derwaro

Skype Ringtone Ringing Through the Dark

Skype saw it’s last sunset a few days ago. I did not use it that much any more in the last years¹. However I do have fond memories of it. At least when it was still a decent piece of software.

I remember downloading it because it had the best connection, latency-wise, when I was gaming my days and nights away in various Battlefield games with my best friend. We were only two guys, no clan, no group and ingame chat was not available and if, it was not widely used on the geographically near servers. Teamspeak was the other option, but we were just two and why be on a public server, hosted by somebody else when it’s a 2 person conversation anyways.

At some point we traveled to another continent and at that time, skype on a PC or Laptop was the best option to do calls and communication at that distance. I could call my mom and dad through it and sometime we could even see us over a video call. On that journey I met a nice girl from yet another country, but still same other continent. And of course we exchanged our skype usernames (it was not called handle yet. The thing was still called username).

When I returned to my country the heyday of my actual and further lasting and life-influencing skype usage started. We were able to see each other, through many time zones, talk to each other in some mangled up language consisting of words from three languages and images from google image search, and showing us things through the skype video call. Although we used it extensively and we spent many many nights (for me) and days (for her) talking and talking (and sleeping. As in, we intentionally fell asleep while being connected through skype just to be able to sleep together), we eventually lost contact. There was some scarce communication when major events in our countries happened or the eventually Happy Birthday, but not more.

Some years later we finally were able to catch up, again through skype. Although it had changed a lot in quality. The software! not us, we found right back together and after some more skype sessions we forged a plan. A plan that still amazes me remembering it. It involved cross-atlantic travel, seeing each other again after 5 years, traveling together, exchanging ideas (now in more or less one language!), cross-atlantic traveling back (but now not alone, together!) and finally marriage, kids, life!

It’s sad to see skype go, but I know that we can remember it fondly, we will be able to tell our children our story that involves and for some time revolved around a, for them now cryptic, archaic, tool called skype.