I’ll be looking for alternatives on Linux I guess… My concern is a deal with Microsoft could raise even more questions on privacy even though Tencent has been a part of Discord through investment for some time. Here are more articles on the matter…
Is anyone using something different, and it must work on Linux !
Microsoft has Skype, which is an old somewhat clunky and unfit application for what people use Discord for.
Microsoft also has Teams, which apart from the ability to turn any microphone from dirty-buds to Chandler Mics into the same garbage, is not bad for collaborative work stuff and conferenes.
Microsoft could certainly polish up Skype. Or add a Discord-Server like grouping feature to Teams (and open that up to normal people more…, after fixing the audio engine in there).
I for my part, will start looking for alternatives.
Microsoft could just rebrand it all “Discord” or absorb Skype into Discord, and add functionality to teams. Zoom and Slack have ate MS lunch and this is a way for them to get back in the “game” in both ventures…
Imagine having such a wide access to depraved subs, creating the tools to analyze all of that data and do “stuff” with it.
Sure, the points about them killing the platform are valid but I’m interested on see what they’ll do with the data.
I don’t think they would directly do anything that makes Trams Discord, they want Teams to be serious and Discord would probably lower the tone of Teams too much with its porn and various rabid fanbase and creator servers.
They may use some of the underlying work but that could be dangerous in the sense that the Teams team would suddenly have code that was Not Invented Here and have to spend time learning it, likely rewriting it, and then trying to shoehorn it into the Teams code. Which itself might severely damage Teams with bad updates, half functional features and months of trying to fix it all and in the end people would just go somewhere easier like Slack.
My worry is that they will try to turn Disorc into Skype and not leave well enough alone and will just destroy it clumsyly and slowly.
For the most part I don’t mind if they do buy it, it would make sense for their xBox side of things, where they have been busy recently with buying Bethesda and a few others. But it would be nice if they just leave it alone, wishful thinking though.
I personally use the Matrix network (using the “element” client or element.io). It has Windows, Linux (based on electron), web and Android clients.
It has chat rooms or direct chats with E2E functionality, media preview, markdown support and VoIP. Also supports opening a jitsi call.
However it doesn’t integrate as well into games (doesn’t show someones status) or even special features like providing an overlay of who’s speaking.
There are bridged rooms to join IRC networks like channels on freenode and many open-source focused rooms (for various topics/software) are hosted on Matrix so it’s a nice alternative for many discord servers focused on such support.
My guess is first update breaks everything causing everyone to jump ship over night.
I suppose they just want to obtain Discord because it’s very popular with the gaming community.
And therefor it can make them allot of revenue.
Skype and Teams will likely stay separate from that.
Because Teams are used in professional environments and skype is used allot by home users.
Although i think that the popularity of skype has been reduced in the last few years.
I use Disord as a direct replacement for Skype with a few people.
It has been years since I have had Skype but we went from that to mumble but it was not our server so we set up a team speak but the features were never as good as Skype and when docord came along a friend invited us in and that did everything in a nicer way and better.
So now when someone (individual) tries to float the idea using Skype to talk I suggest Discord and go with that as it is just better on on more platforms than Skype was. And that way I don’t have one for my friends playing games, and another for a couple of people else where.
And as “catching up with the times” as Microsoft have been recently I worry they will fall back on the “brand recognition” of Skype with the older generation and mess up Discord to try and keep the older people, while at the same time pushing their newly acquired younger users away. All round bad.
I kinda agree with your concerns there,
because Microsoft pretty much did the same when they initially obtained skype.
They pushed all the messenger users away and forced them to migrate to skype.
I kinda hope that this won’t happen with Skype.
I can remember that there were plans initially to merge skype and teams into one platform.
However i believe MS came with a later statement to scrap that idea.
When they obtain Discord i do hope that they keep the platforms separated.
And that they don’t mess up Discord.
Microsoft owns skype, teams, zoom, whats next? The gamery voip.
They don’t own zoom.
Microsoft does not own Zoom
Was it just me or was leveltechs reporting that zoom was owned by micorsoft. Am I remember an alternate universe? #mandellaeggect/ I swear I have heard this from l1news repeatedly
You ehhh… You in the right topic there bud?
Thought it was the lounge for some reason.
I will probably delete my discord account if Microsoft acquires discord.
I doubt i will. I am on windows anyways.
It’s not just that really. I have a MS account for Halo MCC and Minecraft. It’s also the fact that they’ll probably ruin it as well. Yes privacy is part of it, but not a large part of it. Idk. I have to think about it. For now I have time cause they haven’t bought it yet.
Personally, I’m not super concerned about the privacy issues with Microsoft- I think other companies, like Google or Facebook, are far more concerning. Not that I’m unaware, or delusional- I just think Microsoft’s intentions aren’t quite as bad nor have the capacity that some suggest.
Integration wise, I doubt the idea that Skype or Teams would somehow be products that are connected to Discord. The user base for Discord is far higher than either of those products, and Teams has a lot of built in tools for business and office 365.
While I’d love to see a business version of Discord, I doubt it would ever happen. Microsoft has it in their own interest not to do so.
I’m mostly concerned with the code. That is, Discord is perhaps the best text and voice chat platform I’ve ever used, and it’s written to work well in a browser. The web hooks are easy to setup, and the customization is unmatched from any product in competition, at least in my experience. I mean, does anyone remember the communication platforms of old? Team speak? AIM? Whatever platforms that existed to evolve us to here?
But when the big boys should up and try and integrate with Xbox live, or add things, or just generally neglect the software, I’m concerned. We’ve all been enjoying this glorious chat app for so long, we forgot how great it is in earning money and users. The valuation isn’t even surprising, so naturally the sell off to a larger company isn’t either.
I just hope they don’t completely nuke it, like so many other software products end up after getting absorbed.