Skype's new website...

[Grall]

Apparantly they're getting desperate about making some money out of that damn thing, because they won't let you download the client anymore without either creating an account or signing in to an existing one first.

So...fuck 'em. I was going to install it on another PC just to try out the microphone input and see if it worked, but when they're being so obstructive I ended up throwing away that shit from my other PC and my iPhone too. They can keep their junk.

 

[Lux_]

I had this situation once, about half a year ago.
But after that I've downloaded Skype 3 times from various computers without having to log in.

Weird indeed...

 

[epicstruggle]

I had this situation once, about half a year ago.
But after that I've downloaded Skype 3 times from various computers without having to log in.

Weird indeed...

Same, didn't have to log in to download. Just checked.

 

[Malo]

What does having an account and signing into Skype have to do with spending money with them or not?

 

[Blazkowicz]

there's a cost in giving away your mail address and other details, though in the present case if you need the skype account to use the software in the first place, the issue is pretty academic.

the other day, a punk was asking for a SMS. nerd buddy says, what about using a free SMS sending website? Punk said, they're gonna spam that poor phone number with advertising. I quickly agreed.

a peeve of mine is youtube switching to google accounts - it was not mandatory at first but became so, and my account was converted. logging in is mandatory for viewing some "not for kids" contents.
so if I'm use to some other google service I will create another google account - what crap I watch is none of their business, I won't allow them cross-datamining me too much.

 

[ninelven]

what crap I watch is none of their business, I won't allow them cross-datamining me too much.

...you do realize they have your ip address?

 

[Blazkowicz]

but a login is much more reliable. what with proxies, routers and not always being in the same place. what scares me most is all those facebook logins everywhere.

 

[ninelven]

My point being... unless you are completely paranoid in your usage behavior, it is well within Google's capability to piece together such data (if they want).

 

[Grall]

What does having an account and signing into Skype have to do with spending money with them or not?

If they make you sign in, they have more opportunities to try and convince you to spend some cash on their payment-only services. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book.

 

[Malo]

So you're angry with Skype because you don't think you will be able to resist giving them money for services you don't want?

 

[Grall]

Just irritated over an unneccessary inconvenience, because if I actually wanted to trade a secure and reliable paid service (POTS) for an insecure and unreliable paid one (skype), I would just go ahead and do that. Them badgering me by neccessitating logins and whatnot is not neccessary, nor desireable.

 

[Blazkowicz]

My point being... unless you are completely paranoid in your usage behavior, it is well within Google's capability to piece together such data (if they want).

ouch, when I go to http://google.fr i.e. the plain google search, I'm cross-logged-in there already if I'm logged into youtube.
disabling 3rd party cookies in firefox hasn't fixed it.

google is kind enough to tell me, if I go into account parameters and click on some link, that it logs my web searches in addition to my youtube views, and that all is tied to my "official" email (which I use for reputable sites, and dumbly used on youtube before the google tie-in)

I won't get the black helicopters anytime soon but it's quite telling that an educated user such as me can fall inadvertedly in that "trap".