Difference between revisions of "Skype"
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[[Category:Audio/Video]] | [[Category:Audio/Video]] | ||
[[Category:Telephony and Voice]] | [[Category:Telephony and Voice]] | ||
+ | == Installation == | ||
− | + | [[pacman|Install]] {{Pkg|skype}} from the [[official repositories]]. If you have a 64-bit system, enable the [[multilib]] repository first as Skype is 32-bit only. | |
− | [[pacman|Install]] {{Pkg|skype}} from the [[official repositories]]. If you have a 64-bit system, enable the [[multilib]] repository first as Skype is 32-bit only. | ||
Running Skype is just as easy. Type {{Ic|skype}} into a terminal or double-click the Skype icon on your desktop or in your DE's application menu. | Running Skype is just as easy. Type {{Ic|skype}} into a terminal or double-click the Skype icon on your desktop or in your DE's application menu. | ||
− | ==Securing Skype== | + | == Skype sound == |
+ | |||
+ | Skype supports [[ALSA]] and [[PulseAudio]]. [[OSS]] is no longer supported. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === ALSA === | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sound should work out of the box, if not you can select a sound device to use in Skype options. If you have problems with Skype blocking your sound device, you only need to add the following to your {{ic|~/.asoundrc}} | ||
+ | pcm.dmixout { | ||
+ | # Just pass this on to the system dmix | ||
+ | type plug | ||
+ | slave { | ||
+ | pcm "dmix" | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | then you can start Skype as normal, go to the audio options and select dmixout as your speaker- and ringingdevice. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === PulseAudio === | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sound should work out of the box, if not you can select another input using pavucontrol (you may have to install it first). | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you are on x86_64 and use the multilib {{Pkg|skype}} package, you also need {{Pkg|lib32-libpulse}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === OSS (Pre-2.0, no longer available) === | ||
+ | |||
+ | Option B is preferred over other options. | ||
+ | With option B you can use Skype AND let other programs play sound too. | ||
+ | With option C you can do that too, but option B is way easier to set up. | ||
+ | |||
+ | You can install the legacy {{Pkg|skype-oss}} from Comunity repo. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you need 64x-86x support then download an OSS compatible version from [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ydhmj4yo3i here] and the PKGBUILD form [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=18312 here.] Also install {{Pkg|lib32-libxinerama}}. Finally, run | ||
+ | $ makepkg -s | ||
+ | to create the pacman installable package. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== A. With OSS or Kernel OSS emulation for ALSA ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Start Skype and make sure no other program is using your soundcard. | ||
+ | If you want to use Skype AND let another program play sound too, look at option B instead. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== B. Making ALSA + dMix work for Skype ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | First of all, we need to install the {{Pkg|alsa-oss}} package with [[pacman]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Add the following to {{ic|~/.asoundrc}}. If the file does not exist yet, just create it! (Many thanks to Lorenzo Colitti for figuring this out!) | ||
+ | |||
+ | # .asoundrc to use skype at the same time as other audio apps like xmms | ||
+ | # | ||
+ | # Successfully tested on an IBM x40 with i810_audio using Linux 2.6.15 and | ||
+ | # Debian unstable with skype 1.2.0.18-API. No sound daemons (asound, esd, etc.) | ||
+ | # running. However, YMMV. | ||
+ | # | ||
+ | # For background, see: | ||
+ | # | ||
+ | # https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1228 | ||
+ | # https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1224 | ||
+ | # | ||
+ | # (C) 2006-06-03 Lorenzo Colitti - http://www.colitti.com/lorenzo/ | ||
+ | # Licensed under the GPLv2 or later | ||
+ | |||
+ | pcm.skype { | ||
+ | type asym | ||
+ | playback.pcm "skypeout" | ||
+ | capture.pcm "skypein" | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | |||
+ | pcm.skypein { | ||
+ | # Convert from 8-bit unsigned mono (default format set by aoss when | ||
+ | # /dev/dsp is opened) to 16-bit signed stereo (expected by dsnoop) | ||
+ | # | ||
+ | # We cannot just use a "plug" plugin because although the open will | ||
+ | # succeed, the buffer sizes will be wrong and we will hear no sound at | ||
+ | # all. | ||
+ | type route | ||
+ | slave { | ||
+ | pcm "skypedsnoop" | ||
+ | format S16_LE | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | ttable { | ||
+ | 0 {0 0.5} | ||
+ | 1 {0 0.5} | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | |||
+ | pcm.skypeout { | ||
+ | # Just pass this on to the system dmix | ||
+ | type plug | ||
+ | slave { | ||
+ | pcm "dmix" | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | |||
+ | pcm.skypedsnoop { | ||
+ | type dsnoop | ||
+ | ipc_key 1133 | ||
+ | slave { | ||
+ | # "Magic" buffer values to get skype audio to work | ||
+ | # If these are not set, opening /dev/dsp succeeds but no sound | ||
+ | # will be heard. According to the ALSA developers this is due | ||
+ | # to skype abusing the OSS API. | ||
+ | pcm "hw:0,0" | ||
+ | period_size 256 | ||
+ | periods 16 | ||
+ | buffer_size 16384 | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | bindings { | ||
+ | 0 0 | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you get the error message : | ||
+ | |||
+ | The dmix plugin supports only playback stream | ||
+ | |||
+ | then add the following to {{ic|.asoundrc}}: | ||
+ | |||
+ | pcm.asymed { | ||
+ | type asym | ||
+ | playback.pcm "dmix" | ||
+ | capture.pcm "dsnoop" | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | |||
+ | pcm.!default { | ||
+ | type plug | ||
+ | slave.pcm "asymed" | ||
+ | } | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Now run Skype in this way each time you want to use it: | ||
+ | ALSA_OSS_PCM_DEVICE="skype" aoss skype | ||
+ | |||
+ | Optionally you can make a script to start Skype: | ||
+ | |||
+ | As root, create the file: {{ic|/usr/bin/askype}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | # Little script to run Skype correctly using the modified .asoundrc | ||
+ | # See: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Skype for more information! | ||
+ | # | ||
+ | # Questions/Remarks: profox@debianbox.be | ||
+ | |||
+ | ALSA_OSS_PCM_DEVICE="skype" aoss skype | ||
+ | |||
+ | Now make sure every user is able to execute the file: | ||
+ | # chmod a+x /usr/bin/askype | ||
+ | |||
+ | You can also fix the menu entry so you can start Skype from the your window manager's menu: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Edit the file: {{ic|/usr/share/applications/skype.desktop}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | [Desktop Entry] | ||
+ | Name=Skype | ||
+ | Comment=P2P software for high-quality voice communication | ||
+ | Exec=askype | ||
+ | Icon=skype.png | ||
+ | Terminal=0 | ||
+ | Type=Application | ||
+ | Encoding=UTF-8 | ||
+ | Categories=Network;Application; | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sometimes it takes a while for Skype to start up but once it is loaded it should work ok! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== C. Using OSS emulation with oss2jack ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AUR|oss2jack}} is another way to have OSS emulation without using ALSA directly. Instead, oss2jack creates a OSS device that forwards everything to JACK (JACK Audio Connection Kit), which in turn mixes, then outputs to the standard ALSA device. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Securing Skype == | ||
+ | |||
There are a couple of reasons you might want to restrict Skype's access to your computer: | There are a couple of reasons you might want to restrict Skype's access to your computer: | ||
* The skype binary is disguised against decompiling, so nobody is (still) able to reproduce what it really does. | * The skype binary is disguised against decompiling, so nobody is (still) able to reproduce what it really does. | ||
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See [http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~salman/skype/index.html] for more information. | See [http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~salman/skype/index.html] for more information. | ||
− | ===AppArmor=== | + | === AppArmor === |
+ | |||
Follow the instructions [[AppArmor|here]] to set up AppArmor. | Follow the instructions [[AppArmor|here]] to set up AppArmor. | ||
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{{Note|This example assumes that Skype is configured to save received files into {{ic|~/Public}}. Feel free to change it to any folder you like.}} | {{Note|This example assumes that Skype is configured to save received files into {{ic|~/Public}}. Feel free to change it to any folder you like.}} | ||
− | To use the profile, first be sure {{ | + | To use the profile, first be sure {{ic|securityfs}} is mounted, |
# mount -t securityfs securityfs /sys/kernel/security | # mount -t securityfs securityfs /sys/kernel/security | ||
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Now you can run Skype restricted but as your own user. Denials are logged in {{ic|messages.log}}. | Now you can run Skype restricted but as your own user. Denials are logged in {{ic|messages.log}}. | ||
− | ===TOMOYO=== | + | === TOMOYO === |
Follow the instructions [[TOMOYO_Linux#TOMOYO_Linux_2.x|here]] to install TOMOYO. Please note that this section describes using TOMOYO 2.5. | Follow the instructions [[TOMOYO_Linux#TOMOYO_Linux_2.x|here]] to install TOMOYO. Please note that this section describes using TOMOYO 2.5. | ||
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Please note that this config is generated on 64-bit Arch system, and some of your ioctls and library paths may differ from mentioned above. So in order to fine-tune TOMOYO config for your Skype load {{ic|tomoyo-auditd}} daemon: | Please note that this config is generated on 64-bit Arch system, and some of your ioctls and library paths may differ from mentioned above. So in order to fine-tune TOMOYO config for your Skype load {{ic|tomoyo-auditd}} daemon: | ||
− | + | # systemctl start tomoyo-auditd | |
Then go to {{ic|/var/log/tomoyo}} folder and start watching {{ic|reject_003.log}}: | Then go to {{ic|/var/log/tomoyo}} folder and start watching {{ic|reject_003.log}}: | ||
− | + | tail -f reject_003.log | |
The output of this command will show you rejected actions for Skype, so you'll be able to add them to {{ic|domain_policy.conf}} file if needed. | The output of this command will show you rejected actions for Skype, so you'll be able to add them to {{ic|domain_policy.conf}} file if needed. | ||
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Detailed guide about TOMOYO configuring can be found [http://tomoyo.sourceforge.jp/2.5/index.html.en here]. | Detailed guide about TOMOYO configuring can be found [http://tomoyo.sourceforge.jp/2.5/index.html.en here]. | ||
− | ===Use Skype with special user=== | + | === Use Skype with special user === |
+ | |||
Instead of using AppArmor or TOMOYO which require the installation of extra packages, one may prefer to add a special user. This user is only used for running Skype within one's normal environment. This approach restricts Skype to reading only the data of this particular user instead of one's main user. (The new user should not be used for any other thing. Skype only.) | Instead of using AppArmor or TOMOYO which require the installation of extra packages, one may prefer to add a special user. This user is only used for running Skype within one's normal environment. This approach restricts Skype to reading only the data of this particular user instead of one's main user. (The new user should not be used for any other thing. Skype only.) | ||
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==== Open URLs in your user's browser ==== | ==== Open URLs in your user's browser ==== | ||
+ | |||
When one clicks URL in chat window, skype execute [[xdg-open]] to handle it. By default {{ic|xdg-open}} uses default web browser for skype user environment. In order to open links in your user's browser perform next setup. | When one clicks URL in chat window, skype execute [[xdg-open]] to handle it. By default {{ic|xdg-open}} uses default web browser for skype user environment. In order to open links in your user's browser perform next setup. | ||
− | {{Note|[[ | + | {{Note| |
− | + | * [[Sudo]] should be installed and properly configured. | |
− | + | * Current example uses [[firefox]] as preferred browser. | |
+ | * Do not forget to adjust ''your_user'' to proper value. | ||
+ | }} | ||
Log in as skype user: | Log in as skype user: | ||
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$ xdg-mime default firefox-sudo.desktop x-scheme-handler/ftp | $ xdg-mime default firefox-sudo.desktop x-scheme-handler/ftp | ||
− | Create {{ic|/home/skype/firefox-wrapper}} script (adjust '' | + | Create {{ic|/home/skype/firefox-wrapper}} script (adjust ''your_user''): |
#!/bin/bash | #!/bin/bash | ||
− | DISPLAY=:0.0 HOME=/home/ | + | DISPLAY=:0.0 HOME=/home/''your_user'' sudo -u ''your_user'' /usr/lib/firefox/firefox -new-tab $1 |
Make it executable: | Make it executable: | ||
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# visudo | # visudo | ||
− | And add permission for skype user to exec user's browser (adjust '' | + | And add permission for skype user to exec user's browser (adjust ''your_user''): |
− | skype ALL=( | + | skype ALL=(''your_user'') NOPASSWD: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox -new-tab http*, /usr/lib/firefox/firefox -new-tab ftp* |
==== Access received files ==== | ==== Access received files ==== | ||
+ | |||
By default {{ic|skype}} stores received files with 600 permissions (only owner can access them). One may use [https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?sort=&q=incron incron] to perform automatic permission fix upon downloading. | By default {{ic|skype}} stores received files with 600 permissions (only owner can access them). One may use [https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?sort=&q=incron incron] to perform automatic permission fix upon downloading. | ||
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$ ln -s /home/skype/downloads ~/skype_files | $ ln -s /home/skype/downloads ~/skype_files | ||
− | ==Skype | + | == Skype plugin for Pidgin == |
− | |||
− | + | See [[Pidgin#Skype plugin]]. | |
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− | + | == Troubleshooting == | |
− | + | === Skype crashes immediately === | |
− | |||
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− | == | ||
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− | + | Try creating the directory {{ic|~/.Skype/Logs}}. | |
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− | + | === Skype crashes shortly after login === | |
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If Skype crashes shortly after logging in, changing the rights for {{ic|libpulse.so.0.12.4}} (minor version might differ) and {{ic|libpulse-simple.so.0.0.3}} might fix the issue.[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ia32-libs/+bug/646862/comments/14] | If Skype crashes shortly after logging in, changing the rights for {{ic|libpulse.so.0.12.4}} (minor version might differ) and {{ic|libpulse-simple.so.0.0.3}} might fix the issue.[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ia32-libs/+bug/646862/comments/14] | ||
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64bit users might have to cd to {{ic|/usr/lib32}} instead. | 64bit users might have to cd to {{ic|/usr/lib32}} instead. | ||
− | ===I can receive multiple audio streams, but I can only send one=== | + | === I can receive multiple audio streams, but I can only send one === |
+ | |||
Skype can send and receive audio and I still hear other sounds playing from other applications, but I cannot record my microphone with other applications. That is because Skype or aoss blocks the audio input for itself. | Skype can send and receive audio and I still hear other sounds playing from other applications, but I cannot record my microphone with other applications. That is because Skype or aoss blocks the audio input for itself. | ||
− | ===No video with GSPCA webcams=== | + | === No video with GSPCA webcams === |
+ | |||
For i686, install {{Pkg|v4l-utils}}, userspace tools and conversion library for Video 4 Linux, and run Skype with | For i686, install {{Pkg|v4l-utils}}, userspace tools and conversion library for Video 4 Linux, and run Skype with | ||
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To make it running from DE menus and independent of Skype updates, you can add alias (e.g. in {{ic|~/.bashrc}}): | To make it running from DE menus and independent of Skype updates, you can add alias (e.g. in {{ic|~/.bashrc}}): | ||
− | alias skype='LD_PRELOAD=/usr/libxx/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype' | + | alias skype='LD_PRELOAD=/usr/''libxx''/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype' |
− | where | + | where ''libxx'' should be edited as appropriate. |
− | ===No video with Compiz=== | + | === No video with Compiz === |
− | Try this | + | |
+ | Try launching Skype setting an environment variable like this: | ||
$ XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 skype | $ XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 skype | ||
− | ===Skype does not use my GTK theme, even though other Qt apps do=== | + | === Skype does not use my GTK+ theme, even though other Qt apps do === |
+ | |||
Recent versions of Skype allow you to change the theme via the Options menu. However, selecting the GTK+ option may not work properly. This is probably because you do not have a 32-bit theme engine installed. Try to find the engine your theme uses in the multilib repository or the [[AUR]]. If you have no idea which engine your theme is using, the easiest fix is to install {{AUR|lib32-gtk-engines}}. This does however contain quite a lot of packages, so the best would be to find and install only the needed package. | Recent versions of Skype allow you to change the theme via the Options menu. However, selecting the GTK+ option may not work properly. This is probably because you do not have a 32-bit theme engine installed. Try to find the engine your theme uses in the multilib repository or the [[AUR]]. If you have no idea which engine your theme is using, the easiest fix is to install {{AUR|lib32-gtk-engines}}. This does however contain quite a lot of packages, so the best would be to find and install only the needed package. | ||
− | {{Note|You may not have to install lib32-gtk-engines. First try if the following steps work for you if you only install lib32-gtk2 and a | + | {{Note|You may not have to install ''lib32-gtk-engines''. First try if the following steps work for you if you only install ''lib32-gtk2'' and a GTK+2 theme respectively. See also the [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1200975#p1200975 forums].}} |
Once installed, it will still not work unless you have a 32-bit version of GConf installed. You could build and install {{AUR|lib32-gconf}} if desired, but there is an easier workaround. First, create or edit {{ic|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} so that it contains the following line: | Once installed, it will still not work unless you have a 32-bit version of GConf installed. You could build and install {{AUR|lib32-gconf}} if desired, but there is an easier workaround. First, create or edit {{ic|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} so that it contains the following line: | ||
− | $ gtk-theme-name = "My | + | $ gtk-theme-name = "''My theme''" |
− | Replace My | + | Replace ''My theme by'' the name of your theme, but leave the quotes. Second, run Skype like this: |
$ export GTK2_RC_FILES="/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc:$HOME/.gtkrc-2.0" | $ export GTK2_RC_FILES="/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc:$HOME/.gtkrc-2.0" | ||
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$ /usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK | $ /usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK | ||
− | If you wish menus within desktop environments to load Skype with a GTK theme by default then modify the 'Exec' line of {{ic|/usr/share/applications/skype.desktop}} so that it reads: | + | If you wish menus within desktop environments to load Skype with a GTK+ theme by default then modify the 'Exec' line of {{ic|/usr/share/applications/skype.desktop}} so that it reads: |
$ Exec=/usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK | $ Exec=/usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK | ||
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Similarly if you have set Skype to autostart then modify {{ic|~/.config/autostart/skype.desktop}} in the same way. | Similarly if you have set Skype to autostart then modify {{ic|~/.config/autostart/skype.desktop}} in the same way. | ||
− | ===The microphone does not work=== | + | === The microphone does not work === |
− | Run amixer | + | |
+ | Run amixer: | ||
$ amixer | $ amixer | ||
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$ alsamixer | $ alsamixer | ||
− | and press | + | and press {{ic|F5}} to show all channels. Using the arrow keys navigate all the way to the end and increase '''Capture'''. If you do not see a left and right channel for '''Capture''', press the space bar. Doing this turns the left and right channels on. Check that '''Input Source''' is set to the correct value (e.g. ''[Front Mic]''): navigate through the values with up and down arrow keys. If your microphone is an array built into your monitor, or you have a similar setup, make sure to increase the volume for the '''Digital''' column too. If you have multiple microphones, you may have to play around with the '''Mic Jack''' channel to get your desired setting. |
You may want to save your mixer settings with: | You may want to save your mixer settings with: | ||
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# alsactl -f /var/lib/alsa/asound.state store | # alsactl -f /var/lib/alsa/asound.state store | ||
− | ===No incoming video stream=== | + | === No incoming video stream === |
− | If skype shows a black square for the video preview, but something else (like xawtv -c /dev/video0) shows video correctly, you might need to start | + | |
+ | If skype shows a black square for the video preview, but something else (like {{ic|xawtv -c /dev/video0}}) shows video correctly, you might need to start Skype with: | ||
export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 && skype | export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 && skype | ||
− | Another possible workaround is to preload v4l1compat.so | + | Another possible workaround is to preload ''v4l1compat.so'': |
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype | LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype | ||
− | ===Low sound in Skype, but works everywhere else=== | + | For my machine this doesn't seem to work; instead I do |
− | If you are sure your microphone is configured | + | {{bc|<nowiki> |
+ | cd /usr/lib/lib32/libv4l && LD_PRELOAD=v4l1compat.so skype; | ||
+ | </nowiki>|bc}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Low sound in Skype, but works everywhere else === | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you are sure your microphone is configured correctly in ALSA (try recording with a 3rd-party-utility to determine whether it is an ALSA or Skype problem), it is most likely because Skype is controlling your volume levels. Simply disable this feature in the voice settings page in the Skype configuration window. | ||
This may also help if your microphone input is automatically lowered until 0. | This may also help if your microphone input is automatically lowered until 0. | ||
− | ===Monster/low-octave "growling" distortion over mic=== | + | === Monster/low-octave "growling" distortion over mic === |
+ | |||
Some users with newer kernels are experiencing a monster-like growling distortion of their sound stream on the other end of Skype. This can be fixed by creating a dummy ALSA device or by removing {{ic|~/.Skype/shared.xml}}. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=819500#p819500 for more information. | Some users with newer kernels are experiencing a monster-like growling distortion of their sound stream on the other end of Skype. This can be fixed by creating a dummy ALSA device or by removing {{ic|~/.Skype/shared.xml}}. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=819500#p819500 for more information. | ||
− | ===Skype can only see PulseAudio, but not ALSA devices=== | + | === Skype can only see PulseAudio, but not ALSA devices === |
Turn PulseAudio autospawn off and kill PulseAudio: | Turn PulseAudio autospawn off and kill PulseAudio: | ||
Line 658: | Line 686: | ||
And restart Skype. | And restart Skype. | ||
− | ===Crackling / | + | === Crackling/noisy sound (mainly using 64-bit OS) === |
Edit {{ic|/etc/pulse/default.pa}} and change the following line | Edit {{ic|/etc/pulse/default.pa}} and change the following line |
Revision as of 03:05, 12 October 2013
Contents
- 1 Installation
- 2 Skype sound
- 3 Securing Skype
- 4 Skype plugin for Pidgin
- 5 Troubleshooting
- 5.1 Skype crashes immediately
- 5.2 Skype crashes shortly after login
- 5.3 I can receive multiple audio streams, but I can only send one
- 5.4 No video with GSPCA webcams
- 5.5 No video with Compiz
- 5.6 Skype does not use my GTK+ theme, even though other Qt apps do
- 5.7 The microphone does not work
- 5.8 No incoming video stream
- 5.9 Low sound in Skype, but works everywhere else
- 5.10 Monster/low-octave "growling" distortion over mic
- 5.11 Skype can only see PulseAudio, but not ALSA devices
- 5.12 Crackling/noisy sound (mainly using 64-bit OS)
- 5.13 Problem with Audio Playback on x86_64
- 5.14 Skype sounds stops media player or other sound sources
Installation
Install skype from the official repositories. If you have a 64-bit system, enable the multilib repository first as Skype is 32-bit only.
Running Skype is just as easy. Type skype
into a terminal or double-click the Skype icon on your desktop or in your DE's application menu.
Skype sound
Skype supports ALSA and PulseAudio. OSS is no longer supported.
ALSA
Sound should work out of the box, if not you can select a sound device to use in Skype options. If you have problems with Skype blocking your sound device, you only need to add the following to your ~/.asoundrc
pcm.dmixout { # Just pass this on to the system dmix type plug slave { pcm "dmix" } }
then you can start Skype as normal, go to the audio options and select dmixout as your speaker- and ringingdevice.
PulseAudio
Sound should work out of the box, if not you can select another input using pavucontrol (you may have to install it first).
If you are on x86_64 and use the multilib skype package, you also need lib32-libpulse.
OSS (Pre-2.0, no longer available)
Option B is preferred over other options. With option B you can use Skype AND let other programs play sound too. With option C you can do that too, but option B is way easier to set up.
You can install the legacy skype-oss from Comunity repo.
If you need 64x-86x support then download an OSS compatible version from here and the PKGBUILD form here. Also install lib32-libxinerama. Finally, run
$ makepkg -s
to create the pacman installable package.
A. With OSS or Kernel OSS emulation for ALSA
Start Skype and make sure no other program is using your soundcard. If you want to use Skype AND let another program play sound too, look at option B instead.
B. Making ALSA + dMix work for Skype
First of all, we need to install the alsa-oss package with pacman.
Add the following to ~/.asoundrc
. If the file does not exist yet, just create it! (Many thanks to Lorenzo Colitti for figuring this out!)
# .asoundrc to use skype at the same time as other audio apps like xmms # # Successfully tested on an IBM x40 with i810_audio using Linux 2.6.15 and # Debian unstable with skype 1.2.0.18-API. No sound daemons (asound, esd, etc.) # running. However, YMMV. # # For background, see: # # https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1228 # https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=1224 # # (C) 2006-06-03 Lorenzo Colitti - http://www.colitti.com/lorenzo/ # Licensed under the GPLv2 or later pcm.skype { type asym playback.pcm "skypeout" capture.pcm "skypein" } pcm.skypein { # Convert from 8-bit unsigned mono (default format set by aoss when # /dev/dsp is opened) to 16-bit signed stereo (expected by dsnoop) # # We cannot just use a "plug" plugin because although the open will # succeed, the buffer sizes will be wrong and we will hear no sound at # all. type route slave { pcm "skypedsnoop" format S16_LE } ttable { 0 {0 0.5} 1 {0 0.5} } } pcm.skypeout { # Just pass this on to the system dmix type plug slave { pcm "dmix" } } pcm.skypedsnoop { type dsnoop ipc_key 1133 slave { # "Magic" buffer values to get skype audio to work # If these are not set, opening /dev/dsp succeeds but no sound # will be heard. According to the ALSA developers this is due # to skype abusing the OSS API. pcm "hw:0,0" period_size 256 periods 16 buffer_size 16384 } bindings { 0 0 } }
If you get the error message :
The dmix plugin supports only playback stream
then add the following to .asoundrc
:
pcm.asymed { type asym playback.pcm "dmix" capture.pcm "dsnoop" } pcm.!default { type plug slave.pcm "asymed" }
Now run Skype in this way each time you want to use it:
ALSA_OSS_PCM_DEVICE="skype" aoss skype
Optionally you can make a script to start Skype:
As root, create the file: /usr/bin/askype
# Little script to run Skype correctly using the modified .asoundrc # See: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Skype for more information! # # Questions/Remarks: profox@debianbox.be ALSA_OSS_PCM_DEVICE="skype" aoss skype
Now make sure every user is able to execute the file:
# chmod a+x /usr/bin/askype
You can also fix the menu entry so you can start Skype from the your window manager's menu:
Edit the file: /usr/share/applications/skype.desktop
[Desktop Entry] Name=Skype Comment=P2P software for high-quality voice communication Exec=askype Icon=skype.png Terminal=0 Type=Application Encoding=UTF-8 Categories=Network;Application;
Sometimes it takes a while for Skype to start up but once it is loaded it should work ok!
C. Using OSS emulation with oss2jack
oss2jackAUR is another way to have OSS emulation without using ALSA directly. Instead, oss2jack creates a OSS device that forwards everything to JACK (JACK Audio Connection Kit), which in turn mixes, then outputs to the standard ALSA device.
Securing Skype
There are a couple of reasons you might want to restrict Skype's access to your computer:
- The skype binary is disguised against decompiling, so nobody is (still) able to reproduce what it really does.
- It produces encrypted traffic even when you are not actively using Skype.
- ...
See [1] for more information.
AppArmor
Follow the instructions here to set up AppArmor.
The userland tools for AppArmor come with a collection of example profiles. Skype is amongst them. Copy this to the directory where AppArmor profiles are stored.
# cp -ip /etc/apparmor/profiles/extras/usr.bin.skype /etc/apparmor.d/
For whatever reason, the profile is not complete. You may wish to modify it further. Here is an example for Skype 4:
#include <tunables/global> /usr/bin/skype { #include <abstractions/audio> #include <abstractions/consoles> #include <abstractions/dbus-session> #include <abstractions/gnome> #include <abstractions/kde> #include <abstractions/nameservice> #include <abstractions/video> # Executables /usr/bin/skype ixmr, /usr/lib{,32}/skype/skype ixmr, /usr/bin/xdg-open PUxmr, # Configuration files owner @{HOME}/.Skype/ rw, owner @{HOME}/.Skype/** krw, owner @{HOME}/.config/Skype/ rw, owner @{HOME}/.config/Skype/** krw, # Downloads/uploads directory owner @{HOME}/Public/ rw, owner @{HOME}/Public/** krw, # Libraries /usr/lib{,32}/libv4l/v4l2convert.so mr, /usr/share/skype/lib/libQtWebKit.so.4 mr, # Shared data /usr/share/skype/ r, /usr/share/skype/** r, # Devices /dev/ r, /dev/video[0-9]* mrw, # System information /etc/machine-id r, @{PROC}/sys/kernel/{ostype,osrelease} r, @{PROC}/sys/vm/overcommit_memory r, @{PROC}/[0-9]*/net/arp r, owner @{PROC}/[0-9]*/cmdline r, owner @{PROC}/[0-9]*/status r, owner @{PROC}/[0-9]*/task/ r, owner @{PROC}/[0-9]*/task/[0-9]*/stat r, /sys/devices/system/cpu/ r, /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu[0-9]*/cpufreq/scaling_{cur_freq,max_freq} r, /sys/devices/pci*/*/usb[0-9]*/*/*/*/modalias r, /sys/devices/pci*/*/usb[0-9]*/*/*/*/video4linux/video[0-9]*/dev r, /sys/devices/pci*/*/usb[0-9]*/*/*/{idVendor,idProduct,speed} r, # This probably should go to appropriate abstractions owner @{HOME}/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf r, owner @{HOME}/.config/gtk-3.0/bookmarks r, owner @{HOME}/.config/pulse/cookie krw, owner @{HOME}/.icons/** r, owner @{HOME}/.kde/share/config/kioslaverc r, # Denials deny owner @{HOME}/.mozilla/ r, deny owner @{HOME}/.mozilla/** r, deny /sys/devices/virtual/dmi/** r, }
~/Public
. Feel free to change it to any folder you like.To use the profile, first be sure securityfs
is mounted,
# mount -t securityfs securityfs /sys/kernel/security
Load the profile by the command,
# apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/usr.bin.skype
Now you can run Skype restricted but as your own user. Denials are logged in messages.log
.
TOMOYO
Follow the instructions here to install TOMOYO. Please note that this section describes using TOMOYO 2.5.
During Skype audit it was discovered that Skype reads DMI information and Mozilla profile. To give Skype minimal access to your system using TOMOYO, please follow these steps.
- Open
/etc/tomoyo/exception_policy.conf
file and add these lines:
path_group SKYPE_DIRS /home/\*/.Skype/ path_group SKYPE_DIRS /home/\*/.Skype/\{\*\}/ path_group SKYPE_DIRS /home/\*/.config/Skype/\{\*\}/ path_group SKYPE_DIRS /usr/share/skype/\{\*\}/ path_group SKYPE_DIRS /home/pf/work/tmp/\{\*\}/ path_group SKYPE_FILES /home/\*/.Skype/\{\*\}/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /home/\*/.config/Skype/\{\*\}/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /usr/share/skype/\{\*\}/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /home/pf/work/tmp/\{\*\}/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /home/\*/.Skype/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /home/\*/.config/Skype/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /usr/share/skype/\* path_group SKYPE_FILES /home/pf/work/tmp/\* path_group ICONS_DIRS /usr/share/icons/\{\*\}/ path_group ICONS_FILES /usr/share/icons/\{\*\}/\* path_group ICONS_FILES /usr/share/icons/\* initialize_domain /usr/bin/skype from any initialize_domain /usr/lib32/skype/skype from any
Note that /home/pf/work/tmp
folder is only the folder to which Skype will be able to save received files and from which it will be able to send all files. You have to change this folder.
- Then open
/etc/tomoyo/domain_policy.conf
and add the following lines:
<kernel> /usr/bin/skype use_profile 3 use_group 0 misc env \* file read /bin/bash file read /usr/bin/bash file read/write /dev/tty file read /usr/lib/locale/locale-archive file read /usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules file read /usr/bin/skype file read /usr/lib32/skype/skype file execute /usr/lib32/skype/skype exec.realpath="/usr/lib32/skype/skype" exec.argv[0]="/usr/lib32/skype/skype" <kernel> /usr/lib32/skype/skype use_profile 3 use_group 0 file append /dev/snd/pcm\* file chmod /home/\*/.Skype/ 0700 file create /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0600-0666 file create /tmp/qtsingleapp-\*-lockfile 0600-0666 file create @SKYPE_FILES 0600-0666 file execute /usr/bin/firefox file execute /usr/bin/gnome-open file execute /usr/bin/notify-send file execute /usr/bin/opera file execute /usr/bin/xdg-open file ioctl /dev/snd/\* 0-0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF file ioctl /dev/video0 0-0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF file ioctl anon_inode:inotify 0x541B file ioctl socket:[family=1:type=2:protocol=0] 0x8910 file ioctl socket:[family=1:type=2:protocol=0] 0x8933 file ioctl socket:[family=2:type=1:protocol=6] 0x541B file ioctl socket:[family=2:type=2:protocol=17] 0x541B file ioctl socket:[family=2:type=2:protocol=17] 0x8912 file ioctl socket:[family=2:type=2:protocol=17] 0x8927 file ioctl socket:[family=2:type=2:protocol=17] 0x8B01 file link /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* file mkdir /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0600 file mkdir @SKYPE_DIRS 0700-0777 file mksock /tmp/qtsingleapp-\* 0755 file read /dev/urandom file read /etc/fonts/conf.avail/\*.conf file read /etc/fonts/conf.d/\*.conf file read /etc/fonts/fonts.conf file read /etc/group file read /etc/host.conf file read /etc/hosts file read /etc/machine-id file read /etc/nsswitch.conf file read /etc/passwd file read /etc/resolv.conf file read /home/\*/.ICEauthority file read /home/\*/.XCompose file read /home/\*/.Xauthority file read /home/\*/.Xdefaults file read /home/\*/.fontconfig/\* file read /home/\*/.config/fontconfig/\* file read /usr/lib/locale/locale-archive file read /usr/lib32/gconv/UTF-16.so file read /usr/lib32/gconv/gconv-modules file read /usr/lib32/libv4l/v4l2convert.so file read /usr/lib32/qt/plugins/bearer/libq\*bearer.so file read /usr/lib32/qt/plugins/iconengines/libqsvgicon.so file read /usr/lib32/qt/plugins/imageformats/libq\*.so file read /usr/lib32/qt/plugins/inputmethods/libqimsw-multi.so file read /usr/lib32/skype/skype file read /usr/share/X11/locale/\*/Compose file read /usr/share/X11/locale/\*/XLC_LOCALE file read /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir file read /usr/share/X11/locale/locale.alias file read /usr/share/X11/locale/locale.dir file read /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf file read /usr/share/alsa/cards/\*.conf file read /usr/share/alsa/pcm/\*.conf file read /usr/share/fonts/\*/\*/\* file read @ICONS_FILES file read proc:/cpuinfo file read proc:/stat file read proc:/sys/kernel/osrelease file read proc:/sys/kernel/ostype file read sysfs:/devices/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/modalias file read sysfs:/devices/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/video4linux/video0/dev file read sysfs:/devices/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/idProduct file read sysfs:/devices/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/idVendor file read sysfs:/devices/\*/\*/\*/\*/\*/speed file read sysfs:/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_cur_freq file read sysfs:/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq file read sysfs:/devices/system/cpu/online file read/write /dev/snd/\* file read/write /dev/video0 file read/write/truncate /home/\*/.config/Trolltech.conf file read/write/unlink /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* file read/write/unlink /tmp/qtsingleapp-\* file read/write/unlink/truncate @SKYPE_FILES file rename /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* file rename @SKYPE_DIRS @SKYPE_DIRS file rename @SKYPE_FILES @SKYPE_FILES file rmdir @SKYPE_DIRS misc env \* network inet dgram bind 0.0.0.0 0-65535 network inet dgram bind 127.0.0.1 0 network inet dgram bind/send 0.0.0.0-255.255.255.255 0-65535 network inet stream bind/listen 0.0.0.0 0-65535 network inet stream connect 0.0.0.0-255.255.255.255 0-65535 network unix stream bind/listen /tmp/qtsingleapp-\* network unix stream connect /tmp/.ICE-unix/\* network unix stream connect /tmp/qtsingleapp-\* network unix stream connect /var/run/dbus/system_bus_socket network unix stream connect /var/run/nscd/socket network unix stream connect \000/tmp/.ICE-unix/\* network unix stream connect \000/tmp/.X11-unix/X0 network unix stream connect \000/tmp/dbus-\* <kernel> /usr/lib32/skype/skype /usr/bin/xdg-open use_profile 0 use_group 0 <kernel> /usr/lib32/skype/skype /usr/bin/gnome-open use_profile 0 use_group 0 <kernel> /usr/lib32/skype/skype /usr/bin/notify-send use_profile 0 use_group 0
- After finishing editing reload TOMOYO config files by executing these commands:
# tomoyo-loadpolicy -df </etc/tomoyo/domain_policy.conf # tomoyo-loadpolicy -ef </etc/tomoyo/exception_policy.conf
Voilà — your Skype is sandboxed now.
Please note that this config is generated on 64-bit Arch system, and some of your ioctls and library paths may differ from mentioned above. So in order to fine-tune TOMOYO config for your Skype load tomoyo-auditd
daemon:
# systemctl start tomoyo-auditd
Then go to /var/log/tomoyo
folder and start watching reject_003.log
:
tail -f reject_003.log
The output of this command will show you rejected actions for Skype, so you'll be able to add them to domain_policy.conf
file if needed.
Detailed guide about TOMOYO configuring can be found here.
Use Skype with special user
Instead of using AppArmor or TOMOYO which require the installation of extra packages, one may prefer to add a special user. This user is only used for running Skype within one's normal environment. This approach restricts Skype to reading only the data of this particular user instead of one's main user. (The new user should not be used for any other thing. Skype only.)
An AUR package, skype-restricted exists that will run skype as a separate user ("_skype") cleanly. It's heavily based on the information in this section.
Optionally, we first add a default group for the skype user. I will call the new user and its default group "skype". The security advantage in keeping the "skype" user in its separate group is that it can be restricted from accessing some places other users are allowed in.
# groupadd skype
Then we have to add the new user:
# useradd
Enter the details for the new user (assumed login name: "skype"). If you created the default "skype" group and want to keep "skype" outside the "users" group, enter "skype" when the wizard asks for the initial group. As additional groups we need "audio,video,pulse-access,pulse-rt".
Now add the following line to /home/skype/.bashrc
:
export DISPLAY=":0.0"
At last we define the alias (e.g. in ~/.bashrc
):
alias skype='xhost +local: && su skype -c skype'
Now we can start Skype as the newly created user simply by running skype
from the command line and entering the password of the user skype.
If you are tired of typing in the skype user's password every time, make sure you installed the sudo package, run visudo
then add this line at the bottom:
%wheel ALL=(skype) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/skype
And use this alias to launch skype:
alias skype='xhost +local: && sudo -u skype /usr/bin/skype'
xhost
command, Skype may fail with a "No protocol specified" error on stdout.I noticed that the newly created user is able to read some of the files in my home directory because the permissions were a+r, so I changed them manually to a-r u+r and changed umask from 022 to 066.
In order to restrict user "skype" accessing your external drive mounted in /media/data
for instance, make sure first that "skype" does not belong to group "users" (if you used the default group "skype", everything should be fine), then change the accesses on the mount point:
# chown :users /media/data # chmod o-rwx /media/data
This way, it is ensured that only the owner (normally "root") and "users" can access the specified directory tree while the others, including "skype", will be forbidden.
Open URLs in your user's browser
When one clicks URL in chat window, skype execute xdg-open to handle it. By default xdg-open
uses default web browser for skype user environment. In order to open links in your user's browser perform next setup.
Log in as skype user:
$ sudo su - skype
Create local preferences dir:
$ mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
Create /home/skype/.local/share/applications/firefox-sudo.desktop
file:
[Desktop Entry] Name=Firefox Exec=/home/skype/firefox-wrapper %u Terminal=false Type=Application Categories=Network;WebBrowser;
Set firefox-sudo.desktop
to manage HTTP and HTTPS URLs:
$ xdg-mime default firefox-sudo.desktop x-scheme-handler/http $ xdg-mime default firefox-sudo.desktop x-scheme-handler/https
(Optionally) add FTP handler:
$ xdg-mime default firefox-sudo.desktop x-scheme-handler/ftp
Create /home/skype/firefox-wrapper
script (adjust your_user):
#!/bin/bash DISPLAY=:0.0 HOME=/home/your_user sudo -u your_user /usr/lib/firefox/firefox -new-tab $1
Make it executable:
$ chmod +x ~/firefox-wrapper
Now as root user open /etc/sudoers
:
# visudo
And add permission for skype user to exec user's browser (adjust your_user):
skype ALL=(your_user) NOPASSWD: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox -new-tab http*, /usr/lib/firefox/firefox -new-tab ftp*
Access received files
By default skype
stores received files with 600 permissions (only owner can access them). One may use incron to perform automatic permission fix upon downloading.
/home/skype/downloads
Make skype home dir and download dir accessible:
# chmod 755 /home/skype /home/skype/downloads
Install incron with the incron package from the official repositories, and enable and start incrond
using systemd.
Open incrontab for root user:
# incrontab -e
Add incron job:
/home/skype/downloads IN_CREATE chmod 644 $@/$#
Save changes and exit incrontab editor.
To test incron in action just enter skype donwload dir and create test file:
# cd /home/skype/downloads # install -m 600 /dev/null test.txt # ls -l test.txt
File permissions should be 644 or -rw-r--r--
(Optionally) link skype download dir into your home dir:
$ ln -s /home/skype/downloads ~/skype_files
Skype plugin for Pidgin
See Pidgin#Skype plugin.
Troubleshooting
Skype crashes immediately
Try creating the directory ~/.Skype/Logs
.
Skype crashes shortly after login
If Skype crashes shortly after logging in, changing the rights for libpulse.so.0.12.4
(minor version might differ) and libpulse-simple.so.0.0.3
might fix the issue.[2]
# cd /usr/lib # chmod ugo-r libpulse.so.0.12.* # chmod ugo-r libpulse-simple.so.0.0.3
64bit users might have to cd to /usr/lib32
instead.
I can receive multiple audio streams, but I can only send one
Skype can send and receive audio and I still hear other sounds playing from other applications, but I cannot record my microphone with other applications. That is because Skype or aoss blocks the audio input for itself.
No video with GSPCA webcams
For i686, install v4l-utils, userspace tools and conversion library for Video 4 Linux, and run Skype with
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype
to start Skype with v4l1 compatibility.
For x86_64, install lib32-v4l-utils from [multilib] repository and run Skype with
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib32/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype
To make it running from DE menus and independent of Skype updates, you can add alias (e.g. in ~/.bashrc
):
alias skype='LD_PRELOAD=/usr/libxx/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype'
where libxx should be edited as appropriate.
No video with Compiz
Try launching Skype setting an environment variable like this:
$ XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 skype
Skype does not use my GTK+ theme, even though other Qt apps do
Recent versions of Skype allow you to change the theme via the Options menu. However, selecting the GTK+ option may not work properly. This is probably because you do not have a 32-bit theme engine installed. Try to find the engine your theme uses in the multilib repository or the AUR. If you have no idea which engine your theme is using, the easiest fix is to install lib32-gtk-enginesAUR. This does however contain quite a lot of packages, so the best would be to find and install only the needed package.
Once installed, it will still not work unless you have a 32-bit version of GConf installed. You could build and install lib32-gconfAUR if desired, but there is an easier workaround. First, create or edit ~/.gtkrc-2.0
so that it contains the following line:
$ gtk-theme-name = "My theme"
Replace My theme by the name of your theme, but leave the quotes. Second, run Skype like this:
$ export GTK2_RC_FILES="/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc:$HOME/.gtkrc-2.0" $ skype
The GTK+ theme should now appear correctly. You can make this permanent either by running Skype from a script containing the above 2 lines, or by exporting GTK2_RC_FILES in ~/.xprofile
or ~/.xinitrc
, depending on how you start X.
If you cannot change the theme in the Options menu, run Skype using the following command:
$ /usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK
If you wish menus within desktop environments to load Skype with a GTK+ theme by default then modify the 'Exec' line of /usr/share/applications/skype.desktop
so that it reads:
$ Exec=/usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK
Similarly if you have set Skype to autostart then modify ~/.config/autostart/skype.desktop
in the same way.
The microphone does not work
Run amixer:
$ amixer
and check if you have an output for Capture similar to the one below.
Simple mixer control 'Capture',0 Capabilities: cvolume cswitch penum Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right Limits: Capture 0 - 15 Front Left: Capture 8 [53%] [12.00dB] [on] Front Right: Capture 8 [53%] [12.00dB] [on]
If your output is similar, your microphone is working just fine, and the issue is either hardware related (broken microphone) or your volume needs to be checked. If you do not have an output similar to the one above or, more specifically, if both Front Left and Front Right are 0% or show an [off] tag at the end, then your microphone settings need to be rectified.
In either case, try to run:
$ alsamixer
and press F5
to show all channels. Using the arrow keys navigate all the way to the end and increase Capture. If you do not see a left and right channel for Capture, press the space bar. Doing this turns the left and right channels on. Check that Input Source is set to the correct value (e.g. [Front Mic]): navigate through the values with up and down arrow keys. If your microphone is an array built into your monitor, or you have a similar setup, make sure to increase the volume for the Digital column too. If you have multiple microphones, you may have to play around with the Mic Jack channel to get your desired setting.
You may want to save your mixer settings with:
# alsactl -f /var/lib/alsa/asound.state store
No incoming video stream
If skype shows a black square for the video preview, but something else (like xawtv -c /dev/video0
) shows video correctly, you might need to start Skype with:
export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 && skype
Another possible workaround is to preload v4l1compat.so:
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype
For my machine this doesn't seem to work; instead I do
cd /usr/lib/lib32/libv4l && LD_PRELOAD=v4l1compat.so skype;
Low sound in Skype, but works everywhere else
If you are sure your microphone is configured correctly in ALSA (try recording with a 3rd-party-utility to determine whether it is an ALSA or Skype problem), it is most likely because Skype is controlling your volume levels. Simply disable this feature in the voice settings page in the Skype configuration window.
This may also help if your microphone input is automatically lowered until 0.
Monster/low-octave "growling" distortion over mic
Some users with newer kernels are experiencing a monster-like growling distortion of their sound stream on the other end of Skype. This can be fixed by creating a dummy ALSA device or by removing ~/.Skype/shared.xml
. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=819500#p819500 for more information.
Skype can only see PulseAudio, but not ALSA devices
Turn PulseAudio autospawn off and kill PulseAudio:
$ echo "autospawn = no" > ~/.pulse/client.conf $ killall pulseaudio
And restart Skype.
Crackling/noisy sound (mainly using 64-bit OS)
Edit /etc/pulse/default.pa
and change the following line
load-module module-udev-detect
to
load-module module-udev-detect tsched=0
See also: PulseAudio#Glitches, skips or crackling.
Problem with Audio Playback on x86_64
See Pulseaudio#Skype (x86_64 only), even if you are not using PulseAudio.
Skype sounds stops media player or other sound sources
You can try commenting out the following modules in /etc/pulse/default.pa
#module-cork-music-on-phone #module-role-cork
If that does not help, you can try changing flat-volumes to no in /etc/pulse/daemon.conf
.
flat-volumes = no