August 2005

We are very please to announce the availability of the new beta release of Skype for Windows (1.4) We have tried to focus this release on making it easier for users to use Skype on the go, find and add contacts and help get new users started more easily. However there are a number of very exciting new features for developers designed to open up new world of development opportunities.

We will be running a series of post over the next week or so going into these features in more details and we will of course be posting full documentation very soon, but for the moment heres a quick summary..

Free Call Forwarding
Users can now set their Skype client to forward to 1 or multiple PSTN numbers simultaneously, or even to other Skype names In addition we support complex conditional Call forwarding rules via the API. For example you can now set calls to forward to your mobile for the first 10 secs and then to your home number for the next 10 seconds and then to any of your colleagues in the office for the remainder of the call.. Skype Call centers anyone?

Expressive Content
Users may now choose from a wide selection of free and for pay sounds, ringtones and images to personalize their Skype experience! The new release also includes updated API support to get and set all the different ring tones used by Skype. But no more Crazy Frog, please!

Application to Application Messaging
This version also includes a new set of API’s to make it easier for developers to use the Skype network to communicate between applications invisibly to the user. With this API developers can create applications, connect users to them and then send and receive datagrams between each other. Let the Games begin!

Skype Window Control through the API
The API now includes support for greater control over Skypes various windows and dialogs via the ‘OPEN ’ command. Example target windows here includude: Profile, Userinfo, Conference, Search, Options, Call History, Dailpad, Authorisation, Import Contacts etc.. . Let Skype do the work for you.

Skype URI links
With 1.4 beta users can also now control Skype directly via html links using our new ‘Skype:’ URI format. The Skype URI handler support the following actions : Initiate calls (eg skype:mat.taylor); Initiate chats (eg skype:mat.taylor?chat); leave voicemail (eg skype:mat.taylor?voicemail); add contacts (eg skype:mat.taylor?add); send files, (skype:mat.taylor?sendfile); show profile data (eg skype:mat.taylor?userinfo) and open multichats. (skype:?chat&id=) This effectively allows web developers to turn even the humblest of blogs into kick ass Skype powered communication centers

We are very please to announce the availability of the beta release of Skype for Windows (1.4). We have tried to focus this release on making it easier for users to use Skype on the go, find and add contacts and help get new users started more easily. However there are a number of very exciting new features for developers designed to open up new world of development opportunities.

These features include:

• Free Call Forwarding
  Users can now set their Skype client to forward to 1 or multiple PSTN numbers simultaneously, or even to other Skype names. In addition we support complex conditional Call forwarding rules via the API. For example you can now set calls to forward to your mobile for the first 10 secs and then to your home number for the next 10 seconds and then to any of your colleagues in the office for the remainder of the call.. Skype Call centers anyone?
• Expressive Content
  Users may now choose from a wide selection of free and for pay sounds, ringtones and images to personalize their Skype experience! The new release also includes updated API support to get and set all the different ring tones used by Skype. But no more Crazy Frog, please!
• Improved Search
  Improved Search and Add a Contact functions — cleaner, more intuitive features and layout… and smarter results!
• Application to Application Messaging
  This version also includes a new set of API’s to make it easier for developers to use the Skype network to communicate between applications invisibly to the user. With this API developers can create applications, connect users to them and then send and receive datagrams between each other. Let the Games begin!
• Skype Window Control through the API
  The API now includes support for greater control over Skypes various windows and dialogs via the ‘OPEN ’ command. Example target windows here includude: Profile, Userinfo, Conference, Search, Options, Call History, Dailpad, Authorisation, Import Contacts etc.. . Let Skype do the work for you.
• Skype URI links
  With 1.4 beta users can also now control Skype directly via html links using our new ‘Skype:’ URI format. The Skype URI handler support the following actions : Initiate calls (eg skype:mat.taylor); Initiate chats (eg skype:mat.taylor?chat); leave voicemail (eg skype:mat.taylor?voicemail); add contacts (eg skype:mat.taylor?add); send files, (skype:mat.taylor?sendfile); show profile data (eg skype:mat.taylor?userinfo) and open multichats. (skype:?chat&id=) This effectively allows web developers to turn even the humblest of blogs into kick ass Skype powered communication centers

I was expecting my first week at Skype to be a gentle introduction to the company, meet a few people, have a few coffees, get use to the commute to the office. But BAM straight in at the deep end!

Seriously though, its great that so many of you took the time to email me, my inbox is crammed which is fantastic because I really want to be here for you guys. I am going to reply to all of you, its just taking a little time to get though them all, so bear with me.

I am still getting up to speed with things. It’s strange coming from a company with over 1,000 employees in the office and knowing the names and job functions of hundreds of them, to an environment where I struggle to remember the names of the 20 or so people sitting around me, let alone remember what they do. But it’s only day 4 so that will get better or people will have to start wearing name badges.

Most of the questions in my inbox relate to how you can partner with Skype, somewhere on the Skype website – though not in a easy place to find is a form that should be completed so it can get to the right person. We are in the process of redesigning the website a little to make things easier to find, but for now if you are interested in partnering with Skype take a look at: http://www.skype.com/partners/ once you complete the form then this gets forwarded to the right person and you will hear back. If you still have problems, then feel free to give me a shout and I’ll chase things up for you.

The other questions I received relate to SkypeNet and SkypeWeb and how you can get involved, what about the API’s etc. (lot’s of you are very excited about these).

We are still finalizing the programs and will be sending out the details via email, probably in the next 10 days or so.

If you are interested in getting in on the action then you need to send an email to:

skypenet@skype.com – for the SkypeNet details skypeweb@skype.com – for the SkypeWeb details

And you’ll get all the information sent to you before it made generally available.

So what else will I be up to for the rest of the week? As I mentioned somewhere above we are revamping part of the website to make the site easier to navigate and find things you are looking for, particularly for Partners. I am not really involved with the partner side of things, being more focused on developers but I am lending a hand to make sure the site is user friendly

My main focus is making a start on the new DeveloperZone so I am busy drafting up spec’s to get in all the features that are going to make your lives easier developing Skype applications in the future. And of course I am busy replying to all the great email that you sent me.

Well let me get back to it all, and keep them coming.

Lester

this is a test

As part of celebrating our second year anniversary, Skype has a present to give back to the internet for all of the amazing support we have received from the internet community. We are announcing two new initiatives that make Skype and the Web a little more interesting and open up new possibilities for the developer and partner community. After all … sharing is good :)

Introducing SkypeWeb

We’ve heard from you that Skype doesn’t just let you talk for free over the internet, but has become an integral part of managing communication with your family, friends, and colleagues. Letting people know when you are available to talk via Skype makes the tool smarter unlike the telephone which just rings even when you are busy. SkypeWeb will enable you to let others know when you are free and make it easy for them to reach you from any Web site, blog, email, or just about anything that can speak HTML. SkypeWeb extends Skype beyond your contact list and lets people connect with you via Skype even if they are not a Skype user.

How will it work? Simple actually, just tell Skype that you want to share your online status with the Web, copy and paste a few lines of HTML and script that Skype will give you and voila … your Skype status is on the Web. Look for more announcements in the coming weeks from partners who will make sharing your Skype status on the Web quick and easy.

Interested in working with us to make it easy for Skypers to share their status on the Web? Drop us a line at skypeweb@skype.com.

Introducing SkypeNet API

Wouldn’t it be cool if your friends using other IM applications could contact you on Skype? We want Skype to be the worlds largest open IM system on the planet! What if you could use Skype to communicate with a product reviewer on a Web site, to chat with other players in an online game using Skype? All of these things and a few more that we haven’t dreamed up yet will become possiblities with SkypeNet API, a new set of tools and services that programmers can use to take Skype into new places that you may have never dreamed of before.

SkypeNet API will enable developers to access our IM and Presence system and bring it into new applications without needing to have the full version of Skype running on the machine. Think of it as mini Skype that can bring Skype to new places and let you do things you couldn’t do before. Details on the SkypeNet API will be coming soon, but we want to start the fun now. Interested in getting on board with SkypeNet now and just can’t wait until we publish more?

Contact us at skypenet@skype.com

Greetings to all of you! Let me introduce myself.

I’m Lester Madden, and have recently joined the Skype fold to help Lenn Pryor and Mat Taylor run the developer programs here at Skype. Like Lenn I am also ex-Microsoft where spent the last 10 years. 4 of those years were in technical support with the last 6 being a Developer Evangelist helping developers build applications. If you have ever used the WeRock247, Football247 or WeFly247 training DVDs they were just some of the projects I created while at Microsoft. If not take a look at www.learn247.net so you can get an idea of the kinds of things you can expect from me.

Today is day two of life at Skype, I am still feeling like the preverbal headless chicken, I have been introduced to many people, been given a PC, pointed to a desk, and given a bunch of tasks to do.

One of the tasks, and the most important, is to help you guys and to ensure that you have everything you need to be successful when developing your Skype applications.

My initial list consists of thinks I want to do are:

• events/seminars
• training workshops
• well documented API’s
• sample code
• knowledge base
• great training resources.

It’s a daunting task, so much to do, so much to learn, but I am here for you, so you can help me get off to a flying start by answering the following question.

What resources can we provide to make your development lives easier?

You have seen my list of things I want to do, but ultimately this is about you and making sure you have what you need.

You can post your responses here, or if you prefer feel free to SkypeMe (Lestermadden) or email me (Lester.Madden@skype.net) whatever works best for you. – I don’t bite and would love to hear from you.

We are very pleased to announce the avialability of the Skype API for Mac OS X.

To use this you should first..

• Download the latest Skype for Mac. API is supported in version 1.0.0.46 or greater - so the current non beta version is not supported at the moment.
• Download Skype.framework and sample code
• Review the Skype API protocol documentation.

Skype API for Mac OS X has currently Cocoa, Carbon and AppleScript interfaces. Cocoa and Carbon interfaces are implemented in Skype.framework. The recommended way to use the Skype framework is to include it in your application as an embedded framework. Copy it into your application bundle and link it to your application.

For more information have at look at the documentation