I haven't ever used an Extras, partly because I've never heard of them.

On the other hand, developers are generally what attract customers - take Firefox as an example. People like it because they can do what they like with the software.

I have a feeling that in the long term this may be a mistake - perhaps promoting the good extras more would have been more sensible.

I'm a developer of a Skype Extra. This was poorly handled. We got an email notification that the program is being shut down this morning - at the same time that the news hit.

@rich.bradshaw - lack of visibility was exactly the problem. If Extras were made visible in the client and easy to install then the Extras program could have been a hit. It's a shame to see it killed off rather than improved.

Whatever caused this misunderstanding in Skype’s information: Pamela for Skype and PamFax for Skype will NOT BE AFFECTED by this change in Skype, as these products do not depend on the Skype Extras system.
See http://www.pamnews.com/2009/09/11/no-skype-extras-anymore/ for a detailed explanation.

-Christoph
Pamela & PamFax Team

Why does it have to be discontinued? I used the Extras, specially the games section to play with my brother in Brazil. It's a shame. It wasn't really a waste of money, right? The developers were paying for it.
I think that the partnership with eBay is the one which should be discontinued.

In my opinion the problem of poor extras popularity was caused by lack of its promotion. I'm using Skype for many years but I now, for the first time, I've heard about extras

We have a Skype Extra that's been very successful since we first launched just over a year ago – we’re now over 1.4 Million users. Skype has been growing at an extraordinary pace and with the new investors come new opportunities and new solutions. I’m confident that Skype is working on better ways to deliver value to their users. With growth comes change and the transition phase is sometimes disruptive - but Skype’s intentions are for delivering a better service. So let’s wait and see how applications are part of their new services.

I've used skype for several years and have enjoyed several of the skype extras. I agree with most of the comments above that the "extras" weren't really marketed well. I think if it had, then they would have done well.

Apple has marketed the iPhone and apps store very well and although it's tightly controlled, many people develop apps for the iphone & ipod touch.....it's all about marketing folks.

This is a loss for everyone.

Hello. Where should I send a final invoice detailing the full amount of the gross revenue?

Does that mean that it is no longer possible to develop applications using the Skype API ? And if no, are the applications / the skype API, is going to stay in the future ?
Thanks for letting me know. deom2 @ yahoo.com

Skype Extras really made Skype for me.
As of now, I will look for a different IM.

You handled this in such an un caring, abrupt manner that you are hardly fit to offer a 'customer service' like this any more.

Like you say that extras are still available, but the "Extras tab" is not.

Hi,I have been a Skype user for 3 years and this is the first time I have come across Skype extras in version 4.1 So guys, you have not been marketing this in the right way at all. Hope you will reconsider as some extras are great and I shall be using them

nooo=(((
my extras just dissapeared when i was about to play some games with my boyfriend=(((( y dont you just advertise it more, n then more people will play games. I discovered the extras only not long ago, but i have been using skype for couple of years.

I developed a few tools using the Public API and it really rocks. But I found that everything related to plugins/extras was really crappy and outdated, no support for modern development platforms like .NET, insufficient documentation plus overly complicated processes.

No wonder that the resulting products didn't offer much added value: There were a lot of simple crappy applications, for which one could easily find better Open Source alternatives, and a lack of serious tools, such for collaboration and project management which could come even close to Google Apps. So I am glad extras shut down - it was overdue.

Now you should focus more on the public API and extend it with neat features such Drag & Drop from the Skype application windows. Hoping for the best! Tobias

I, too, for the record will say I found this blog because I was looking for a way to suggest a new Extra… which I’ve never used, but just found out about tonight, looking for a way to chat with multiple users. (FWIW, I was hoping maybe Skype had a Chinese chess game; you’ve got hella users on the Mainland, right?) I can’t say for sure whether or not I would have used m/any of them had I known, but it does seem that—I get enough annoying pop-ups about other Skype features I already know/don’t care about—maybe a little more promotion may have been in order.

I made one application for skype that allows taking screenshots and working on it and sending them directly through Skype (Screen Tool - http://www.tuckdesign.com/products/screen-tool). It is pitty that extras are shut down. But if public API will still exist we can still develop applications for Skype. Think only difference will be that developers will need to market their applications instead of Skype.
But question that comes to my mind is: will public API exist in future? It was there for application developers, and Skype had earnings from them. But now?

I made one application for skype that allows taking screenshots and working on it and sending them directly through Skype (Screen Tool - http://www.tuckdesign.com/products/screen-tool ). It is pitty that extras are shut down. But if public API will still exist we can still develop applications for Skype. Think only difference will be that developers will need to market their applications instead of Skype.
But question that comes to my mind is: will public API exist in future? It was there for application developers, and Skype had earnings from them. But now?

Skype is evil because Skype will permanently keep your Skype account no matter what. After the time-wasting hassle of sending e-mail concerns and sending e-mail complaints regarding account deactivation and account cancellation when I don't need these guys, Skype is evil - because once you sign up, their genetically-engineered artificial toxic will preserve their names and their personal data so they will never decompose and will never corrode as they will linger throughout the servers of soul-less minds. If anything like this, Skype will end up becoming like a landfill full of unused accounts, making it not efficient and not good for the server environment.

So before you sign up at Skype, you better think of a good reason about why they will keep their account names for no reason. Skype is evil.