Re: [gentoo-user] Skype now will only work with pulseaudio?

[Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com>]

On 22/06/2014 18:53, Mick wrote:
> I was surprised to find that skype now has the pulseaudio flag set as a 
> default.  Well, that didn't really surprise me, but what did is that after I 
> unset the pulseaudio flag and emerged skype-4.3.0.37, audio in skype no longer 
> works.  :-/
> 
> The skype website says that alsa is no longer supported without pulseaudio in 
> their freshly cut Microsoft-owned code.  Why is then the pulseaudio flag 
> provided in portage, if without audio skype would lose its core functionality 
> - i.e. making voice calls?  I guess someone may only use it for IM chat, but 
> that I would think is an edge use case.  Most people I know would use it for 
> voice and perhaps video calls.
> 
> In any case, should I install pulseaudio?  So far I had not missed it in my 
> world to manage my audio needs.  Looking at the wiki page:
> 
>  http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/PulseAudio
> 
> it seems awfully complicated to me, for something which for my purposes would 
> be just a new 'alsamixer'. :p
> 
> Are you using PA and how would you suggest I go about installing and 
> configuring it (if I must) for minimal interference with my audio usage?
> 

Why don't you rather peg skype at the last version know to work with
alsa, and mask everything newer?

If it were me, I'd switch to PA because I wanted to, not because skype
made me. And I don't think you'd be running any additional security risk
- skype is rather likely to be riddled with bugs that never get fixed
anyway...

OK, my cynic side is showing, but you get the drift

-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan.mckinnon@gmail.com