Skype 5 pop-up ads

[grandsioux]

Skype 5.x has built-in pop-up ads which the user cannot disable. I therefore recommend that every Skype user uninstall Version 5, reinstall Version 4, and disable the Help and Skype tips and Promotions in Options>>Notifications>>Alerts and messages and the automatic updates and notifications in Options>>Advanced>>Notify me.

[TheUberOverLord]

There is an easier way while also allowing you to have the latest features provided by Skype using the latest Skype clients.

From the main Skype Window do:

Tools -> Options -> Notifications -> Alerts & Messages

Uncheck any checkboxes that are checked, click the save button.

Secondly, you can also use the Compact view ("Optional") by using the main Skype window do:

View -> Compact View

To return back to the normal view simply do:

View -> Default View

[esl_all]

Is there any way to over come this problem

[TheUberOverLord]

Please read my prior posts here, does this stop this for you?

[grandsioux]

Changing the Notifications options does not prevent the Skye pop-up ads. There is no way to disable them. If you downgrade to Version 4 Skype will automatically update you to Version 5 with the Skype pop-up ads. You have to go back to Version 3.8 to disable the automatic update. In other words, under the guise of "improvements" Skype has forced us to read its pop-up ads. Changing to "Compact View" does not solve the problem either. Skype must issue an ad-free version and let us make our choices.

[TheUberOverLord]

Is anyone having pop-ups who has Skype services, such as Voicemail, Online Number(s), Subscriptions or other Skype services seeing these pop-up ads when in Compact View?

I don't see them, as in ever, while in Compact View.

Maybe this is because I close the Home Browser Window after Skype startup and have Skype services?

On the Main Skype Window does it say "Professional Account" anywhere?

[Primemover]

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grandsioux wrote:

Skype 5.x has built-in pop-up ads which the user cannot disable. I therefore recommend that every Skype user uninstall Version 5, reinstall Version 4, and disable the Help and Skype tips and Promotions in Options>>Notifications>>Alerts and messages and the automatic updates and notifications in Options>>Advanced>>Notify me.

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This is a suggestion which the concept was discovered by user XP from the old Skype forum site (forum.skype.com).  This is not a permanent solution on how to disable those start-up/pop-up advertisements in the Skype Home window, but just a workaround.  It has been tested in Skype 5.3 and the current Skype beta version 5.5 and still works (no guarantee until when).  I'm personally incorporating this method for months (as well as other active users in the forum) and so far, no unwanted after effects whatsoever.

There are two ways to disable those advertisements;

A.  Change your language to non-English (Tools >> Change Language >> Then select the language preferred)

or

B.  Rename The English language file.  Procedure listed below;

1.  Click Tools >> Change Language >> Edit Skype Language File...

2.  The Skype - Language File Editor window will open, click the Save As button

3.  Enter Standard English as filename , Save it on your desktop or in any folder you want.

4.  Click Tools >> Change Language >> Load Skype Language File..., then browse and select the Standard English language file.

5.  Restart Skype

Again, this suggestion though proven to be working, is not from, suggested, or endorsed by Skype or any of its staff.  So try at your own risk.  This method should only be used, if and only if, those advertisements are seriously affecting your interest in using the Skype client.

[To re-enable those ads, simply reselect English as the Skype language]

[TheUberOverLord]

This is important to note as well.

It is also important to note, that from time to time as new versions of the Skype client are released, you may need to do this again, because new menu options and tabs,  just using two examples, would not be updated/found in older versions of these language files which are used to display the language text for things like this in the Skype clients.

Because of the positional nature of the data located in these files and how the Skype client uses the data via string array indexing, as menu and text items are added/removed from one client version to the next, this can cause havoc due to the fact that the string array now contains items in the wrong position or is shorter or longer than the Skype client expects ("Since Skype does update these Language files when needed for changes").

More here:

forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=66785

One may ask, how do you know this?

The answer to that question is that due to being one of the few "Early Adopters" of the Extras Beta developers, at the time a closed beta, we were exposed to how and what these language files are used for and what their formats are and how they change and what the impact is when they change.

We were also required to use the same text used in these language files when using mutiple languages, ALL of the "Early Adopters" of the Extras Beta program also were required to have Skype formally certify our software, with or without that software supporting multiple languages. In my case that was 3 different applications.

So please beware, if in the future, the Skype client has text in places that don't make sense when using this method, and redo the above when/if that happens.

My Hope is that this will not create issues with the Skype client having problems starting as it sometimes did, while testing in the past, when the string array indecies were incorrect from one client to the next, generally caused mostly by items being removed from a string array ("causing the string array to be shorter than expected") vs items being added.

In any case the offsets to this data can and will be incorrect when changed by Skype when not changed by people using this method, due to using a stale copy of an old Language file when and if these indecies change.

IMHO, there is no doubt that in the very near future, we here in the Skype forum, will be dealing with text not displaying or text displaying in the wrong places or Skype clients not starting because people who used this method who did not realize the total near future impacts of doing so and/or forgetting to update this file with new Skype clients.

[ruwim]

This was a very good description of the possible problems. However, let’s hope that Skype developers are intelligent enough to take care of the possible conflicts. The original user interface language is stored both in Windows registry and in the local config.xml file. The registry value is in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Skype\Phone\UI\General. In config.xml the original value is provided by the “UILang” tag and if a user defined language is applied, a new tag is added – “UserLanguageFile”, which contains the path to the user defined language file. This means, that all the necessary information is available for the installation program and it should be possible to avoid any future problems. Just a question of appropriate coding of the installation program.

[TheUberOverLord]

This suggested modification has nothing to do with developers in this case. However end-users using this modification, will be exposed to the same issues, that developers were/are when changing the name of this language file in future client release installs.

When the Language file name is changed, the Skype clients will continue to use the selected language file name when new Skype client versions are installed.

Since the language file name is now "Standard English ", there will be no modified/updated language file for "Standard English " by the installer of new Skype client releases, when new Skype client versions are installed.

New Skype client release installs do not "undo/revoke" what language file name changes that were made.

The concept is much like creating a custom sound, new Skype client installs, will use that custom sound that was used from prior Skype client releases and not require you after each Skype client install to redo/use that custom sound.