Skype is hidden under "technical items" in USC when installed from deb downloaded from skype.com

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Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

There are TWO issues with Skype debian package shipped at skype.com at the moment:

1. After the installation of Skype the button is showing "Install" like nothing happened, despite has been correctly installed, this bug was fixed in Ubuntu 13.04 and regressed again in Ubuntu 13.10.

2. To uninstall Skype these are the steps:
a) open Ubuntu Software Center and search for "skype"
b) click on the _very_ hidden "Show 18 technical items" (High Contrast screenshots show that link is not even accessible, color contrast is not ok)
c) scroll circa to the middle of the page to finally see Skype
d) click on it
e) click "Remove"

Result:
Both install and uninstall of Skype package is very hard and not user friendly. We are open for suggestions on how to address this issue by Ubuntu 14.04 and make sure it is NOT going to regress one more time for Ubuntu 14.10.

Thank you
Marco

Skype is not showed in the search, even if it is installed.

Even after clicking on the very hidden link at the bottom, Skype is not even at the top, even if the search is 1:1 match with the package name!

Finally, after scrolling around the middle (?!?) Skype is there, buried where no one will ever discover.
Uninstalling from command line is going to be easier than the UI, unfortunately.

Hi Marco,

I think you've already stated this, but this is specifically about the skype deb package from the skype website correct? That is, the skype debian package that is in the Ubuntu partner archive [1] seems to behave as expected (see screenshot).

Perhaps it'd be best if whoever packaged the version in the canonical partner archive could work with Skype so that we use the same package in both places?

[1] http://paste.ubuntu.com/6885532/

From #3 above, issue #2 is not present in 13.04 and is present in 13.10+. This would lead one to believe the problem is either in the SCA or in the software-center client (in one of the USC components). Issue #1 on the other hand is likely due to the multiarch packaging issue mentioned below in paragraph #3.

Unfortunately the way that the USC (generically) handles multiarch, the package in partner is a "split" package that pulls in the 32 bit application and handles the multiarch deps for 32 bit and 64 bit. I suspect this may play a role in this issue.

If you look at the packaging there is a skype:{i386, amd64} package that depends on the skype-bin:{i386} package in the partner archive.

Hi,
yes I think John is right, the problem is: Skype is not interested in splitting the package into two different packages, this will make the user confused at our web site download page and we would like to still provide Ubuntu package on our website.

So what else could be done? Is there anything in our package (32-bit) that could be done to prevent this?

On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 8:28 PM, John Pugh <email address hidden> wrote:
> >From #3 above, issue #2 is not present in 13.04 and is present in
> 13.10+. This would lead one to believe the problem is either in the SCA
> or in the software-center client (in one of the USC components).

Hi John. Yes, the issue that once it is installed it only appears in
the technical items must be something that USC can fix. I'll ask
Rodney if he can take a look. All I see is that it should appear as it
has a desktop file:

michael-X201EP# ~/tmp/skype
$ dpkg --contents skype-ubuntu-precise_4.2.0.13-1_i386.deb | grep desktop
-rw-r--r-- root/root 249 2013-12-18 19:52
./usr/share/applications/skype.desktop

> Issue #1 on the other hand is likely due to the multiarch packaging issue
> mentioned below in paragraph #3.

Yes, this is unrelated to USC, as you say. On an amd64 system, there
is no 'skype' package installed after installing the downloaded deb,
only 'skype:i386', so the partner version is still ready to be
installed (http://paste.ubuntu.com/6908092/).

On Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 9:07 PM, Marco Cimmino <email address hidden> wrote:
> Hi,
> yes I think John is right, the problem is: Skype is not interested in splitting the package into two different packages, this will make the user confused at our web site download page and we would like to still provide Ubuntu package on our website.
>
> So what else could be done? Is there anything in our package (32-bit)
> that could be done to prevent this?

I don't know - but I'll ask Steve who packaged the partner version if
he knows. Ultimately, I think you'd need two packages - one skype
package that is arch-independent so that you always end up with a
'skype' package installed, and a skype-bin which installs the i386
binaries, and I think you can only hide the two packages from the user
by either using a repository (where one pkg depends on the other), or
doing something ugly like the first package downloading and installing
the second.

Steve?

> Ultimately, I think you'd need two packages - one skype package that is arch-independent so that you always end up with a 'skype' package installed, and a skype-bin which installs the i386 binaries

I guess I haven't been clear enough, but Skype is NOT interested in creating TWO packages only to workaround this problem. Plus this mean on skype.com we would need to make a i386 and an amd64 packages, both will pull a THIRD package i386, 3 packages to fix a simple usability problem on USC? I think is too much. If there is something in the deb file we can add to avoid this I am more than happy to do so, but releasing 3 packages only for Ubuntu doesn't seem something we want to do.

On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 7:03 PM, Marco Cimmino <email address hidden> wrote:
>> Ultimately, I think you'd need two packages - one skype package that
> is arch-independent so that you always end up with a 'skype' package
> installed, and a skype-bin which installs the i386 binaries
>
> I guess I haven't been clear enough, but Skype is NOT interested in
> creating TWO packages only to workaround this problem.

Sorry Marco - I do understand that you're not interested in creating
two packages, I was only commenting that we need to ask someone who
may know other solutions, as I can't see how it could work without
that. I've already contacted Steve, and am waiting to hear back from
him.

> Plus this mean on
> skype.com we would need to make a i386 and an amd64 packages, both will
> pull a THIRD package i386, 3 packages to fix a simple usability problem
> on USC? I think is too much. If there is something in the deb file we
> can add to avoid this I am more than happy to do so, but releasing 3
> packages only for Ubuntu doesn't seem something we want to do.

Yes, I totally understand that. Let's see what Steve says.

There are two ways to fix this from what I see.

1) rename skype on skype.com to skype-bin

2) rename our split packages into "skype-meta" for the arch-independent meta package and "skype"

#2 will break all upgrades wrt skype.

This is due to the fixes introduced in bug #966355

This looks to me like a duplicate of bug 1065577.

@mpt they are different. This one is a direct result of how bug 966355 workarounds were implemented whereas bug 1065577 seems to be related to indexing/display of app metadata (or the lack thereof?).