Re: [tlug] Skype or Something Better?

[Darren Cook <darren@example.com>]

> I think its more about limiting the varieties of possible new hardware 
> required to use the app.  The desktop web app can be used for messaging 
> only, but the phone does messaging and voice. ....

Whoa... I'd missed that. WhatsApp on desktop is just a chat application!

> unlike the "old" Skype where they had to make allowances (and drivers) 
> for all different types of hardware, cams, and headsets, the phone app 
> runs on top of a phone OS that is already controlling all of those 
> things, reducing the programming required.

Thankfully HTML5 solved (*) all those problems, e.g.

https://www.pubnub.com/blog/2015-08-25-webrtc-video-chat-app-in-20-lines-of-javascript/

(I even stumbled on this API the other day, so recording your video
conferences should be possible, all from inside the browser:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/MediaStream_Recording_API
)(Chrome 49+ on both desktop/mobile, and Firefox 25+ on both
desktop/mobile).

...it seems Apple cannot work out how to implement WebRTC though. I can
see how lack of iOS support could hold back adoption.  (But why are
Apple motivated to kill/slowdown a technology that would hurt Skype,
WebEx, WhatsApp... they are all competitors?)

Darren



*: "Solved", as in pushed the problem on to the poor people who are
writing cross-platform browsers.