Skype 4.0 for Linux
First off, we'd like to thank our Skype for Linux users for your patience awaiting Skype 4.0 for Linux, codenamed ‘Four Rooms for Improvement,’ which is now available. With this release, we have finally filled the gap with our other desktop clients and we are now making …
Context & Ripple Effects
The Linux client has been Skype's laggard for half a decade: Skype 1.4 only left beta in October 2007, Windows reached 4.0 in February 2009, and Mac got its own overhaul in January 2011. Version 4.0 for Linux, codenamed 'Four Rooms for Improvement,' finally closes that gap — and it ships under Microsoft, making this one of the first visible tests of how the new owner treats non-Windows desktops.
The story travelled widely for a niche-platform release, picked up same-day by ZDNet, Geek.com, The H Open Source and Techie Buzz, which reflects how closely the Linux community watches whether Skype will keep supporting them at all.
First-order effects
- Linux desktop users gain the same interface and audio/video feature set as Windows and Mac users, ending a feature lag that dates back to the 2007 1.4 release.
- For Microsoft, this is the first major proof point that Skype development continues on non-Windows platforms after the acquisition.
Second-order effects
- Client parity makes Skype easier to bundle downstream: partnerships like Comcast's Xfinity video calling and the GE home-phone hardware depend on a consistent experience across operating systems.
- With all three desktops on the same codebase generation, Microsoft can roll out paid and premium features uniformly instead of Windows-first, changing how updates reach Linux users.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Skype operates as one service with per-OS clients on independent clocks — Linux as a supported tier, albeit one that trailed Windows 4.0 by more than three years.
- A single owner running the dominant VoIP client across every major desktop OS raises the bar for standalone communication apps competing for the same screen.
The trend: Under Microsoft, Skype is converging its desktop clients toward cross-platform feature parity, with Linux trailing by years rather than being cut loose.