Re: [orca-list] Skype/Pidgin with Orca: Quick Instructions

["Christian" <christian08 runbox com>]

Hi Jacob,
OK, I have now installed the latest version of Skype on my Debian Squeeze system, version 2 and the pidginn plugin. I am able to login to Skype i can hear the skype login sound but I do not have any .skype directory in my home directory.
Any thoughts?
Many thanks,
Christian


On 2009-07-09 at 16:38 Jacob Schmude wrote:

>Hi all
>I thought I'd give some quick instructions to get skype, pidgin, and
>Orca working together without needing sighted help. I'm not going to
>cover how to install the Pidgin plugin or Skype itself, just how to
>get them to work together and what you need to do. Note this is with
>the latest version of Skype and the most recent version of the Plugin.
>These instructions are for those who wish to use it, I am not trying
>to start nor am I interested in a debate over the ethical issues
>surrounding Skype.
>
>1. After Skype is installed, log into your Skype account. The easiest
>way to do this, for an Orca user anyway, is to open a terminal and
>type the following:
>echo username password | skype --pipelogin &
>Obviously, replace "username" and "password" with the appropriate
>values. If this is your first time with the skype client, you will get
>the end user license agreement. To get around this, make sure you are
>in the window (alt-tab will speak Skype's window titles), press shift-
>tab twice, followed by the spacebar. After the license agreement, you
>will get the "update your profile" dialog. Simply wait a few seconds
>then press enter here to bypass it without changing anything. If all
>goes well, you'll here the Skype login sound and the window title,
>when alt-tabbing, will list your Skype username. The license and
>profile windows will not appear again.
>2. Press ctrl-q to quit skype.
>3. We need to edit Skype's configuration file to allow Pidgin to
>communicate with Skype's API. Typically this would be done through
>Skype itself but, as Skype will not read with Orca and what's more
>that particular window has no support for keyboard navigation, we work
>around it. Change to the folder:
>$HOME/.Skype/username
>$HOME is your home directory, username is your skype username. There
>will be a file in here called "config.xml". Open this with whichever
>editor you prefer. NOw, find the API tag, a quick search for "API"
>without the quotes should get you to it. The tag looks like:
><API>
>On the next line you should see the following:
><Authorizations></Authorizations>
>Change this to read:
><Authorizations>Pidgin</Authorizations>
>Note the capital P in Pidgin, that's important. If you don't have the
>authorizations line don't worry, simply paste the above line
>underneath the line with the API tag, and above the line that reads:
><BlockedPrograms></BlockedPrograms>
>Save the file and exit.
>4. Start skype as in step one, it should log you in immediately and
>you'll here the login sound.
>5. Now add a new account in Pidgin, choose "Skype" as the protocol,
>and enter your skype username. You need not enter your Skype password
>in Pidgin as you are already logged in, so don't be concerned about
>the absence of the password field. Finish adding the account, and you
>should be up and running. If all has gone well, a new Skype group will
>appear in your Pidgin contacts and the Skype window itself will
>disappear. From this point on, Pidgin takes over handling the
>essential functions of Skype (calls and messages). Your Skype contacts
>appear under the Skype group, and more Skype functions such as the
>ability to call a phone (if you have Skype credit or a subscription,
>of course) are under the Accounts/Skype menu in Pidgin.
>
>
>I hope this was helpful. Let me know if I need to explain it better, I
>realize this looks a bit complicated although it looks much more
>complicated than it actually is.
>
>Jake
>
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