Plug-in Free Skype Capabilities Coming To Microsoft Edge

Windows 10 preview build 10547 features plenty of new tweaks and improvements, and among them is a preview of the Object RTC (ORTC) APIs for Microsoft Edge, a collection of tools that will make it easier for developers to build audio and video calling into Web apps without requiring any browser plugins.

That being said for those who thought the process could be improved upon, you’re in luck as Skype has recently announced that by the end of the year, users will be able to use Skype with Edge without the need of a plug-in, thanks to the use of ORTC APIs that according to Microsoft, “will enable us to develop advanced real-time communications scenarios.” However, the service will exit the preview phase and go live later this year, so you won’t have to wait too long. This is now becoming a reality, as it will soon become available on its parent company’s new web browser, Edge. Keep in mind that Chrome, Firefox and Safari are all WebRTC-compatible, but it’s still vague as if and when Skype will allow a plug-in-less experience for those browsers at the same time. This facilitates web apps such as voice calling, video conferencing, and general P2P data sharing directly within the browsers. However, no one is quite sure when Skype will enable technology that will make plug-ins a thing of the past for those browsers.

With the flash browser plugin from Adobe exiting the mainstream browsing scenario, the healthy development of both these API’s will take us closer to an ideal WWW where all content is powered without the use of any proprietary & potentially unsecure plugins.

The impact on you: Object RTC isn’t just a Microsoft technology.

If web standards are supposed to eliminate the unnecessary in-fighting & strengthen the interoperability between all browsers what is the need for two real-time data API’s then?

The updates will, at the least for now, exclusively apply to these utilizing the Microsoft Edge net browser with Home windows 10.