Any Chance Skype Will Return to Searches by Age, Genger, Language, City, State and Country?

[cyberbiker]

Is there any chance Skype will return to the search criteria available in versions 4.2.x and before that permited searches by age range, gender, language, city, state, and country?  It made Skype much more valuable because it was far easier to find new contacts, whether for business or pleasure.  Dropping the search criteria was a significant step backwards, yet Skype never gave a reason for doing so.

For those who wish this better search capability, v4.2.0.187 and other old Skype versions can be downloaded at 

http://www.oldapps.com/skype.php?old_skype=93 

This is what the window looked like in v4.2.0.187.  

[TheUberOverLord]

Not likely, and no plans have been announced as of now to do so in the future.

[Fairfax]

This is rediculous!  I am going back to version 4.0  I agree completely with HappyCellophane when he or she said:

This feature existed in skype 4 as well.

There's something wicked happening to skype; while all applications add new features and improve things in new version, skype goes exactly the opposite way.
First Skype Me mode, then stupid interface, now limited-beyond-any-logic search function.
In skype 6 please remove ability to make conference calls and make videochats.
Thank you!             

[TheUberOverLord]

It's important to note that good things can be abused.

IMHO, a select few, were using it to farm data which was leading to unsolicited IM's. Almost all companies have narrowed their user search information because of this type of abuse.

[LynR]

I agree with Cyberbiker and had only gone through all the necessary steps to register/join the forum in order to ask the same question - i.e. why, when I was wanting to search for someone in a particular country, and after putting the country phone code in the box, did I still have to wade through umpteen other country listings and all because more than one person had the same name.

Please bring back the previous method of searching for a contact.

[MjYj]

So, because 2 guys are bandits, everyone is punished ?

[jimsnowdon]

OMG the search facility in v5 is totally mad!

I am new to Skype but this very poor search facility has put me off all together. At the very least it must have the option to narrow your search by Country and preferablr City and State as well. When it returns 200 results from all over the world which even then might not be the complete list is crazy. I happen to have a friend called John Smith. Searching by this name returns the maximum 200 results but he must be 201+ since I cannot find his profile. This is a complete waste of time.

Come on Skype lets have something a little more intelligent!

[jimsnowdon]

Sorry, but I do not agree with TheUberOverLord. Think if you had just 1 telephone directory for the whole world or on Yell.com you could only search for "Plumbers" but not specify in which area?

It is a complete nonsense to not be able to narrow your search to a reasonable level. After all if people are that paranoid about it they can leave the Country, City, State info out of their profile! Maybe even Skype provide an ex-directory option (if they don't already!).

[starknaked]

Now, we are inferior to Skype's genius. That's why we cannot see the ingenuity.

Skype's imposing you limitations. That's all. There is no more "Take a Deep Breath"

New mantra is :"Take a Cold Bath"

[cyberbiker]

What should concern the owners of Skype is that this constraint, which removes value to the users, has occured in a market that is becoming increasingly competitive.  For US users, Skype's largest market, Yahoo Voice and Google Voice&Video both offer calling rates that are generally cheaper than Skype's (see under References below).  Both offer free SMS messaging to mobiles within the US and select other international countries.  Google offers free inbound phone numbers.  All three offer free audio and video between computers or smartphones.

It makes Skype users wonder if the $60 in annual fixed fees they pay Skype for unlimited North American calling and an inbound phone number, plus higher international calling rates, make sense.

References:
Sample International in US cents per minute (Goo/Skype/Yah):

Afghanistan landline:  27/37/34
Brazil:  3/5.8/4.7
Cambodia landline:  9/30/24.5
China landline:  2/2.3/1.8
Finland landline:  5/4.5/3.9
Guinea-Bissau landline:  75/127/92
Indonesia landline:  7/9.6/9
UAE landline:  19/27.5/22.9