May 2007

Well, here we are a few weeks later and as promised, we have another release for you.

This is an update to our Alpha release, and includes a few features missing from the first release as well as numerous bugfixes.

Some of the highlights of this release (with regards missing features from 1.3) are the ability to create a new Skype account, Emoticons in Chat, Dialpad, Technical Call Info, and access to the Skype API via X11 and D-BUS.

You can also find in this release the first birthday reminders on the Linux platform, which not only tells you about birthdays today, but also for the next couple of days, giving you a chance to plan some last minute gift ideas and celebrations for your friends.

A number of bugs reported have also been fixed, but we want to ask you to keep those bug reports coming via our Jira development system. This bug reporting system allows you to keep track of bugs that affect you personally. You can also watch bugs and be e-mailed about comments and changes of bugs.

We've also worked around some of the problems affecting Qt 4.3.0 early users, however we should still note that there are still some outstanding issues related to usage of Qt 4.3.0. Unless you need to upgrade for other applications, we recommend sticking to Qt 4.2.2 or a patched version of 4.2.3 for now.

Stay tuned! There'll be another release in another few weeks with more changes and fixes, as well as a couple of new features.

[Download Skype for Linux 1.4 Alpha](https://developer.skype.com/LinuxSkype)

> Patience is a high virtue.
> -- Chaucer.

> To all our most faithful users.
> -- Berkus & Andy.

We're again close to our mother nature birth cycle - nine months between 1.2 and 1.3 and seven months between 1.3 and 1.4. But this early born is an Alpha version, so we will take our two months to make it a real cute baby.

A few sad things before we jump on. This release doesn't have the much anticipated Video and SMS functionality, and there is a reason for it. As our regular readers know, 1.4 is a big rewrite. And it took us some time to learn new things and get them done right. About two months more than we expected, which is not too bad for the software industry. We learned a lot during these months and are happy to provide you with our best ideas, solidly implemented.

The release cycle has also changed and beginning with this release, we expect to release a new version every few weeks until we go Gold, and then some more. We're also seeking more of your involvement too, our users. There is a [public bugtracker](https://developer.skype.com/jira/browse/SCL), where you can report bugs you found and check their status. Of course, before Skype for Linux becomes beta version you should be prepared to take some risks when running it, as it may break things and probably will. But you wanted the bleeding shiny edge, didn't you?

More bright news - this Linux version is on par with Windows 3.2 and Mac 2.6 releases with regards to audio quality. Better device detection, ALSA plugins support and overall improved audio quality was our primary aim for this rewrite (not counting the obvious UI improvements).

There are several other things I would like to direct your attention to, for example, the new File Transfers window. I will highlight most interesting of them in following blog posts, with screenshots and tips.

After this release has passed into beta stages, our next goal will be to implement video features, and this is not too far off. This is radio SKYP, stay tuned for more fun!

You can get the new version via the link below. The page contains a few things you really want to know about this release, so please read it carefully.

We MEAN it. Everyone says "Yeah blah-blah, who reads manuals?", but if you want your Skype to be alive and healthy - read up the documentation and follow the advice.

[Download Skype for Linux 1.4 Alpha](https://developer.skype.com/LinuxSkype)