Poor Reaction to Skype 5 for Mac

Major software updates advertised as improving consistency with Mac OS X’s interface from companies that have multi-platform applications are usually viewed with some relief. Companies sometimes start with Java applets or cross-platform development tools that leave out the nuance and familiarity that Mac users have with how things are done. These sorts of overhauls often come after hiring experienced Mac developers, and the results are frequently welcome and appealing.

But not with Skype 5.

The recent release of the update from Skype 2.x, to bring version numbers in parity with releases from other platforms, appears to have been conceived by a team that was familiar with Mac OS X in the sense that a fish is familiar with dry land by having occasionally sighted it during a leap from the water.

We at TidBITS like this release so little that we agreed to write a tag-team review that also incorporates comments from various forums on which we’ve read responses from long-time Mac users.

specific items to mention
– who is speaking: volume levels on multi-person calls are now represented by intensities of green in the person’s name! Very horrible change
– can’t save chats (read this, haven’t tested it)
– extremely poor and non compact use of space