[Solved]Skype Unsuitable

[NoWorries]

I was hoping to get rid of windows with this release as Skype on 10.04 worked to my satisfaction. Unfortunately Skype on 10.10 is not worth using when I can get it to work On 10.10 the image sent is 320x240 pixels whereas on 10.04 it was 640x480 pixels. When I am calling someone with Skype the system monitor shows that 100% of CPU is being used. The computer that I am testing 10.10 on has a CPU speed on 1.8GHz and memory of 1.5GB. Sometimes the sound does not work and using the Echo/Sound Test fails when this happens.

The good news is that when I tested Skype with the RC1 it did not work at all. So this represents an improvement. I hope that it does not take Skype to long to build a version that works with the new libraries on 10.10. Unfortunately, knowing how fast Skype release new upgrades, I might have to wait a long time before moving my main computer to 10.10.

[GreyGeek]

...
The good news is that when I tested Skype with the RC1 it did not work at all. So this represents an improvement.....


IF that is not a typo how is not working an improvement? ???

Any pressing NEED to move to Maverick? (You can get KDE 4.5.1 through PPA backports)

[NoWorries]

I should have mentioned that I currently have KDE 4.5.2 installed. I am not sure that the version of KDE would affect Skype, rather I think is would be the new Kernel which Skype may have not been compile with.

[GreyGeek]

...
On 10.10 the image sent is 320x240 pixels whereas on 10.04 it was 640x480 pixels. ...


On the video display is a button the allows one to change the size of the video.

[NoWorries]

On the video display is a button the allows one to change the size of the video.


I know that on Skype there is a button to change the size of the video, but my understanding is that it only changes the size on the received image. Double clicking on the received image puts it to full screen.

I have a computer savy friend with whom I have been testing the difference between Windows and Linux Skype for some time now. He sent me the image that he was receiving from me and his comment was that the resolution was not good.

I have attached the images from him for 10.10 and 10.04

[NoWorries]

Any pressing NEED to move to Maverick? (You can get KDE 4.5.1 through PPA backports)


I have for some time now been wanting to change from 10.04 because I have been having the following problems with my Laptop.


wicd does not maintain a reliable wireless connection and often breaks connection on high data rates. I have therefore reverted to using an Ethernet cable to connect my Laptop to my router.
My Laptop does not always boot up the first time. When it does it stops with a black screen. Pressing the power button closes it down but sometimes does not power it off. I then have to hold the power button down to turn it off. Normally after 3 attempts the system comes up and I can logon.
Shutting down the system does not always power off the Laptop. I then have to once again hold down the power button.
If Dolphin is not used for some time it just freezes with no response. I find that if I wait for a number of seconds it finally "wakes up" and does what I want.
AMD have not released a Catalyst driver for their ATI cards, but I believe that this may be the case for 10.10.
I have a second monitor connected to my laptop. To get it working properly after each time I boot the system, I have to go to system settings to set it up.


I am quite frankly surprised that 10.04 is a LTS given these problems. I am therefore very interested to see 10.10 improve to a point where I am happy to install it on my Laptop.

[GreyGeek]

We are working in the dark here because we do not know what your make and model is for your laptop, video chip, etc.

In a Konsole do
lspci
lsusb
lshw


Is your webcam built in or external? (IF external does it have a focus ring?)

[NoWorries]

I have 10.10 installed on my desktop and am testing it before installing it on my Laptop which is an ASUS F3jr. I am using the same webcam for all examples and under not circumstances will I use the webcam on the laptop. The webcam that I use is a Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac. It is a 2-megapixel webcam with built-in autofocus and rightlight 2.

The output to the commands that you want are listed below:


aaaa@ssss:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8377 [KT400/KT600 AGP] Host Bridge (rev 80)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237/VX700 PCI Bridge
00:0d.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
00:0f.0 RAID bus controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA VT6420 SATA RAID Controller (rev 80)
00:0f.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
00:10.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.1 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.4 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 86)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237 ISA bridge [KT600/K8T800/K8T890 South]
00:11.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8233/A/8235/8237 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 60)
00:13.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV34 [GeForce FX 5200] (rev a1)
aaaa@ssss:~$



aaaa@ssssl:~$ lsusb
Bus 005 Device 002: ID 046d:c51b Logitech, Inc. V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 046d:09a6 Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Vision Pro
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
aaaa@ssss:~$


And now for the mother of all listings:-


aaaa@ssss:~$ lshw
WARNING: you should run this program as super-user.
sybil
description: Computer
width: 32 bits
*-core
description: Motherboard
physical id: 0
*-memory
description: System memory
physical id: 0
size: 1507MiB
*-cpu
product: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+
vendor: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD]
physical id: 1
bus info: cpu@0
version: 6.10.0
size: 1850MHz
width: 32 bits
capabilities: fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov
pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse syscall mmxext 3dnowext 3dnow up
*-cache:0
description: L1 cache
physical id: 0
size: 128KiB
*-cache:1
description: L2 cache
physical id: 1
size: 512KiB
*-pci
description: Host bridge
product: VT8377 [KT400/KT600 AGP] Host Bridge
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 100
bus info: pci@0000:00:00.0
version: 80
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
configuration: driver=agpgart-via latency=8
resources: irq:0 memory:d0000000-d7ffffff
*-pci
description: PCI bridge
product: VT8237/VX700 PCI Bridge
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 1
bus info: pci@0000:00:01.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: pci normal_decode bus_master cap_list
resources: memory:e0000000-e1ffffff memory:d8000000-dfffffff
*-display
description: VGA compatible controller
product: NV34 [GeForce FX 5200]
vendor: nVidia Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
version: a1
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom
configuration: driver=nvidia latency=248 maxlatency=1 mingnt=5
resources: irq:16 memory:e0000000-e0ffffff memory:d8000000-dfffffff
memory:e1000000-e101ffff
*-network:0
description: Ethernet interface
product: RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+
vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
physical id: d
bus info: pci@0000:00:0d.0
logical name: eth0
version: 10
serial: 00:05:1c:21:1d:c6
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list rom ethernet physical
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=8139too driverversion=0.9.28 ip=192.168.10.4
latency=32 maxlatency=64 mingnt=32 multicast=yes
resources: irq:17 ioport:9000(size=256) memory:e3000000-e30000ff
memory:60000000-6000ffff
*-storage
description: RAID bus controller
product: VIA VT6420 SATA RAID Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: f
bus info: pci@0000:00:0f.0
version: 80
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: storage bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=sata_via latency=32
resources: irq:20 ioport:9400(size=8) ioport:9800(size=4) ioport:9c00(size=8)
ioport:a000(size=4) ioport:a400(size=16) ioport:a800(size=256)
*-ide
description: IDE interface
product: VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: f.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:0f.1
version: 06
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: ide bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pata_via latency=32
resources: irq:20 ioport:1f0(size=8) ioport:3f6 ioport:170(size=8) ioport:376
ioport:ac00(size=16)
*-usb:0
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.0
version: 81
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32
resources: irq:21 ioport:b000(size=32)
*-usb:1
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.1
version: 81
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32
resources: irq:21 ioport:b400(size=32)
*-usb:2
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.2
version: 81
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32
resources: irq:21 ioport:b800(size=32)
*-usb:3
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.3
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.3
version: 81
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32
resources: irq:21 ioport:bc00(size=32)
*-usb:4
description: USB Controller
product: USB 2.0
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.4
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.4
version: 86
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: ehci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=ehci_hcd latency=32
resources: irq:21 memory:e3001000-e30010ff
*-isa
description: ISA bridge
product: VT8237 ISA bridge [KT600/K8T800/K8T890 South]
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 11
bus info: pci@0000:00:11.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: isa bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-multimedia
description: Multimedia audio controller
product: VT8233/A/8235/8237 AC97 Audio Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 11.5
bus info: pci@0000:00:11.5
version: 60
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: cap_list
configuration: driver=VIA 82xx Audio latency=0
resources: irq:22 ioport:c000(size=256)
*-network:1
description: Ethernet interface
product: RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+
vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
physical id: 13
bus info: pci@0000:00:13.0
logical name: eth1
version: 10
serial: 00:0d:61:55:42:69
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list ethernet physical
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=8139too driverversion=0.9.28 latency=32
maxlatency=64 mingnt=32 multicast=yes
resources: irq:18 ioport:c400(size=256) memory:e3002000-e30020ff
aaaa@ssss:~$


I hope you are able to locate the source of my problem from the above listings.

[GreyGeek]

I have 10.10 installed on my desktop and am testing it before installing it on my Laptop which is an ASUS F3jr. I am using the same webcam for all examples and under not circumstances will I use the webcam on the laptop. The webcam that I use is a Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac. It is a 2-megapixel webcam with built-in autofocus and rightlight 2.


You are operating from a faulty premise. How Kubuntu (or any distro) works on one PC has NO bearing on how it will work on another PC, so your experiments on a nearly eight year old desktop will have no bearing on how Kubuntu may or may not run on your 3 year old ASUS F3jr. So the listings you gave will only apply to the machine you were on when you issued the commands.

In fact, how a distro will work on, say, an Gateway m675prr laptop will have little to no bearing on how it will work on the SAME make and model laptop, but one made a year later and with different versions of firmware installed. A friend of mine purchased a Gateway m675prr laptop and based on how it ran Linux I purchased the same make and model a year later. It turns out that mine had an upgraded version of the firmware. I put the latest distro that I was using at the time and it gave me problems that my friend's computer did not give running the same distro. It turned out that they had different chip sets on the mobo, and hence different firmware versions to compensate. It took several months before enough updates came down the line and it began working well. It has given an "out of the box" experience every since, but it is still running Jaunty and my nine year old grandson has no complaints.

However, as computer generations pass by, (3 yrs/generation) older hardware gets "legacy" treatment by the vendors (i.e., no longer supported) and changes to the kernel make older drivers less and less compatible. That, I fear, may be a problem with your desktop.

For your desktop rtlk-8139 Ethernet ports the current kernel supplies two kernel modules: 8139too and 8139cp. If one is flaky perhaps the other one won't be. The EIGHT year old Nvidia card has two options: the Hardware Drivers from the menu, or installing the Nvidia proprietary drivers. Also, with the PC having only a 1.8GHz CPU and 1.5GB of RAM running Skype becomes problematic, especially if you have a slow bandwidth ISP connection. KDE4.5.x has a significant memory footprint when you have only 1.5GB of RAM. One sure sign of that is when the Skype sound begins lagging the Video by as much as 10 or more seconds, or drops out, and/or the video is jumpy or skips a lot, or freezes.

How well your 3 year old Asus F3Jr will fair is another mixed bag. One user had no problems (http://users.skynet.be/fb569304/ASUS-F3Jr.htm). He was installing Gutsy, which is quite old. He used the ipw3945 wireless driver module, but that module is not supplied with Lucid or Maverick. Another said everything works (http://www.linlap.com/wiki/asus+f3jr), but he had to use the CLI to install the xorg-driver-fglrx driver following these instructions (http://www.linwik.com/wiki/configuring+an+ati+graphics+chip+for+linux) .



I hope you are able to locate the source of my problem from the above listings.


You might want to consider either Puppy 5.1 or Xubuntu Lucid for your desktop, and even your Asus. Even then I doubt either will give you the Skype experience you are expecting. Your laptop has a problematic wireless chip and video card. The two models I looked at had 1.6 and 2.0 GHz CPUs, and 1GB and 2GB of RAM. If your's is like the first it probably won't give what you expect from Skype. If yours has the power of the second it may, especially if you use a distro with a lighter footprint, like Xubuntu.

[platypuss72]

i have just upgraded to 10,10 and all looking great

UNTIL i tried to use skype today ...

i have had it working great on 10.4 but now am back to the issue of the pulse audio server

i am using a plantrontic usb headset , that i used to have to reset the audio control in skype from the default to the usb headset, but now on upgrade i only pulse audio in the preference settings

can anyone please help ?????

[NoWorries]

i am using a plantrontic usb headset , that i used to have to reset the audio control in skype from the default to the usb headset, but now on upgrade i only pulse audio in the preference settings


I use Skype with Logitech V20 speakers and to get them to work with the microphone in the webcam I used: System Settings > Multimedia and from this I selected Phonon. I then made the speakers and mike the top preference. Once this was done, Skype used these devices. In your case with the plantrontic headset connected, you should see these devices listed in the Phonon list.

The main problem will be when you are not using your headset, ie not connected. I think the system should revert to the next device in the Phonon list.

[NoWorries]

Thanks GreyGeek for your comprehensive analysis of my problems. Below are my comments on the various issues you raised.


How Kubuntu (or any distro) works on one PC has NO bearing on how it will work on another PC, so your experiments on a nearly eight year old desktop will have no bearing on how Kubuntu may or may not run on your 3 year old ASUS F3jr.

I have found the only difference is in speed. I previously had Kubuntu 10.04 on my desktop with Skype and was able to use it successfully. Unfortunately I did not get my friend to send me the picture he received when I was using my desktop. All I know is that no adverse comments were made regarding image quality with 10.04. I checked the version of Skype on both computers and it
is the same version, ie 2.1.0.81-1ubuntu5. On the Skype website they list 2.1.0.81 as only being available for ubuntu 8.10! Am I therefore to assume that canonical have been able to get Skype to build a version for each of their distributions?


For your desktop rtlk-8139 Ethernet ports the current kernel supplies two kernel modules: 8139too and 8139cp. If one is flaky perhaps the other one won't be. The EIGHT year old Nvidia card has two options: the Hardware Drivers from the menu, or installing the Nvidia proprietary drivers.

Both my desktop and laptop are connected to a wireless router and are networked using nfs. To backup my laptop last week, I copied 12.5 GB of files through this system and the rate was close to the limit of the router and the properties of the copied directories were the same on both systems. For the video card. I have installed the NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (version 173) from the Additional Drivers options.


Also, with the PC having only a 1.8GHz CPU and 1.5GB of RAM running Skype becomes problematic, especially if you have a slow bandwidth ISP connection. KDE4.5.x has a significant memory footprint when you have only 1.5GB of RAM. One sure sign of that is when the Skype sound begins lagging the Video by as much as 10 or more seconds, or drops out, and/or the video is jumpy or skips a lot, or freezes.

When Skype and Firefox are loaded about 0.54GB is used. Still plenty of margin for other applications. On both machines I have not noticed any lag between the Video and sound. My ISP connection is by Cable and its claimed Download/Upload speed is 30/1 Mbps. In general I find that Skype does not approach these limits.



Your laptop has a problematic wireless chip and video card. The two models I looked at had 1.6 and 2.0 GHz CPUs, and 1GB and 2GB of RAM. If your's is like the first it probably won't give what you expect from Skype. If yours has the power of the second it may, especially if you use a distro with a lighter footprint, like Xubuntu.

I have the second one in your list and below is the relevant part of the lshw command for my laptop hardware.


aaaa@bbbb:~$ lshw
WARNING: you should run this program as super-user.
bbbb
description: Computer
width: 64 bits
capabilities: vsyscall64 vsyscall32
*-core
description: Motherboard
physical id: 0
*-memory
description: System memory
physical id: 0
size: 2008MiB
*-cpu
product: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU T7200 @ 2.00GHz
vendor: Intel Corp.
physical id: 1
bus info: cpu@0
size: 996MHz
capacity: 996MHz
width: 64 bits
capabilities: fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov
pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx x86-64 constant_tsc
arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16
xtpr pdcm lahf_lm tpr_shadow cpufreq
*-pci
description: Host bridge
product: Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 100
bus info: pci@0000:00:00.0
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
*-pci:0
description: PCI bridge
product: Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express PCI Express Root Port
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1
bus info: pci@0000:00:01.0
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:40 ioport:9000(size=12288) memory:fdf00000-fdffffff
ioport:ebe00000(size=268435456)
*-display
description: VGA compatible controller
product: Mobility Radeon X2300
vendor: ATI Technologies Inc
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom
configuration: driver=radeon latency=0
resources: irq:47 memory:f0000000-f7ffffff ioport:b000(size=256) memory:fdff0000-fdffffff
memory:fdfc0000-fdfdffff
*-multimedia
description: Audio device
product: N10/ICH 7 Family High Definition Audio Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1b
bus info: pci@0000:00:1b.0
version: 02
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=HDA Intel latency=0
resources: irq:46 memory:febfc000-febfffff
*-pci:1
description: PCI bridge
product: N10/ICH 7 Family PCI Express Port 1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.0
version: 02
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:41 ioport:c000(size=4096) memory:fe000000-fe0fffff
ioport:80000000(size=2097152)
*-network
description: Ethernet interface
product: RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller
vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:02:00.0
logical name: eth0
version: 01
serial: 00:1b:fc:0e:cf:34
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list rom ethernet physical
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=r8169 driverversion=2.3LK-NAPI latency=0
multicast=yes
resources: irq:44 ioport:c800(size=256) memory:fe0ff000-fe0fffff memory:fe0e0000-fe0effff
*-pci:2
description: PCI bridge
product: N10/ICH 7 Family PCI Express Port 2
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.1
version: 02
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:42 ioport:1000(size=4096) memory:fe100000-fe1fffff
ioport:80200000(size=2097152)
*-network
description: Wireless interface
product: PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
logical name: wlan0
version: 02
serial: 00:1b:77:0a:5e:a4
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=iwl3945 driverversion=2.6.35-22-generic
firmware=15.32.2.9 ip=192.168.10.3 latency=0 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11abg
resources: irq:45 memory:fe1ff000-fe1fffff


Since SKype was working so well on 10.04, I decided to replace the Windows partition with Kubuntu 10.10. With 10.10, I no longer have any problems with the wireless network and can now watch online videos without any break in the connection. I am very impressed with the new network manager. For my display driver I use the opensource software from xorg-edgers. Details on what to do are found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonHD. This site does not list maverick as an option but when I put their repository site into Synaptic, I was able to install drivers for 10.10.

SKype on my laptop for 10.10 sends 640x480 images and both processors are about 70% loaded with the total memory used is less than 1GB. My conclusion from what I have observed is that Skype encoding and decoding of images and audio is CPU intensive. It seems to me that if Skype does not have sufficient CPU power, it reduces the image size, eg to 320x240. Their website http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/on-your-computer/linux/ shows the following system requirements.

# 1 Ghz processor or faster.
# 256 MB RAM.
# 20 MB free disk space on your hard drive.

Since my desktop has more memory and processing power, according to this I shouldn't have any problems. On my desktop during a Skype session, the processing power used by Skype was about 44%, Xorg 13%, pulse audio 14%, kwin 8% and sysguard 3%. What surprised me was the amount of CPU used by Xorg. On my Laptop, Xorg processing load is negligible.

From these results, Skype is CPU intensive and a processor speed greater than 3GHz is required for 640x480 images. Thus I will only use Skype on my desktop as a last resort.

[GreyGeek]

Am I therefore to assume that canonical have been able to get Skype to build a version for each of their distributions?

Nope. Skype source is proprietary (https://support.skype.com/faq/FA154/Is-the-source-code-for-Skype-available-Can-I-have-a-copy;jsessionid=1A347422112440164EE893FEB42ABFF7). Canonical does not have access to that source. I suspect that Skype built a conventional Debian package ... one size fits all (Debian based) Linux boxes and Canonical probably adds wrappers to make it compatible with Ubuntu/Kubuntu.

And, as I mentioned before, even with the same make and model of PC how well Kubuntu will install,
configure and perform, is dependent on the BIOS and firmware it contains.



Mobility Radeon X2300


This message (http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3103935.0) pretty much says it all.



PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection


The Meerkat Release Notes (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MaverickMeerkat/ReleaseNotes) state that:


Laptops using Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG experience reduced wifi speeds of the order of 1Mb/s. To see if your laptop uses this card, type the following: "lspci -v | grep 3945ABG". (621265)

Which has been reported here (http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubuntu-linux/170805-slow-download-speed-intel-pro-wireless-3945-abg-ubuntu-10-10-hp-dv2000.html).
A Bug Report #621265 (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/maverick/+source/linux/+bug/621265) states that the user can't get the
network speed over wifi is never faster than 150kb/s. Some experienced more speed, some less, but none obtained the speed the wireless chip was supposed to give.

The iwl3945.ko module is available in Meerkat. It has the following parameters:


parm: antenna:select antenna (1=Main, 2=Aux, default 0 [both]) (int)
parm: swcrypto:using software crypto (default 1 [software]) (int)
parm: disable_hw_scan:disable hardware scanning (default 0) (int)
parm: fw_restart3945:restart firmware in case of error (int)


They can be used while manually using modprobe

sudo modprobe iwl3945 fw_restart3945=1

or by adding settings to /etc/modprobe.d/options.conf
options iwl3945 fw_restart3945=1 antenna=1



And here is a site that gives external methods (http://www.downloadatoz.com/driver/articles/intel-pro-wireless-3945abg-network-connection-driver-for-windows-and-linux.html) for activating the Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG chip. It uses the iwlwifi driver, which is present in the kernel source but has not been compiled to give a kernel module (*.ko). So, that link gives you tips on using getting and installing the iwlwifi driver.

You can read this (http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/how-to-install-intel-wireless-drivers-in-kubuntu-629752/) for additional suggestions.




Thus I will only use Skype on my desktop as a last resort.


That pretty well limits you to less functional VOIP packages. Have you tried Ekiga (http://ekiga.org/)?
It is in the repository. It works pretty well IF you get everyone you want to talk to using the same server.
You can even set up your own server and restrict its use to you and your friends. Skype works much better than Ekiga and those two are pretty much the best desktop VOIP applications you can get. HOWEVER, IF your camera is compatible with voice and video chat (http://www.google.com/chat/video) you can use a Google gmail account to chat and/or video talk with some one else any place in the world for free. Like Skype, you can also call land and mobile phones anywhere in the world. And, there are other web-based free chat and video conference utilities that require only FireFox. You can Google for them.

[NoWorries]

I do indeed have the wireless card you suggest. I do not know if (rev 02) is any better.


03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection


I downloaded an mpg audio file and the system monitor plot is shown below. As you can see, the peak rate was about 1.8MiB/s which is 14.4 Mbps. I also did a speed test between Milton Keynes, UK and Sydney, Australia using http://www.speedtest.net/index.php. The download was about 6Mbps and the upload was 0.9Mbps. These speeds are considerably faster than what you are saying. I am quite happy with these speeds as they are well above those required for skype.

All the people that I communicate with use Windows, so a non-skype option is not that useful. As you probably realize, the video can be stopped in skype to use voice only. I always like to see the person who is talking, so I provide my picture as well - particularly when dealing with family.

[platypuss72]

i have been trying to check my skype microphone

the only problem is now that i have no audio from my microphone i have sound to my usb headset or speakers but its not picking up the input audio

i have installed sound recorder package to check i have audio and that works ?????
i have just installed Ekiga and the usb audio shows up on preferences and works well ....

but still with skype NO audio in ?????????????

and all this just after upgrade was all ok before

[GreyGeek]

Uninstall Skype and then reinstall it using instructions found here (http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Maverick#Skype).

[platypuss72]

i am using Kubuntu 10.10 64 bit

i tried the solution above but got errors trying to install it :-


luke@****:~$ sudo dpkg -i skype-ubuntu-current_amd64.deb
dpkg: error processing skype-ubuntu-current_amd64.deb (--install):
cannot access archive: No such file or directory
Errors were encountered while processing:
skype-ubuntu-current_amd64.deb
luke@smoking:~$ wget -O skype_ubuntu-current_amd64.deb http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-beta-ubuntu-64
--2010-10-22 13:37:41-- http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-beta-ubuntu-64
Resolving www.skype.com... 78.141.177.7
Connecting to www.skype.com|78.141.177.7|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 302 Found
Location: http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-ubuntu-intrepid_2.1.0.81-1_amd64.deb [following]
--2010-10-22 13:37:41-- http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-ubuntu-intrepid_2.1.0.81-1_amd64.deb
Resolving download.skype.com... 204.9.165.83, 212.72.53.130, 204.9.165.82
Connecting to download.skype.com|204.9.165.83|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 20165018 (19M) [application/octet-stream]
Saving to: `skype_ubuntu-current_amd64.deb'

100%[================================================== ======================>] 20,165,018 1.13M/s in 19s

2010-10-22 13:38:00 (1.01 MB/s) - `skype_ubuntu-current_amd64.deb' saved [20165018/20165018]

luke@***:~$ sudo dpkg -i skype-ubuntu-current_amd64.deb
dpkg: error processing skype-ubuntu-current_amd64.deb (--install):
cannot access archive: No such file or directory
Errors were encountered while processing:
skype-ubuntu-current_amd64.deb

[platypuss72]

i have installed the 32bit successfully

BUT am still having the same issue as before ... NO microphone

i am using a plantronic usb headset that was working all ok before the 10.4 - 10.10 upgrade

[GreyGeek]

I should have been more clear. After uninstalling Skype install the version of Skype that is in the repository, which will automatically bring in necessary dependencies.

If your sound works in all your other apps but not with Skype the next step is to try the various options on the dropdown combo box in the Skype sound setup dialog.

If your system is using Phonon then install padvchooser. it contains volume sliders for various audio components that can control Phonon. The important ones are "Digital", "PCM", "Mic", "Mic Boost" and "Capture".

If none of them work then install the alsammixer and alsamixergui. Open the alsamixergui, find the "Digital" and "PCM" sliders and run them up over 95%. Make sure the Mic slider is above 90% and the Mic boost is at about 20%. Also make sure the capture button is checked.

[platypuss72]

ok then ...

first off sorry for not being to good at this ... but how do i uninstall the last version ?? i have apt-get remove skype but says :- Virtual packages like 'skype' can't be removed

then when i try to get the repo to work ... i can install the repo but then when i get to install skype i get this :-


Err http://download.skype.com stable/non-free amd64 Packages
404 Not Found [IP: 212.72.53.130 80]
Get:9 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/restricted Sources [14B]
Get:10 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/universe Sources [5,658B]
Get:11 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/multiverse Sources [14B]
Get:12 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/main amd64 Packages [54.4kB]
Get:13 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/restricted Sources [14B]
Get:14 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/universe Sources [912B]
Get:15 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/multiverse Sources [14B]
Get:16 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/main amd64 Packages [22.0kB]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com maverick Release
Get:17 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/restricted amd64 Packages [14B]
Get:18 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/universe amd64 Packages [19.8kB]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com maverick/main amd64 Packages
Get:19 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/restricted amd64 Packages [14B]
Get:20 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/universe amd64 Packages [6,900B]
Get:21 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com maverick-updates/multiverse amd64 Packages [597B]
Get:22 http://security.ubuntu.com maverick-security/multiverse amd64 Packages [14B]
Ign http://dl.google.com/linux/talkplugin/deb/ stable/main Translation-en
Ign http://dl.google.com/linux/talkplugin/deb/ stable/main Translation-en_GB
Get:23 http://dl.google.com stable Release [1,310B]
Get:24 http://dl.google.com stable Release [1,338B]
Get:25 http://dl.google.com stable/main amd64 Packages [969B]
Get:26 http://dl.google.com stable/main amd64 Packages [630B]
Fetched 203kB in 1s (177kB/s)
W: Failed to fetch http://download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/dists/stable/non-free/binary-amd64/Packages.gz 404 Not Found [IP: 212.72.53.130 80]

E: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
luke@***~$ sudo apt-get install skype
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Package skype is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source

E: Package 'skype' has no installation candidate

[GreyGeek]

Ah, you're going off the repository. That's usually not a good idea unless you are very knowledgeable in installing alien packages. First remove any alien skype packages you have have downloaded from other sources, including the skype web site. Open Synaptic and search for skype. If it has a green box next to its name right click on it and select 'Completely remove'. Then click the green "Apply" button.

Skype is a Canonical partner, so you will have to open the "Repositories" option in Synaptic (or KPackageKit). On the Repositories dialog click the "Ubuntu software" tab and check all the boxes on it. On the "Other Software" tab check the two "Canonical Partners" boxes. Close the Repositories dialog and click the "Reload" icon in the tool bar menu.

When the reload is done enter "skype" in the search text box (without the quotes). You should see Skype listed. Right click on its box and select "Install". Then click the green "Apply" button. All necessary dependencies, like the 32 bit libraries, will automatically be installed.

IF you like the command line here (http://unixlab.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-install-latest-skype-in-ubuntu.html) is the CLI way to do it.

If you have video or audio problems this site (http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=724253) gives some advice (assuming that Phonon audio works OK in other apps).

[platypuss72]

thanks

i normally do just use the repo's ..but skype is not in the repo , so first i used the skype site download .

but thelast time i used the instuctions from the link you gave me :- http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Maverick#Skype

thats why i have alein install ..

but does not tell you how to uninstall ... and is not in synaptic ???? had a look to try tooo ...

will look into the skype link :-) thankyou

[GreyGeek]

Opps! Sorry about that. I read and reply to so many problems I forgot that I recommend the Ubuntu site which led you to the Skype download page.

The first thing you can do is "kdesudo kate" from a Konsole, navigate to and open /etc/apt/sources.list
delete the line referring to "http://download.skype.com stable/non-free amd64 Packages" and save the file. Close kate and in a Konsole issue "sudo apt-get update" to refresh the cache.
If you have activated all the boxes on the "Ubuntu Software" tab of the Repositories dialog, and checked the two "Canonical Partners" checkboxes on the "Other software" tab, you can then issue
sudo apt-get install skype
and it should install, replacing the other skype, plus adding any necessary dependencies.

If you get "broken package" errors or any other kinds of aborts during the process the command
sudo dpkg --configure -a
can be repeated several times until it comes back without any error messages or other instructions.
Again, sorry for that.

[platypuss72]

skype updated ok thanks

[platypuss72]

ooooopppppps

what i meant was thanks have managed to update my skype as per your instructions :-)

BUT am still at the same point .. NO mike ????

am off to check out the other page you said to look at .... fingers crossed

[platypuss72]

WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after some more reading up ....... on the skype forum found a post on the pulse audio section :-

The same problem came up with 2.1.0.81 on Kubuntu (the one with KDE, but without pulseaudio) 10.04 Lucid and I investigated it a bit further:
The problem only occurs with the Logitech headset being connected to the computer via a USB hub (my standard setup). The headset works fine when it is plugged directly into the laptops USB port.
Older Skype versions have no problem with my USB hub - I had my headset behind this hub for several years and never a problem with Skype - I even had cameras behind it (for a test).


and WOW don't you know it WORKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D

after all that messing about DOH !!!

BUT i would like to say many thanks for all your help on trying and i hope i have learnt a little bit more again

cheers luke

[GreyGeek]

Glad you got it going, Luke! 8)

I must have missed the part about the USB hub. I'm guessing it was a passive hub, not an active one.

[platypuss72]

thanks

i did not even think about the hub ??? ??? ??? DOH

as i have had it on the desk for SO long and stuff just plugged in and working ...

yep is only passive (NO extra power) not sure why it should make any difference BUT hey ho .. :-)

cheers

[GreyGeek]

And I never thought to ask... ::) In all of the computers I've installed Linux on since I retired over two years ago only two of them had USB Hubs, and neither were active.

Passive HUBs can overload the USB port if too many devices are plugged into it, or by a device which is too power hungry. A msg should pop up saying "USB Hub Power Exceeded" but some BIOS's do not relay that msg upstream. When the UB port is overloaded it distorts the amplitude and frequency of the waveform, causing signal failures.

Also, the total USB cable length from the USB port to the actual device cannot be longer than 16 feet or it will cause an impedance mismatch and result in waveform distortion because the higher frequencies of the square wave will be attenuated, creating crest waveform.
To go over 16 feet an active USB cable is required, but its total length from port to device cannot exceed 80 feet for the same reasons.