Use old Skype version after 01.08.2014

[greengeek]

I have modified my skype combo pet (for slacko 5.6) so that there is now a longer time available for the user to enter their login details and tick the "keep me signed in" checkbox. I found that the previous 30 second window did not give me enough time if I had enjoyed a glass of wine

EDIT : I should mention that I only use skype in a "Live puppy session" - in other words I do not keep a savefile. That way I avoid retaining any login traces from each skype session.

New version of the pet is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/odxu2 ... gg-1.5.pet

New version of the sfs here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/0fd5i ... gg-1.5.sfs

Usage method described here:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 952#800952

Basically it uses skype 4.3 for the login, then automatically stops it and starts skype 4.2 so that it can run with the standard puppy alsa, instead of mucking round with pulseaudio.

New login timeout is 45 seconds, so be sure to wait till that has timed out before making calls.

Here's how it works:

1) Just install the pet or the sfs
(if you use the sfs choose 'skypelogin' when it asks you)
(If you use the pet choose 'skypelogin' from the internet menu)

2) You'll get 45 seconds during which time you must do the following:
- agree to the skype terms
- enter your username and password
- tick the 'log me in each time skype starts' (tiny checkbox visble at bottom of login screen when you enter your username/password)
- click 'login'

Skype 4.3 will log you in and display your contacts, then at the end of the 45 seconds it will close down and automatically login Skype 4.2 (which will run with alsa instead of needing pulseaudio as 4.3 does)
.

[saintless]

Thanks, Greengeek!
First post link changed to the new packages.

Toni

[technosaurus]

I have modified my skype combo pet (for slacko 5.6) so that there is now a longer time available for the user to enter their login details and tick the "keep me signed in" checkbox. I found that the previous 30 second window did not give me enough time if I had enjoyed a glass of wine

wait, you removed the feature that prevents drunk-dialing

[greengeek]

Just edited my post above to note that I use these skype pets and sfs in 'live session' only, so that way I avoid any skype config/login details being retained by a savefile.

In general I do not use any savefiles at all and rely on having my personalisations set up as a readonly sfs. For skyping I have made a puppy with this 'no-savefile' structure if anyone wants to try it. Details here. It is weighty because it also includes Softmaker Freeoffice so really needs 1gig of ram if the user wants to run the personalisation script. Otherwise it will run on lower ram just as a live CD without personalisations.

[sketchman]

Thanks OP.

This works great. Using the 4.2 from the OP and the latest Skype to login.

Great work.

[greengeek]

I have made another version of my combo pet so that it stops any currently running session of Skype, then removes the /root/.Skype directory to clear out any expired credentials or corruptions or incompatibilities, then it starts the login process. I also added a popup advising the user to wait till Skype is ready. This just makes it a bit easier to see whats happening.

I made this version for testing on Slacko 5.7.0 (PAE) but it works fine on my Slacko 5.6 too.

Download here

Usage details in post above

[mawasley]

You made the combo package for slacko but it won't work on precise....do you have one for precise also? I not able to do anything more than download a pet package.
thanks.

[greengeek]

You made the combo package for slacko but it won't work on precise....do you have one for precise also? I not able to do anything more than download a pet package.
thanks.

Sorry - stuck on android ph with no PC access at present. Will check out precise later this week..

[greengeek]

.
Combo pet for use on Precise 5.7.1

You made the combo package for slacko but it won't work on precise....do you have one for precise also? I not able to do anything more than download a pet package.
thanks.

Hi mawasley, I have made a combo pet that I have tested on Precise 5.7.1 (I did not use a savefile - just a fresh boot from CD)

Download here:
https://www.mediafire.com/?7poj62b53bhdxjq

HowTo:
- First set your mixer controls so that the correct microphone is selected and capture/playback levels are set correctly. (ask if you need help with this).
- Connect to the internet (Do this even if you have already downloaded the combo pet into local storage. Skype can't load properly without an active internet connection).
- Download and install the pet.
- Run "skyeplogin" from the internet menu (NOTE - dont run "Skype" - only "skypelogin").
- Read the orange advisory note at top of screen (write down what it says if you need to). It will help you login correctly. Leave it onscreen until you have finished the login phase.
- Accept the Skype terms of use.
- Type your Skypename into the appropriate box.
- Type your password into the appropriate box.
- Look down the bottom right of the login screen and tick the tiny checkbox that says "Sign me in when Skype starts" (This is very important).
- Click the large "Sign in" button.

Skype 4.3 will start up and run through it's login validation and internal setup. It may display outstanding messages and chats etc. Don't try to make any calls at this time as sound is not yet set up.

At this point you can acknowledge the previous orange advisory message by closing it. Then you see a different (gray terminal) advisory screen pop up. You should now make some changes in the skype options menu:
- In the advanced menu turn off "Check for updates on startup"
- In the Sound Devices menu turn off "Allow Skype to automatically adjust my mixer levels"
- In the Privacy menu tick "Allow my status to be shown on the web"
- In the General menu you may wish to tick "Auto-accept files"
- In the Video Devices menu you may want to activate "Start my video automatically when I am in a call" and also set who is allowed to receive video.

Click "Apply" for each change!

Once the options are set you are ready to let the auto restart script carry on. It asks you to enter yes when you are ready, so just click into the advisory script box and type:
yes
(then hit the enter key).

The script will close the skypelogin phase and restart into Skype 4.2

Once your contacts list reappears you are ready to start making calls.

This sounds like a longwinded method, but hey, it works for me...
Please post back any failures or successes (what works on my hardware may not work the same on yours...)
.

[mawasley]

thks. GreenGeek for yr. reply and excellent instructions> download/install went fine, but after running SKYPELOGIN, nothing happened after the orange advisory box appeared.....could not continue with the login.

Any idea what is wrong? Should i run SKYPE.....thks.

[mawasley]

hi again...tried uninstalling/deleting the pet and then redownload/install(which showed installed) but SKYPE OR SKYPELOGIN don't appear in the internet menu now?

I won?t try anything else for now.

[greengeek]

but after running SKYPELOGIN, nothing happened after the orange advisory box appeared....

Hi mawasley. Thanks for giving this pet a try. It looks as if there must have been some error when the script tried to run the skypelogin program.
In order to see what that error was it will be necessary to try the whole process again, but instead of running skypelogin from the menu, please try running it from a terminal.
Start the terminal (console) and type:
skypelogin
Then see if any errors are shown in the terminal.
cheers!

[mawasley]

hi greengeek, sorry to report that nothing happens when i type SKYPELOGIN in the terminal(console) and hit the enter key.

Looks like it just won't work so maybe we should just forget about this. I do appreciate yr. helping on this.
thks.
mark

[mawasley]

Hi greengeek;
skype video/tel. is working now after I reread yr. instructions and OPENED the pet instead of SAVING it......I only work off of a live cd anyway. This was new for me since I never downloaded a pet without saving it. Anyway, I was finally able to find and install the pet.

The only problem I see is that when I restart the computer, I have to go through the same procedure as before starting at the SKYPELOGIN (internet menu) and changing settings in the skype options.

Is there someway to avoid this?

Thanks so much for your help.
Mark

[greengeek]

The only problem I see is that when I restart the computer, I have to go through the same procedure as before starting at the SKYPELOGIN (internet menu) and changing settings in the skype options.
Is there someway to avoid this?

Unfortunately I havent found an easy way to avoid that yet. So far it seems to me that some options settings (as well as history) are remembered by the Skype server, and some are remembered locally. However, my method deletes any pre-existing /root/.Skype folder so previous local settings are lost. This was the only way i could make it work on my systems, although I understand some people were able to save that folder and reload it manually as a method to remember the important options (although I think that can cause problems with credential expiry after a month, but I'm not certain)

I am still tinkering with different ways to get Skype to start up so I will post back if i find usable ways to recall previous settings.

I'm glad you've been able to get something going anyway - thanks for posting back.

[saintless]

However, my method deletes any pre-existing /root/.Skype folder so previous local settings are lost. This was the only way i could make it work on my systems, although I understand some people were able to save that folder and reload it manually as a method to remember the important options (although I think that can cause problems with credential expiry after a month, but I'm not certain)

If you keep pre-existing /root/.Skype folder, as long as you use skype 4.3 to login manually each time Credentials key will be auto updated in 30 days without problems. But this means the user will have to logout instead quiting Skype from the taskbar each time. Logout will remove the autologin option saved in /root/.Skype folder.
Quiting from taskbar will make skype 4.3 also to autologin. Then there is a possibility for Credentials key expire message and account blocked till you write Skype team to unblock your account. The procedure takes two days.
Maybe worth trying to remove only pre-existing /root/.Skype/user-name/config.xml
This is where Credentials key is saved and if it is missing the autologin (saved in /root/.Skype/shared.xml) will not work also. Then you will have manually login each time skype 4.3 starts and maybe all user settings will be available.
If it does not work you can try to remove with sed only pre-existing line <Credentials3</Credentials3> from /root/.Skype/user-name/config.xml
Something like this should work (if the user-name is correct):

Code: Select all

sed -i '/Credentials/d' $HOME/.Skype/user-name/config.xml

Toni

[mawasley]

thks. greengeek and toni for the info.;
For now, i'll stick with the original protocol for opening skype....it is not the hard to do....if you find an easy solution, please let me know.

thks.
mark

[ricci]

hello,

iam nu to this forum. using debian wheezy i am able to use the workaround on page 1 to use

skype 4.2 instead of skype 4.3 (useful beecause on 64bit wheezy skype 4.3 is buggy with bumps and pulseaudio).
unfortunately video does not work

so i'd like to use skype 2.2

but using the workaround on page 1 i still cannot login by typeing "skype22"


what do i need to adjust?



thanks

[saintless]

so i'd like to use skype 2.2

but using the workaround on page 1 i still cannot login by typeing "skype22"


what do i need to adjust?

You need to add one line <SavePassword>1</SavePassword> in /root/.Skype/shared.xml (or /home/your-user-name/.Skype/shared.xml) before starting skype22. Autologin setup does not work without this line for skype 2.2 and skype 4.0:

5. (Adding this line is needed for Skype 2.2 to work - Skype 4.2 will work without this step.) Open with text editor /root/.Skype/shared.xml and add one SavePassword line (after </Pos> and before </UI>) near at the end like this:

Code: Select all

    </Pos>
    <SavePassword>1</SavePassword>
  </UI>
</config>

Save /root/.Skype/shared.xml changes.

I still use skype 2.2.0.35 this way without problems.

[ricci]

hello ,

thank you i will try that out.

but can you video-phone with skype 2.2 or skype 4.2 ? or do you need for that the newest skpye with pulseaudio?

thank you,
richard