Can my heterogenously equipped family video chat with each other?

December 16, 2008 6:40 AM

Cross-platform video conferencing: Linux/OSX/Windows. Is it possible?

My geographically spread family covers the gamut of modern operating systems. Is there a video chat application (or inter-operable set of applications) that we can all use to talk to each other online?

Last time I looked, video conferencing only really seemed to work if both ends were using the same application & there was certainly nothing available that covered Linux, Mac and Windows. Even Mac & Windows seemed problematic. Have things improved? Can I just get everyone to install Skype?

posted by pharm to computers & internet (11 comments total)

Yep..Skype covers the 3 platforms.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 6:59 AM on December 16, 2008

How about the video chat in gmail?
posted by dmd at 7:27 AM on December 16, 2008

"Google Mail voice and video chat is not yet available for Linux. "
posted by pharm at 7:46 AM on December 16, 2008

(says Google)
posted by pharm at 7:46 AM on December 16, 2008

Skype.
posted by unixrat at 8:03 AM on December 16, 2008

you might try dimdim - http://www.dimdim.com/ - flash based, more for shared desktop, whiteboarding, but also supports videoconferencing.

But skype is probably bestest / easiest.
posted by jenkinsEar at 8:15 AM on December 16, 2008

xing Skype. It crosses the platforms for me, but you may have to fuss with your webcam a little on Linux to get it working.
posted by quarterframer at 9:16 AM on December 16, 2008

Thanks guys. Looks like Skype it is then.
posted by pharm at 11:05 AM on December 16, 2008

A similar question on slashdot.
posted by PueExMachina at 9:53 PM on December 16, 2008

Ekiga on Windows and Linux and XMeeting on OSX might make an alternative approach. No guarantees.
posted by pwnguin at 11:29 PM on December 16, 2008

pwnguin: Have tried that in the past with little success.

Looks like skype is the only answer. Now I just have to find a webcam that doesn't have crappy firmware which crashes under the linux-uvc driver.
posted by pharm at 11:46 AM on December 18, 2008