skype discovered this and once more closed the loophole. (why I wonder?).

They didn't close the loophole... at least yet. I guess it is not so easy to close it since the account is set to autologin with latest skype.
The workaround still works for skype 2.2 and skype 4.2.
And later uploaded patched sfs, pet and deb files for Skype 4.2 and xxd startup script from the links here also work:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=95202

Toni

[watchdog]

@seadog

As explained by jamesbond the package skype-4.3.0.37-w5.pet has not working avatars. You can try skype-4.3.0.37-w5orig-2.pet:

https://copy.com/k1F4p2rJFmiz

It is built with qt-4.8.0 libs and plugins and has in /usr/share/skype/skypelibs the libstdc++.so.6 which you can delete in precise and slacko (it is needed in wary). I have tested it only in a live precise using pulseaudio-2.0-i486-w5.pet (uncomment in /etc/pulse/default.pa the lines with dmix and dsnoop) because I use to manually install skype in my dayly puppies.

EDIT: the above skype build works in precise and slacko but not in wary. Building it with qt-4.7.1 libs makes it working in wary with avatars. It's a little odd because manually installing skype and qt-4.8.0 in other dirs I know wary and latest skype work (even avatars) using qt-4.8.0 libs.

[watchdog]

I think it can be useful to someone to write down an howto about manually install skype 4.3 in puppy. What is needed:

1- The tar ball of skype-4.3.0.37.tar.bz2 from skype website.

2- A working pulseaudio pet package. Use one from OscarTalks rep:

http://smokey01.com/OscarTalks/

After installing your suited pulseaudio pet package you should edit /etc/pulse/default.pa or /usr/etc/pulse/default.pa for the right settings (hardware-dependent). Read the thread for working solutions. The following settings have worked on all my hardwares:

Code: Select all

load-module module-alsa-sink device=dmix
load-module module-alsa-source device=dsnoop

3 - A qt4 sfs loaded suited for your puppy. qt-4.7.1.sfs and qt-4.8.0-basic-with-qtwebkit-dpup.pet (you can build a sfs from it) works for all puppies I have tried. For recent puppies and newer glibc qt-4.8.2-stripped.sfs by pemasu works. There are slackware qt4 builds you can try, too. I always load a qt4 sfs for general use (to run qupzilla for example...). Alternatively you can use a skype build by OscarTalks with included qt4 libs if available for your puppy.

How to install skype 4.3:

- untar the skype-4.3.0.37.tar.bz2 in /usr/local using xarchiver (click on the tar ball);

then:

Code: Select all

mkdir /usr/share/skype

- create relative links in /usr/share/skype to /usr/local/skype-4.3.0.37/avatars, icons, lang, sounds (only the dirs);

- with geany create a bash script named skype4.3 with the following content:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
#export LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so
#export LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l2convert.so
pulseaudio --start
QT_PLUGIN_PATH=/path-to-qt4-plugins/plugins /usr/local/skype-4.3.0.37/skype "$@"
pulseaudio --kill

and after giving it execute permissions put it where you want. Create a link to the desktop of the above script to launch skype 4.3 without a desktop file. /path-to-qt4-plugins may be:

/opt/qt4/plugins for qt-4.7.1 and qt-4.8.0 or /usr/plugins for qt-4.8.2-stripped.

Wary needs libstdc++ upgrade, too. Read:

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=91049

Hope this helps.

[ulock]

Hi,

As an alternative to Skype I would recommend to try Google hangouts. It comes automatically with Gmail account and works perfectly smoothly on my slacko 5.6.0.

P.S. before making first call it asks to install "Hangouts plugin". Just download the file on your computer and install it. In my case everything was installed successfully without any additional adjustments,

Enjoy!

[navegante]

Skype 4.3 working with Slacko Pupi 5.7 (but not microphone) on Sony Vaio VGN-FS415S

Pulseaudio had to be installed. Run within the console as root (not as spot user - type "exit" if you are spot user) "pulseaudio --system" before opening Skype.

Volume can be controlled from console with "alsamixer".

Webcam works.

[watchdog]

Trying to help guys using precise I have built a skype 4.3 pet for precise. Tested working after installing pulseaudio-2.0-i486-w5.pet from OscarTalks rep:

http://smokey01.com/OscarTalks/

After installing pulseaudio uncomment the following lines in /etc/pulse/default.pa:

Code: Select all

load-module module-alsa-sink device=dmix
load-module module-alsa-source device=dsnoop

This worked in all my hardwares. Other settings could be required: read the thread.

Then install skype (qt4 libraries included in the pet):

https://copy.com/EkBFhqSEfmDN

Launch skype from menu without need to start pulseaudio in console. Thanks to OscarTalks whose work I used.

[watchdog]

sfs posted about a github project here:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 261#800261

This apulse is an emulation of pulseaudio using instead alsa. I did some testing and I have a skype 4.3 package working in precise and slacko. Apulse needs recent glibc so no way to get it working in older puppies. Just install the package which I propose for testing and launch it from menu in a live after adjusting alsa levels. No console and other packages required.

skype-4.3.0.37.pet:

https://copy.com/S44XMT3tvbKF

[ETP]

@ watchdog & sfs,

A great find by SFS and a swiftly produced dotpet by watchdog.
Thanks to you both. I can confirm that it is working in Blue Pup V4 which is based on Quirky Tahr 6.0.5.
Given that, it will most probably work with 666philb’s TahrPup 5.8.3.rc1

[666philb]

yes thank you sfs ... apulse working in tahrpup

[OscarTalks]

Thanks sfs and watchdog. Dpup Wheezy has glibc-2.13 so I needed to re-compile apulse. Seems to work even with the internal mic in my netbook which was the only one I couldn't get working with the previous pulseaudio package idea.

[jamesbond]

This is good.

01micko told me about apulse, I only got the chance to try it now.
Compilation tips (this gets apulse compiled on *unmodified* slacko 5.3 with glibc 2.13):
-edit CMakeList.txt --> change
cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 2.8.8 )
to
cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 2.8.4)

-edit src/apulse-mainloop.c --> change
g_hash_table_add(ml->events_ht, ioe);
to
g_hash_table_replace(ml->events_ht, ioe, ioe);

Slacko 5.3 is around the age of Racy/Wary so I suppose this may help.

USB mic is working, but I can't get internal mic to work.

[Griot]

Hi folks! I've been trying to make it work with Precise 5.71 PEA/frugal install, but alas, no success. Skype doesn't even start.
No main window, no tray icon - nothing.
I've tried with two methods described in these posts:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 134#800134
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 291#800291
Now, is there any pulsaudio files/traces that I should manually delete?
Any usefull shell command to do so? I have already uninstalled .pets
of both Skype/pulsaudio. Any tips to get this done? Thanx!

[saintless]

...Skype doesn't even start.
No main window, no tray icon - nothing...

Just guessing but check what happens if you type skype in terminal.
If you get "Aborted" output message you are one of Skype winners awarded to buy new hardware.
Check cat /proc/cpuinfo in terminal and if you do not see SSE2 there do not waste time with Skype 4.3.0.37. It will not run on your CPU. More information here:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 788#796788

[Griot]

OMG! I totally forgot about that! Yes, I've been blacklisted!

I do not have processor with SSE2 flag according to cat /proc/cpuinfo output. This means I should buy new computer in order to use skype 4.3.0.37.

Count me in! Well, either I'm gonna quit my job 'cause...

...my employer insists on using dang thing to keep "flawless" communication between managers and employees.

...or I'll have to install it on my phone.
And I really HATE using it on phone! Thanx for the eye-opener, saintless! You're such a fine neighbor!

[watchdog]

-edit src/apulse-mainloop.c --> change
g_hash_table_add(ml->events_ht, ioe);
to
g_hash_table_replace(ml->events_ht, ioe, ioe);

This worked to build apulse for old puppies. The following apulse is tested working in wary, slacko 5.3.3 and lucid. It works in puppy 4.31 with glibc upgrade.

https://copy.com/eozTXtu3bP9e