Install Skype on ubuntu Desktop

I have recently purchased my new Viglen Desktop Computer from ebuyer. It has arrived with Ubuntu 14.04 pre-installed, which is just awesome. However, as with any new machine getting it set up just the way I want to be productive does take a bit of time. In order to speed up this process I have been developing a number of BASH scripts, that I repeatedly run to install skype on ubuntu desktop.

One of the must need tools I need as a remote freelance software developer I use the most is Skype to communicate with customers, colleagues, friends and family.

What is Skype?

Skype uses semi-decentralized peer-to-peer technologies, so your calls do not go through a central server, but through a pool of dedicated servers. It uses its own proprietary communication protocol to achieve this. In addition, all communications are encrypted from end to end so that others cannot listen in. The Skype software is free to use, but it is not free software; the source code is proprietary and not available for review or modification.

The latest release Skype 4.3 for Linux includes:

Updated User Interface (UI)
A new cloud-based Group Chat experienc
Increased reliability for file transfer support when using multiple devices at once
Greater accessibility by blind and visually impaired users
PulseAudio 3.0 and 4.0 support
Support for direct Alsa support had been droppe
A number of Bug Fixes and enhancements

Installing Skype on ubuntu

I ran into a couple of issues installing skype on my new PC, and had to customise my bash script to cope. This script is now robust enough for me to reuse on all my new deployments of machines.

#!/bin/bash
apt-get autoremove --purge skype
apt-get install libasound2-plugins:i386
dpkg --add-architecture i386
apt-get install --reinstall libgl1-mesa-dri:i386
add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner"
apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && apt-get dist-upgrade -y
apt-get install skype

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Once the script has finished executing, simply search for skype in your Scopes and click to start the application.

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Gary Woodfine

Technical Director at threenine.co.uk

Gary is Technical Director at threenine.co.uk, an independent software vendor specialising in IoT, Field Service and associated managed services,enabling customers to be efficient, productive, secure and scale-able.