At the start of the month, Microsoft rolled out version 1.6 of Skype for Linux Alpha. The company has now returned with its latest release. Version 1.7 of Skype for Linux Alpha, but this update is focused on squashing bugs. That means there are, unfortunately, no new features are on board with this release.
As the build number suggests, this is the seventh release of the service that came to GNU/Linux users in July. Microsoft has fixed one problem that caused connectivity issues when a user suspends Skype.
One notable bug fix is a change to how new messages scroll when they are marked as read. With version 1.7, Skype now scrolls to the first message sent and will mark a message as read once they are scrolled to. Users will also notice a slight UI improvement. The company has revised the grid layout of the UI when in group calls.
While Microsoft has focused on bug fixes in this update, the company still has plenty of work to do. Skype for Linux Alpha is still missing plenty of key features. However, it is still vastly superior to the Skype experience Linux users have had for several years.
Previous Updates
As mentioned, Microsoft sent out version 1.6 earlier in the month. That update added the ability to paste files directly into the clipboard. Users are now able to unpin favorites from their recent conversations
The last update Microsoft launched for Skype for Linux Alpha arrived during the middle of last month. That release focused on fixing some known issued with the service. For example, voice messaging functionality was added and Mojis now work with audio.
Skype for Alpha version 1.3 also arrived in August. That update introduced several fixes, including a problem where the log out from menu would not function properly.
The service was debuted in July and was a long awaited new Skype solution for Linux. Linux users had suffered a terrible Skype experience in recent years. Microsoft stopped supporting the service and for the most part Skype has simply not worked on Linux since. Alpha addresses that with a fully-functioning Skype for the platform.
