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  2. Skype 7 to 8 upgrades underway apparently

Re: Skype 7 to 8 upgrades underway apparently

Jerry Pryde
 

Thanks billions, Doug.

I'll be looking into upgrading JAWS ASAP.

I tried to make a call this afternoon, and just after the call connected, Skype 7 unloaded, and the update notice came up.

A link to an updated list of hot keys for skype 8 would be appreciated, along with any tutorials if possible.

I'll be back on skype, and learning anything new; it's just a matter of time.

It is what it is. lol

Jerry.

On 07/01/2019 6:52 p.m., Doug Lee wrote:
I am hearing today that some people are being spontaneously upgraded from Skype 7 (Classic) to Skype 8 (Electron). I believe this is on Windows, but it would not surprise me if MacOS is also included. I assume this is one of
those wave-by-wave Microsoft rollouts. If so, it is occurring a few months later than Microsoft announced it would at least.

Perhaps useful resource reminders:

JAWS scripts for Skype 8 are at https://www.dlee.org/skype/electron/ These work with JAWS versions 17 and later. (The JAWS 17 limit is imposed by older JAWS versions not working well in general with Electron apps like Skype 8.)

A simple NVDA add-on for Skype 8 is at https://www.dlee.org/skype/electron/skype.nvda-addon

To answer one frequently-asked question before it gets asked on this list: I did not implement Alt+numbers or Ctrl+numbers for reading chat messages in either JAWS or NVDA because of the way the chat history is organized in
Skype 8. In short, I am not convinced that there is a reliable way for scripts or add-ons to announce the "last" message, because it can at any moment happen not to be on screen due to scrolling or message arrival without
scrolling.

My preferred way to read chat messages, in both JAWS and NVDA and Skype 8, is to Shift+Tab from the chat input box to the message list and then use arrows to move among messages.

Skype 7 was a wonderful app for us. I find Skype 8 usable, slim, fast, and overall pretty efficient for my needs, though not as feature-rich as Skype 7. Our focus will now need to be on learning to use this newer Skype, and on
helping Microsoft improve it as necessary.

One final note, based on past message threads: Let us not diverge from here into a discussion of the merits of Skype 7 versus 8, the wisdom or folly of Microsoft's replacement of Skype 7, etc. That horse is so dead the the
flies buzzed off half a year ago. :-) I instead wish for everyone the best possible experience with Skype 8, and I plan to remain active as necessary in addressing any issues with it that may appear in the future.
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