Heenreis
Om het kort te houden: kut. Je kent er niemand (behalve dan Stefan, die ik ontmoette door naast hem te gaan zitten) en je zit achttien uur in een bus zonder iets te doen. Sommige mensen hebben nog een paar uurtjes kunnen slapen maar dat is mij niet gelukt. Om half zes kwamen we in Axat aan, waar we gelukkig de mogelijkheid kregen om nog twee uurtjes te slapen in een tent.

Omgeving

Lokatie
Het dorpje Axat heeft minder dan 800 inwoners en ligt aan de rivier de Aude. Het heeft 2 winkels: een supermarktje en een winkel voor tabak, drank en vuurwerk. Op ongeveer één kilometer (vijftien minuten lopen langs de rivier) ligt de camping (-streetview). De camping zelf is Frans, maar daar merk je weinig van: op de camping lopen bijna alleen maar Nederlanders rond en het personeel is Nederlands en erg aardig.

Activiteiten
Bijna elke dag hadden we een activiteit. Op de eerste dag (zaterdag) begonnen we met het slepen van de spullen naar de tenten (ong. 2*2*2 meter, eenpersoons) en daarna maakten we een korte wandeling (~vier uur, al had het in anderhalf uur gekund als we niet fout waren gelopen) door Axat en de omgeving.

De volgende dag (zondag) gingen we raften en boogschieten, wat beide erg leuk was. Maandag en dinsdag hadden we de bivak: we liepen zo’n vijf (of zes, inclusief fout lopen) uur naar de top van een berg en daar kookten en sliepen we (op een matje + slaapzak, zonder tent). De volgende dag (dinsdag dus) liepen we weer terug naar de camping (zonder te verdwalen!), waar iedereen een duik in het zwembad nam.

Het canyonen op woensdag was ook erg leuk. De groep werd opgesplitst in twee delen en we gingen naar de kloof toe, waar we ons in wetsuits hesen. De afdaling duurde zo’n twee uur. Onderweg kregen we de mogelijkheid om van een rots van 6,5 meter hoog af te springen naar het water, wat iedereen ook deed. Leuk!

Aan het einde van de week hadden we nog klimmen, abseilen en hydrospeed. Klimmen en abseilen deden we op donderdag en hydrospeed (vasthouden aan een piepschuim bootje en de rivier af drijven terwijl je probeert om tegen zo weinig mogelijk rotsen op te knallen, meha chill!) op vrijdag.

Klimmen

De dag
De gemiddelde dag zag er zo uit: wakker worden rond negen uur, half uur later ontbijt, drie mensen doen de ochtendafwas, activiteit, eten, drie mensen doen de middagafwas, vrije tijd, eten, vier mensen doen de avondafwas, spelletje om negen uur ‘s avonds en slapen om twaalf uur. Het ontbijt was gewoon stokbrood met beleg, lunch ook, en het avondeten was erg lekker: voorgerecht (salade of soep), hoofdgerecht (meestal pasta met lekkere kruiden (niet pittig)) en nagerecht. Op vrijdag hadden we een barbecue, waarbij Sander, Stefan en ik de barbecue verzorgden (met een biertje in de handen) en de rest zat te eten.

Op sommige avonden was er in plaats van een spelletje (of erna, als er tijd over was) nog een film die we konden kijken samen met het personeel van de camping. Dit waren erg gezellige avonden en de films waren ook redelijk goed. De films waren echter niet ondertiteld dus ik kan mij voorstellen dat mensen die wat minder goed zijn in Engels mogelijk wat moeite kunnen hebben met deze films. Gelukkig maakt dat niet uit, want het is gewoon erg gezellig.

Na de avond van de barbecue hadden we eerst een karaoke avond, waarbij we gewoon met zijn allen meezongen met nummers die we (bijna) allemaal kennen (gelukkig stond de tekst wel op de beamer, anders was het lastig geweest). Omdat na tienen de camping stil moet zijn zijn we daarna naar de zaal van de camping gelopen en is daar een “disco” geweest – dit viel echter een beetje tegen.

Mening
Geweldig (“meha chill“)! De groep (Anja, Anouk, Birgitte, Dominique, Elian, Emmanuel, Kristel, Linda, Lisette, Sander, Stefan, Steffie, Thomas, Tom, Victor, Viktor) was erg gezellig en niemand werd buiten gesloten. Er waren geen ruzies en de begeleiding (Anja en Steffie) was ook erg aardig.

Nee, niet mijn eigen voeten.

Het weer was ook erg goed: de hemel was bijna altijd hemelsblauw, en we hebben nauwelijks regen gehad (hooguit tien druppels). De rivier was lekker fris maar niet extreem koud (een stukje verderop lag een stuwdam voor het genereren van elektriciteit, dus het water kon al een klein beetje opwarmen): in een wetsuit had je geen last van het koude water en als je besloot om in je zwembroek het water in te gaan kreeg je niet spontaan kramp, dat duurde namelijk een minuutje. (Misschien een klein beetje overdreven, maar het water was wel aan de koude kant. Je kon er wel in liggen, al stroomde het nogal hard op sommige plekken.)

Cijfers
Raften: ★★★★☆
Boogschieten: ★★★★☆
Bivak: ★★☆☆☆
Canyonen: ★★★★★
Klimmen/Abseilen: ★★★★☆
Hydrospeed: ★★★★★
De activiteiten in het algemeen geef ik een 8,5/10
De groep geef ik een 10/10
Het weer geef ik een 9,5/10

Het cijfer dat ik deze vakantie geef is dus een 9,3

Terugreis & de volgende dag
Helaas komt altijd aan al het goede een einde en moesten we ook terug. In tegenstelling tot de heenreis was de terugreis eigenlijk best snel (er werd ook lekker geslapen in de bus, al is mij dat niet gelukt) en gezelliger want iedereen kende elkaar nu. We reden via Gentbrugge, Antwerpen, Breda, Utrecht en eindhalte Amsterdam, en bij elke halte was het afscheid toch wel moeilijk, vooral bij Breda, waar mijn favoriete personen uitstapten.

De volgende dag werd ik weer in mijn eigen bedje wakker en leek alles erg ver weg, net alsof alles een droom was.

Dit blogartikel is geschreven als combinatie tussen review en eigen mening. Fotos in dit artikel zijn gemaakt door mensen uit de reisgroep, Anouk en Kristel, waarna ze een beetje zijn bewerkt.

Waarom?
Net zoals vorig jaar zat ik te twijfelen of ik mee zou doen of niet. Het was erg gezellig, maar toch ook wel “saai”. Op de laatste schooldag voor de vakantie kreeg ik echter een tweede reden om mee te doen (weten dat veel vrienden ook mee gaan doen helpt!) en heb ik mij ingeschreven.

Wat vond ik er van?
In 1 woord: helemaal geweldig. Ik ben zo’n regel-persoon, zo’n persoon die van de ene plek naar de andere schiet om alles te regelen en toch een overzicht te houden. Natuurlijk is dat vrij lastig met 1300 man die verspreid over 4 sessies langs komen, en andere mensen die ook hun best doen alles te regelen niet voor de voeten lopen is ook niet makkelijk, maar juist dat maakt het leuk: de complexiteit en tegelijkertijd de simpelheid. Ik vind het overigens ook heerlijk om gewoon lekker door de school (en bijgebouwen) te rennen om snel eventjes iets te regelen. HEERLIJK gewoon.

Conclusie
Ik vond deze dagen gewoon zo heerlijk, dat zelfs als het 10 euro zou kosten om mee te doen, ik het betaald zou hebben. Volgend jaar sowieso weer. =) Al zou ik het wel fijn vinden als ik een iets meer organisatorische rol krijg, want het grootste deel van de tijd moest ik gewoon achter een leraar aan lopen, en that’s it. Ook wil ik volgend jaar niet voor een vak (informatica ofzo) staan, want dan regel ik al helemaal niks meer. Volgend jaar dus sowieso weer!

Tom

Foto’s zijn klein gehouden om privacyredenen.

• Minder computeren. Wakoopa.com/tvdw zegt op het moment dat ik sinds 22 maart 2009 (omgerekend) 2505 uur heb gecomputerd. Dat zou betekenen dat ik sinds 1 januari 2009 (ongeveer) 3615 uur heb gecomputerd. Ik schrik daar van, maar ik reken eventjes verder. 3615 uur over 52 weken is zo’n 70 uur per week, 10 uur per dag. Totaal zitten er in een jaar 8760 uren. Het lijkt me toch dat ik mijn computer-tijd wel kan verminderen met tenminste 25%?
• Hobby’s. Ik ben, zoals hierboven genoemd, bijna een dubbele werkweek bezig met computers, en dat is toch wel veel te veel. Als ik minder wil gaan computeren moet ik dat opvullen met iets anders. Zo zou ik erg graag gitaar leren spelen (en nu echt ^^) en ook wil ik een oude hobby, boeken lezen, weer oppakken. Dit heb ik eigenlijk al anderhalf jaar niet meer gedaan: sinds ik mijn mooie laptop heb. Ik was tevens van plan binnenkort een nieuwe computer te kopen, doe ik bij nader inzien toch maar eventjes niet.
• Gedrag: In 2009 heb ik altijd nee gezegd tegen elk glas alcohol dat mij aangeboden werd. Best dom, eigenlijk. Ik weet van mijzelf dat ik mijzelf kan beheersen als het gaat om het consumeren van schadelijke stoffen (chips enzo ^^) dus een klein beetje alcohol kan geen kwaad. Ik ga het jaar in met 3 glazen champagne, niet meer en niet minder.
• Sociaal: Ik kan zeker een paar echt goede vrienden gebruiken. Meer socializen met anderen dus.
• Werk: Ik neem een baan. Niet voor het geld, maar voor het ontwikkelen van vriendschappen etc.
• School: Ik kan zeker beter mijn best doen, en ik weet dat het zal moeten, zelfs al vind ik het nutteloos.
• Games: Ik game te veel, ik ga minder gamen. Ik kijk hierbij naar een goede vriend: Bob Droog.

Dat is ‘t wel zo’n beetje. Ik weet nu al dat de meeste van bovenstaande dingen niet gaan lukken, maar ik ga het proberen!

Tom

Basically, you are a part of the US Army and fight a battle against the Russians. Not just the Russians but the Russian Terrorists. In the second (or was it third?) part of the game, you go deeply undercover (in a very cruel scene) and infiltrate the terrorists. You kill dozens of civilians and it’s really unethical. In the end you get killed by one of the terrorists, and they get away.

It’s very clear that the most important quote in the game is “History is written by the victors”. This is said on the intro, and the developers even dedicated a complete mission to it, where you have to kill the person telling lies about what happened and get it all right. After all, when you kill that person, you are the victor, and then you are the one writing history, right?

What makes it even more clear that that the most important thing is, is the fact that, in the credits, you are in a museum. You go through all places you have been through. At first you wouldn’t notice, but slowly you will notice that things look better than they were. For example, there’s a part of the museum dedicated to the scene where you were trapped in a chamber that would explode in 10 seconds. This part is true. However, the museum displays it as 2 persons being constrained with ropes on chairs, with a 10 second timer behind them. In the real (it’s just a game, I know) version, they weren’t constricted to chairs and they got out very easily.

Another example is the terrorist scene I mentioned a bit above. Basically the most failing mission in the game (you failed because you got killed, it’s not about the quality of the game here!) was pictured as a great victory, and all the civilians that were killed there was unavoidable.

It was just a game, I know. But don’t forget that games can get really close to reality, not only by graphics. I’m no expert, but I think that a part of this game is targeted at getting people to realize that what is published, is not always true. And, to be honest, I think they are right. History is written by the victor.

Tonight as well. My last tweet was about me needing a Bashir-62. It’s a Star Trek “holo-program”. Then I realized I needed some time away from my life. I ended the tweet with #FML (Fuck My Life).

But the thinking had only just started. I have a German test tomorrow and haven’t found the motivation to learn for it, so I will fail the test. I must admit that it’s pretty much the same with my math test tomorrow, but I’m rather good at math so it shouldn’t really be that much of a problem.

I ended up thinking about why I have motivational problems. Why do I go to school? It’s the law. Why are the only other people at school who have motivational problems, your friends? Now that’s a good question. Most of them are computer-geeks. How did they end up as computer geeks? I guess they didn’t have anything better to do.

And the answer to that question made me realize a possible cause of my motivational problems. All my days are the same. I go to school, then stare at a screen for a few hours, sleep. Next day, the same. And the next day, the same again. In the weekends, it’s the same, except for the school part. It’s always the same.

Isn’t it obvious what the problem is? I clearly don’t have something to look forward to. A school vacation perhaps, but that’s just staring at my screen for 16 hours a day and that gets boring very quickly. No, I need something special.

You could ask me: What do you want? Well, I don’t know. A vacation to a far country? Not alone, and not with my parents either. I kept asking myself that question for over 15 minutes, and I think I know the answer: I am lonely.

Basically, what you expect from a web-store like the iTunes store, is that it will automatically re-download the songs you had before you cleaned your PC. I mean, if Steam can do this with games of 5 GB, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Apple with songs of about 3 MB-. Sure, we are talking about a lot more songs than games, but I don’t think many people buy 5 GB off the iTunes store.

So, I logged into my iTunes this afternoon, after installing iTunes again, and I clicked “Check for available downloads”. It told me I already had all songs! Well, in my Purchased tab, I only saw one song, and that was a free song I downloaded from the iTunes Store because I wanted to test something. So, I checked the iTunes FAQ and it told me I would have to backup all my songs!!

Isn’t it ridiculous that I have to re-buy all my songs again? Is it really too much that I expect the iTunes Store to re-download my purchases after I re-install my computer? Steam does it. The EA download manager does it. Battle.net does it. And a way bigger company called Apple can’t do something as simple as this?

They force us to have DRM on the songs we purchase. They force us to backup everything we buy, but we can’t burn them on CDs if we want to listen to them. They can only be on five computers at the same time, and if you accidentally forget to deauthorize your computer before re-installing your PC, you can only have four computers at the same time. The iTunes Store really limits what you can do with the music.

I don’t think I’ll ever buy off the iTunes Store again. I will resume my old habits of downloading them from Usenet and Torrents, and if I respect the author well enough, I will make a donation to them. Sorry Apple folks, but it’s 2009 and this kind of trickery isn’t wise.

We got to the club at 11 PM. The people reading this may consider that very late, but Bob told me that it’s early for Schagen, and that it usually starts at about 12:30 AM. We actually had to show our ID cards to the security! Bob told me that’s the first time he had to do that. Almost nobody was there (I think.. 15 people?) and at 1:30 AM there were 50 people at most. Not very crowded. We had a nice talk with the barman (I actually got to know his name, it’s Sander) but decided to go to the pub at 1:45 AM.

In the pub, it was very crowded (even although Bob told me it wasn’t) with about 8 to 10 people per square meter, so we could barely move and we were literally pushed to the direction we didn’t want to go to. I “danced” (more like jumping and shaking my head, lol) a bit, and saw this lovely lady… But, as many know, I’m attracted to intelligence, not to the looks of a girl (prove me wrong!), and I’m already in love with someone else.

I think we went home at 3:30 AM. We both stayed sober (I totally dislike alcohol, and Bob agreed not to drink it for one night) so the walk home wasn’t too hard. I really liked the night, except for the fact that I knew only one person, Bob, and the fact that I really wouldn’t know how to “dance” (lol).

I would consider doing it again, but probably not in Schagen. I barely knew anyone and I don’t make contacts very easily. In Meppel, however, the problem is that I know a lot of people but most of them think of me different than who I actually am. I liked going out, which is something people don’t expect of me. The thing I wouldn’t do is go out on my own: If someone would take me with him/her, I would more than likely say yes. But no, never when I am on my own.

I learned a few things :

• The way people behave differs. When they are at school, they can be really nice, but also limited by the fact that it’s school. When you are in a club or pub, they are not limited that much. This may, however, be caused by alcohol.
• Going out and having fun really isn’t limited to those that drink alcohol.
• You don’t have to show your ID card very often, at bars. (But hey, who cares?) Sander (The barman) even offered me a drink, and I think it was one of those drinks for 18 years and older (15+ percentage alcohol) so he’s guilty! (No, he’s not, I refused)

There’s probably a lot more I learned. But it’s been almost 24 hours already, and I forgot a lot of it.

Bob is leaving for America again in about 2 months. There’s a very distinct chance we will meet before he goes there. If we don’t, I will visit him for sure. (He stays there for 4 or 5 years, so I won’t get to see him very often, lol.)

I liked the night and I want to do it again, sometimes. Anyone?

Our climate is changing. Probably even more than we know. Many of us know we have to do something about it. The country I live in, The Netherlands, is already making some laws to “help” us, by, for example, prohibiting sale of the old-style light bulbs, in favor of LED lights. Which is good.

But it is not our lights that use a lot of energy. It’s the big companies, who use most of it. And, with computers usually generating the worst energy consumption, it is the IT sector which should change.

Computers in homes and companies: People have them active even when they don’t need them. Each morning they get turned on to check the e-mails, to be turned off when people go to bed. And with a total of about 1.6 billion internet users (source), this uses a lot more than is necessary.

In data-centers, the same happens. Servers are active all the time. However, that is the idea of a server, so it is acceptable. The energy consumption of these may be reduced, but that is not the main issue. The temperature of the average data-center is kept at about 20 degrees Celsius. This is not needed: Servers will perform just as well if they raise this temperature to 30 degrees Celsius. System admins will not like that, which is why it is currently 20 degrees Celsius. But wouldn’t 25 degrees be a better option? It could save lots of energy, because data-centers would have to be cooled less.

Also an option, which I decided to do, is put the servers in “green” data-centers. While everyone knows this doesn’t mean the data-centers are green-c0lored, and it doesn’t mean that it’s 100% climate-neutral, it’s better than the average data-center. The data-center the server of this blog is in, for example, cools the data-center from air from the outside. Since it is a Dutch data-center, it means that the air compressor can be turned off 40% of the time. Also, the power to the data-center is “green”: Produced only with sustainable energy such as wind, sun and biomass.

There are still a lot of things that need to be changed. Now would be a good time.

Basically, these questions will range from how to shut down a computer, to explaining why wireless networks need cables. Possibly even some questions I will laugh at, but that makes it even more fun.

It’s a shame though, that they picked today. Tomorrow (October sixth) the person I’m in love with (I don’t think she realizes) has her birthday. But on the other hand, better today than tomorrow, right?

Currently I am sitting in the train to Hilversum. Brakes just fired, so I’m close to Zwolle. In 2 hours, the meeting starts, so I’ll have plenty of time to prepare for it. Not that I can, since all I brought is the iPod I am typing this message on. And a pen. By now, the train has stopped and it’s near empty.

The thing about the birthday tomorrow has troubled me for a few days now. Knowing I cannot ignore it, but not knowing what to do, is a complex situation I still have to solve. And I know that, whatever it is I plan for tomorrow, it won’t be close to what will actually happen tomorrow. So why even bother trying? Some things cannot be planned, and I accept that. Just like any sane human should.

But still, it cannot hurt to think of these non-plannable situations. Simply letting it happen without knowing at all what to expect, is worse than expecting the wrong thing.

So, I should not think about it, and I should think about it. That is what I just said, right? So, now a simple birthday caused 2 questions, which I havent been able to solve yet. Now, I will not write the complete tree of philosophies down, because I may end up writing about life and human nature. And that may become rather boring, I’m sure.

So, as you may have noticed, a simple question can easily turn into ten more questions, when you think about it too much. Which brings me back to thinking about things, which I described before….

By now, I am almost at my destination. I expected the media park to be huge with lots of people, but judging by the amount of people in this train (to Hilversum North) I may have been wrong.

And now, I’m actually there.

-insert appropriate movie quote here-

[First blogpost from my iPod!!]

What I tried to say in this post? No idea. But there are two things I have learned myself: sometimes I make things more complicated than they are, and that there’s a first time for everything. Every day, you encounter new situations and you don’t have to think so much about those. Trust your instincts?

So, what you do: you go to www.skype.com and try finding a solution. Too bad, you are the first one. So, you open a support ticket.

A few days later, you get a reply from them. Basically, there’s an Indian guy trying to answer your questions by clicking a pre-defined answer.

Our conversation, attached below.

Hello,

My firefox 3.5 has a _terrible_ slowdown on javascript actions, but it
also slows down other addons. Disabling the plugin and everything is
back again.

For your info: I notice this mainly, with the “FireGesture” addon
(javascript-based, it allows me to do gestures with my mouse and do
browser actions). The website it can be seen on, is www.mibbit.com, an
web-based AJAX IRC client. It takes 3 minutes to load and login _with_
the plugin, and 5 seconds _without_ the plugin.

Tom

After a few days, they replied.

Hello Tom,

Thank you for contacting Skype Support.

We are sorry to hear that you are having problems with Skype

We have recently released an upgraded version of Skype 4.1.0.141 for
Windows that hopefully solves some of the difficulties you are
experiencing. Please upgrade to this version to begin troubleshooting
your problem. If it does not resolve your issue please reply back.

The latest Skype for Windows is available for download here:
http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/

With updating Skype, your Firewall needs a new rule in the exception
list. Even if the previous version of Skype is already in the exception
list, delete it and create a new rule for Skype.

If you have more than one Firewall each of your Firewalls will require a
rule allowing Skype to connect to the internet. Sometimes Firewalls
allow Skype to connect for a number of days before blocking it.

For firewall setup – http://www.skype.com/help/guides/firewall.html .

Please let us know if this has resolved the issue. Should you need more
assistance, feel free to contact us again; we will be glad to help.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Best regards,

Davide

Skype Customer  Support

While I had already tried updating, I did it again. No luck with it. So, I nicely replied.

That was, obviously, the first thing I did. Skype plugin version 3.3.0.3789. Skype version 4.1.0.141. Firewalls obviously won’t matter, because it’s the plugin that slows down firefox. Thank you for the nice autoresponse, but you’ll have to do better. Go and try it yourself. Install firefox 3.5.1, update the browser plugin, and go to a page that uses ajax intensively, such as mibbit.com. Open 5 tabs in it, switch a few times, and you’ll notice a terrible slowdown. Disable the plugin, and the speed is back.

Tom

Sure, I was not 100% nice in my message, but it’s a customer service. Compared to other customers, I’m an angel.

Anyway, they replied.

Hello Tom,

Thank you for contacting Skype Support.

We apologize for the delayed response, due to a recent increase in
inquiries it has taken longer to respond to you. Thank you for your
understanding and patience.

When you installed Skype, you also installed the Skype add-on for your
browser. The add-on turns phone numbers on websites into buttons which
you can click to call from Skype.

The problem that you described has been fixed in our latest Skype add-on
BETA which is available for download at this link
https://developer.skype.com/SkypeToolbars. The most updated add-on
versions are at the bottom of the page.

If you have already the add/on installed, click on the settings dropdown
on the menu bar, and click on “Manage Add-ons”.  Here you need to have
the add/on enabled.

Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you are still experiencing
difficulties after the upgrade

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Best regards,

Davide

Skype Customer  Support

Problem has been fixed? Not really. So, again I replied :

Hello,

Problem still isn’t fixed. Did you even try it yourself?

Tom

Then, things started to get worse.

Hello Tom,

Thank you for contacting Skype Support.

We are sorry to hear that you are still not satisfied with the quality
of your calls after following our earlier instructions.

So here are some more suggestions to help resolve the issue:

Make sure you enable usage of secure connection protocols SSL3 and TLS
1.0. In Internet Explorer – Tool->  Internet Options->  Advanced. In
Mozilla Firefox Tools->  Options->  Advanced. Also make sure your browser
accepts cookies.

In some cases the problem is that the security settings of your browser
are set too high. Try to make them lower and try again.

Sometimes it helps, when you try a different browser, although our site
should work with all the browsers.

Let us know if the problem persists.

Best regards,

Davide

Skype Customer  Support

How stupid can someone be? Must have been a misclick. But, me being rather annoyed by that message, I replied.

Hello Skype Support/Davide,

Try reading my previous messages. I don’t have trouble accessing your sites.

Also, you could try using your keyboard (it’s the one with the alphabet on it) to type a message, instead of clicking an automated reply. You could also try updating to Firefox 3.5.3, and trying if you can indeed reproduce the bug. I have been able to do this on 3 computers, but it seems you haven’t even tried.

When I contact support, I expect to be helped. I don’t expect pre-typed responses that don’t even get close to the problem. I have a problem nobody had before, and there is no pre-defined reply for that.

Tom

PS: There is nothing wrong with my computer. There is nothing wrong with my internet connection. The problem is within Skype. (I’m a software engineer, I should know.)

But, again :

Hello Tom,

Thank you for contacting Skype Support.

We are sorry to hear that you are still not satisfied with the quality
of your calls after following our earlier instructions.

We are constantly improving the Skype quality.
However, if you cannot experience an excellent call using the versions
4.0 or 4.1, we recommend to revert to the previous version 3.8 with less
features and more stable with different systems.
Please find the version 3.8 at this link:
http://skype.com/go/getskype-accessibility or
Skype 4.0 available at http://www.oldapps.com/skype.php

Your feedback has been passed to our developers and we will work to
resolve the problem in the future Skype versions.
Please read our release note at
https://developer.skype.com/WindowsSkype/ReleaseNotes to know which
problems have been resolved in the newer versions

Should you need more assistance, feel free to contact us again; we will
be glad to help.

Best regards,

Davide

Skype Customer  Support

I decided that it would be easier to build my own VOIP app than to get an answer from this person. But, I tried.

Hello Skype Support/Davide,

This is going nowhere. Does Skype have a skype account I can call for technical support? Let me say this one more time: I do not have problems with call quality! I am reporting a BUG! in Skype, and not requesting help.

Tom

And:

Hello Tom,

Thank you for contacting Skype Support.

We apologize for the delayed response. Our goal is to respond to all
customer e-mails within 72 hours, however due to a recent increase in
inquiries it has taken longer to respond to you.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

We do not have live phone support, most of our support is conducted by
e-mail. We do not plan to have live phone support in the near future but
we are gradually introducing live chat support, starting with our larger
users.

At present email support requests gives us time to deal with each
customer and each problem more thoroughly, because we have time to
search and develop the answers to different problems and to find out the
best solution. The best solutions are not always the fastest ones.

In order to solve your problem we need your help.
Could you please describe the problem (error) appeared in a more
detailed way, mentioning all steps to reproduce?
For example: “Double-click on the Skype icon, Skype opens nicely,
contacts are loaded, but an error appears.”

Thank you very much for your assistance and feedback, it is very
important for us.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Best regards,

Davide

I was tired of this. We had been mailing for almost a month (Skype support is slow), without any luck.

Never mind. By the time you’ve fixed I can have my own SIP-software ready.

Oh, and I’d create a good support desk, not like this one.

Tom

By now, I have de-installed the Skype plugin.

Thank you, Skype support desk.

Tom