This open stuff is really taking off!
Google announced Android, their open source mobile phone platform, OpenID 2.0 has been launched and even AT&T are announcing that they are Opening their networks!
Against that backdrop I was surprised to hear today that Skype have decided to eviscerate their Skype Developer Program (SDP). The SDP is responsible for Skype’s APIs.
Paul Amery, the director, Lester Madden, Product manager, Romain Bertrand and others from marketing were all reportedly axed today. In one fell swoop Skype appears to have culled half of the developer program.
This would appear to be related to the Niklas’ departure. The new management obviously want to send out a message to developers that “We are not interested in Open dev”
Obviously Skype know something about the folly of building extensible platforms that eludes the rest of us!
UPDATE: – I see Andy Abramson has picked up on this story too.
It is worrying. I never really felt that Skype got behind the whole open platform idea from day one. It always felt like a half arsed attempt. With the extras platform I felt that things were moving in the right direction, far from perfect you understand, we got out far less than the effort we put in. But now the core supporters of the project have gone you have to wonder just how serious Skype views its developer community.
Not very high is what I am guessing
I wonder how much of this has to do with getting into cell phones without operator concerns that skype will be used for traditional calls.
I would expect any additional moves like the deal with 3 to be without skype in/out capabilities. And they do not want to make the workaround easy.
On the other hand if they know that only calls between skype names can be made they may not see it as such a revenue loser to bundle skype into the cell phone package.
I’m a big skype fan, I have it on all of my machines and my whole family is connected via skype. This is where it starts and ends with me for skype I’m afraid.
the skype have some defects, but is easy to use,cheap and in latin`s america is the more fast,because here the tecnology to come more slow.Maybe need to improve some things for make better the program.
It will be very interesting to see what will happen to the entire cellular phone industry once Google gets active. Not only is there great pressure on Skype, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint will be in trouble…..
i wonder how many former skype developers are going into the bussiness of developing workarounds to connect skype to SIP. they are the ones with the perfect knowledge to acheive the best results.
No surprise really, ebay will want a return on their 2 billion, they dont see open dev as a way of earning that back, i’d disagree the more i could use it (different devices etc) the more i’d spend, still on my first €20 from early 2006