I say let them. I know the N9 crowd will be hurt if this indeed does affect the mobile sector; however let's be honest. Bigger, better and more secure needs to happen. And since Skype was willingly snooped upon by Microsoft for the NSA, why would you even want it any longer?

Tox looks great. I wish them luck.

screw microsoft its even going to push us for more independence...

Instant messaging:

https://www.pidgin.im/
https://otr.cypherpunks.ca/
https://github.com/prof7bit/TorChat/wiki
http://www.bitlbee.org/main.php/news.r.html
https://guardianproject.info/apps/chatsecure/
http://www.xabber.com/
https://chatsecure.org/


Video conferencing & VoIP:

https://jitsi.org/
https://www.linphone.org/
http://mumble.sourceforge.net/
https://code.google.com/p/csipsimple/

Both combined...?

I want skype because a lot of my friends use it. It is the main messaging service I use. (together with an IRC channel and a little bit Whats-app).

If you really want "bigger and better" why use an old N9 ??
It is hard to deny that other smartphones are bigger and at least better from a pure hardware point of view.

The fact that an online service is monitored by the NSA doesn't really make the service less secure than ordinary phone-calls, and doesn't make the N9 itself less secure.
The main security concern for most people in mobile phones is the possibility of identity theft when your phone is stolen, or when an installed application isn't what the user thought (malware).

I'm not entirely sure about all the security features in the N9, but the N900 for example is really not secure by default. Wifi, account and online password can be recovered from a stolen N900 rather easily, and applications aren't sandboxed by default.

It is very difficult for a consumer to judge the security of mobile phones. My impression is that security actually is a high priority for both iOS and Android, but I have doubts about the security in the N9 and Windows Phone. My impression is that it is more of an afterthought in these devices (but practically also less of an issue because of the smaller user-base)

tox because it server-less protocol. peer-to-peer connection. you can encrypt your traffic and nobody can listen you

and Custodian working for tox for harmattan

В честь чего? Что в харматтане что маемо не используется desktop API, у нас тут SkypeKIT который будет работать пока они не сменят протокол, или скайп забанит ключ нашего скайпкита.

"SkypeKit is no longer accepting new developer registrations. If you are developing websites or applications that you want to integrate with Skype, check out the Skype URIs."

and

How Skype URIs work

In its simplest form, you can embed a hyperlink referencing a Skype URI in a webpage to place a Skype call. For example, to initiate a call to the Skype Echo / Sound Test Service, the link would be:
<a href="skype:echo123?call">Call the Skype Echo / Sound Test Service</a>Clicking the link:

1. Brings the device’s Skype client into focus, starting it as necessary.
2. Effects auto-login or prompts your users for their Skype Name and password.
3. Typically opens a confirmation dialog to authorize placing the call.
4. Places the call

So what? Already integrated in maemo for example, skypekit should works as long as protocol stays same.

Haven't you read that article ( http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...ds-to-petition )?

"... discontinue Skype's Desktop API ..."

It is *desktop* API. Windows version using COM, Linux version DBus or X11 Messaging (via X11 Atom properties). That desktop API is used to communicate with running instance of Skype. For example 3rd application can make voice call or ask for list of contacts. Some IM clients have skype support via this desktop API.

This *desktop* API is implemented in client and is used for other applications. So MS cannot stop/shutdown this API. Only can offer you to upgrade Skype to new version which will be without desktop API.

So it has absolutely *nothing* with our mobile skype implementation (skyhost) in Maemo and Harmattan.

Btw, some years ago I worked on skype plugin for KDE4 IM client Kopete (it should still work on linux with skype 2.x) which using that desktop API via DBus, so I know more about it...

Regarding Tox as Skype replacement:
There are already GTK/Qt/QML frontends, but the question is - do we need another separate app for this protocol? Of course we don't.

Tox Telepathy plugin hasn't been made yet, but there's already a Pidgin's libpurple plugin available. We already have telepathy-haze in the repos, so using this plugin in the integrated messaging app should be quite easy. We just need to compile Tox and the libpurple plugin.

PS: Corrent me if I'm wrong - this is the first time I hear about Tox.