source: skype/README @ c49820d

Last change on this file since c49820d was c49820d, checked in by Miklos Vajna <vmiklos@…>, at 2008-09-24T09:03:55Z

add yasrd to todo

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1= Skype plugin for BitlBee
2Miklos Vajna <vmiklos-at-vmiklos-dot-hu>
3
4== Status
5
6[quote, Wilmer van der Gaast (author of BitlBee)]
7____
8Okay, this exists now, with lots of thanks to vmiklos for his *excellent*
9work!!
10
11It's not in the main BitlBee and it'll never be for various reasons, but
12because it's a plugin that shouldn't be a problem.
13____
14
15One day I browsed the BitlBee bugtracker and found
16http://bugs.bitlbee.org/bitlbee/ticket/82[this] ticket. Then after a while I
17returned and saw that it was still open. So I wrote it.
18
19It's pretty stable (one day I wanted to restart it because of an upgrade
20and just noticed it was running for 2+ months without crashing), I use
21it for my daily work. Being a plug-in, no patching is required, you can
22just install it after installing BitlBee itself.
23
24NOTE: You will see that this implementation of the Skype plug-in still requires
25a Skype instance to be running. This is because I'm not motivated to reverse
26engineer Skype's
27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype_Protocol#Obfuscation_Layer[obfuscation
28layer]. (Not mentioning that you should ask your lawyer about if it is legal or
29not..)
30
31== Requirements
32
33* Skype >= 1.4.0.99. The latest version I've tested is 2.0.0.72.
34* BitlBee >= @BITLBEE_VERSION@. Use old versions (0.5.1 or earlier) if
35  you have older BitlBee installed.
36* Skype4Py >= 0.9.28.7. Previous versions won't work due to API changes.
37
38NOTE: 1.x just does not work for me. I mailed the author but did not
39receive any answer so far.
40
41* Python >= 2.5. Skype4Py does not work with 2.4.
42* PyGObject >= 2.8.0. Older versions are part of PyGTK. (And you don't want to
43  install GTK for nothing, right?)
44* pyopenssl or python-gnutls.
45
46`bitlbee-skype` has been tested under Linux and Mac OS X. Skype and Skype4py is
47available under Windows, too, so it probably works, but this has not been tested.
48
49== How to set it up
50
51Before you start. The setup is the following: BitlBee can't connect directly to
52Skype servers (the company's ones). It needs a running Skype client to do so.
53In fact BitlBee will connect to `skyped` (a tcp server, provided in this
54package) and `skyped` will connect to to your Skype client.
55
56The benefit of this architecture is that you can run Skype and `skyped`
57on a machine different to the one where you run BitlBee (it can be even
58a public server) and/or your IRC client.
59
60NOTE: The order is important. First `skyped` starts Skype. Then `skyped`
61connects to Skype, finally BitlBee can connect to `skyped`.
62
63=== Installing under Frugalware
64
65- Install the necessary packages:
66
67----
68# pacman-g2 -S bitlbee-skype
69----
70
71and you don't have to compile anything manually.
72
73=== Installing under Debian
74
75- Install the necessary development package:
76
77----
78# apt-get install bitlbee-dev python-gnutls
79----
80
81and you have to install `bitlbee-skype` and `skype4py` from source.
82
83=== Installing under OS X
84
85- Install the necessary packages from ports:
86
87NOTE: You have to edit the Portfile manually to include the install-dev target,
88just append install-dev after install-etc.
89
90----
91# port -v install bitlbee
92# port -v install py25-gobject
93----
94
95and you have to install `bitlbee-skype`, `skype4py` and `python-gnutls` from
96source.
97
98=== Installing from source
99
100NOTE: bitlbee-skype by default builds and installs skyped and the
101plugin. In case you just want to install the plugin for a public server
102or you want to use skyped with a public server, you don't need both.
103
104- You need the latest stable BitlBee release (unless you want to use a
105  public server):
106
107----
108$ wget http://get.bitlbee.org/src/bitlbee-@BITLBEE_VERSION@.tar.gz
109$ tar xf bitlbee-@BITLBEE_VERSION@.tar.gz
110$ cd bitlbee-@BITLBEE_VERSION@
111----
112
113- Now compile and install it:
114
115----
116$ ./configure
117$ make
118# make install install-dev
119----
120
121- To install http://skype4py.sourceforge.net/[Skype4Py] from source
122  (unless you want to install the plugin for a public server):
123
124----
125$ tar -zxvf Skype4Py-x.x.x.x.tar.gz
126$ cd Skype4Py-x.x.x.x
127# python setup.py install
128----
129
130- To install http://pypi.python.org/pypi/python-gnutls[python-gnutls] from source
131  (unless you want to install the plugin for a public server):
132
133----
134$ tar -zxvf python-gnutls-x.x.x.tar.gz
135$ cd python-gnutls-x.x.x
136# python setup.py install
137----
138
139NOTE: On OS X you will need the following hacks first:
140
141----
142$ export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/local/lib
143$ export CFLAGS="-I/opt/local/include"
144$ export LDFLAGS="-L/opt/local/lib"
145----
146
147- Get the plugin code (in an empty dir, or whereever you want, it does
148  not matter):
149
150----
151$ wget http://vmiklos.hu/project/bitlbee-skype/bitlbee-skype-@VERSION@.tar.gz
152$ tar xf bitlbee-skype-@VERSION@.tar.gz
153$ cd bitlbee-skype-@VERSION@
154----
155
156- Compile and install it:
157
158----
159$ ./configure
160$ make
161# make install
162----
163
164This will install the plugin to where BitlBee expects them, which is
165`/usr/local/lib/bitlbee` if you installed BitlBee from source.
166
167=== Configuring
168
169- Edit `/usr/local/etc/skyped/skyped.conf`: adjust `username` and `password`. The
170  `username` should be your Skype login and the `password` can be whatever you
171  want, but you will have to specify that one when adding the Skype account to
172  BitlBee (see later).
173
174NOTE: Here, and later - `/usr/local/etc` can be different on your installation
175if you used the `--sysconfdir` switch when running bitlbee-skype's `configure`.
176
177- Generate the SSL pem files:
178
179----
180# cd /usr/local/etc/skyped
181# openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -nodes -config skyped.cnf -out skyped.cert.pem \
182        -keyout skyped.key.pem
183----
184
185NOTE: Maybe you want to adjust the permissions in the `/usr/local/etc/skyped`
186dir. For example make it readable by just your user.
187
188- If both pyopenssl and python-gnutls are available, then python-gnutls
189  will be used. This behaviour can be overwritten by:
190
191----
192$ export SKYPED_NO_GNUTLS=1
193----
194
195- Start `skyped` (the tcp server):
196
197----
198$ skyped
199----
200
201- Start your `IRC` client, connect to BitlBee and add your account:
202
203----
204account add skype <user> <pass>
205account set skype/server localhost
206----
207
208<user> should be your Skype account name, <pass> should be the one you declared
209in `skyped.conf`. If you want to run skyped on a remote machine, replace
210`localhost` with the name of the machine.
211
212If you are running skyped on a custom port:
213
214----
215account set skype/port <port>
216----
217
218If you want to set your full name (optional):
219
220----
221account set skype/display_name "John Smith"
222----
223
224If you want to see your skypeout contacts online as well (they are
225offline by default):
226
227----
228account set skype/skypeout_offline false
229----
230
231== Setting up Skype in a VNC server (optional)
232
233Optionally, if you want to run Skype on a server, you might want to setup up
234a `VNC` server as well. I used `tightvnc` but probably other `VNC` servers will
235work, too.
236
237First run
238
239----
240$ vncpasswd ~/.vnc/passwd
241----
242
243and create a password. You will need it at least once.
244
245Now create `~/.vnc/xstartup` with the following contents:
246
247----
248#!/bin/sh
249
250twm
251----
252
253Adjust the permissions:
254
255----
256$ chmod +x ~/.vnc/xstartup
257----
258
259Then start the server:
260
261----
262$ vncserver
263----
264
265Then connect to it, start an `xterm`, set up Skype (username, password,
266enable X11 API and allow the `Skype4Py` client), quit from Skype, and
267start `skyped`. If you want to watch its traffic, enable debug messages
268and foreground mode:
269
270----
271$ skyped -n -d
272----
273
274== Features
275
276- Download nicks and away statuses from Skype
277
278- Noticing joins / parts while we're connected
279
280- Sending messages
281
282- Receiving messages
283
284- Receiving away status changes
285
286- `skyped` (the tcp daemon that is a gateway between Skype and tcp)
287
288- Error handling when `skyped` is not running and when it exits
289
290- Marking received messages as seen so that Skype won't say there are unread messages
291
292- Adding / removing contacts
293
294- Set away state when you do a `/away`.
295
296- When you `account off`, Skype will set status to `Offline`
297
298- When you `account on`, Skype will set status to `Online`
299
300- Detect when somebody wants to add you and ask for confirmation
301
302- Detect when somebody wants to transfer a file
303
304- Group chat support:
305
306  * Detect if we're invited
307
308  * Send / receive group chat messages
309
310  * Invite others (using `/invite <nick>`)
311
312  * Part from group chats
313
314  * Starting a group chat (using `/j #nick`)
315
316- Topic changes in group chats:
317
318  * Show the current topic (if any) on join
319
320  * Notice when someone changes the topic
321
322  * Support changing the topic using `/topic`
323
324- Viewing the profile using the `info` command.
325
326- Handling skype actions (when the `CHATMESSAGE` has `EMOTED` type)
327
328- Setting your display name using the `nick` command.
329
330- Running Skype on a machine different to BitlBee is possible, the
331  communication is encrypted.
332
333- Managing outgoing calls (with call duration at the end, including
334  SkypeOut calls if you use a phone number instead of a nick):
335
336  * `account set skype/call nick`
337  * `account set -del skype/call`
338
339- Managing incoming calls via questions, just like when you add / remove
340  contacts.
341
342- Querying the current SkypeOut balance:
343
344  * `account set skype/balance query`
345
346== What needs to be done (aka. TODO)
347
348- Notice if foo invites bar. Currently you can see only that bar joined.
349
350- Public chats. See
351  link:https://developer.skype.com/jira/browse/SCL-381[this feature
352  request], this is because it is still not possible (under Linux) to
353  `join_chat` to a public chat..
354
355- Add yasrd (Yet Another Skype-Related Daemon) to allow using a public
356  server for users who are behind NAT.
357
358== I would like to have support for ...
359
360If something does not work and it's not in the TODO section, then please
361contact me! Please also try the link:HACKING[git version] before reporting a bug, your
362problem may be already fixed there.
363
364In fact, of course, I wrote this documentation after figured out how to do this
365setup, so maybe I left out some steps. If you needed 'any' additional tricks,
366then it would be nice to include them here.
367
368== Known bugs
369
370- None at this time.
371
372== Screenshots
373
374You can reach some screenshots link:shot[here].
375
376== Additional resources
377
378You can reach the Changelog link:Changelog[here], and a gitweb interface
379http://vmiklos.hu/gitweb/?p=bitlbee-skype.git[here].
380
381The Skype API documentation is
382https://developer.skype.com/Docs/ApiDoc[here] if you're interested.
383
384
385== Testimonials
386
387----
38800:56 < scathe> vmiklos: I like your skype plugin :)
389----
390
391----
392It's really working great so far.
393
394Good Job and thank you!
395Sebastian
396----
397
398----
399Big respect for your work, i really appreciate it.
400
401Martin
402----
403
404----
405Thanks for bitlbee-skype. As a blind Linux user, I cannot use the
406skype GUI client because qt apps ar not accessible yet with the
407available screen readers. bitlbee-skype allows me to make use of skype
408without having to interact much with the GUI client, which helps me a
409lot.
410
411Lukas
412----
413
414----
41502:12 < newton> i must say, i love this little bee ;)
41602:15 < newton> tried it out today with the skype plugin, good work!
417----
418
419----
42018:10 < miCSu> it works fine
421----
422
423== Thanks
424
425for the following people:
426
427* Wilmer van der Gaast, for answering questions about the BitlBee plugin interface
428
429* Arkadiusz Wahlig, author of skype4py, for making suggestions to skyped
430
431* Gabor Adam Toth (tg), for noticing extra code is needed to handle multiline
432  messages
433
434* Cristobal Palmer (tarheelcoxn), for helping to testing the plugin in a
435  timezone different to mine
436
437* Risko Gergely, for his SkypeOut ideas
438
439* people on `#bitlbee` for feedback
440
441Back to my link:/projects[projects page].
442
443// vim: ft=asciidoc
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