webcam_skype_ubuntu

I do not know if this way of installing Skype addresses the well-known video problem, however, if it does not, then the following steps should be followed:

1. Create a script in /usr/local/bin. to invoke the installed Skype binary
(which is /usr/bin/skype ) in such a way as to enable video in Skype:

sudo mousepad /usr/local/bin/skype

Add these 2 lines in the opened file:

#!/bin/bash
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libv4l/v4l1compat.so /usr/bin/skype

2. Save the script file and make it executable:

sudo chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/skype

From now on, as the executables in /usr/local/bin/ take precedence over the executables
in /usr/bin/, whenever the user clicks on the menu entry "Internet -> Skype", the script
will be launched, rather, than the binary itself (both have the same name, so the menu
item which just launches "skype" without the path, would not know the difference.)

Now one can have normal videocalls in Skype.
The reason for this hack is that Skype video is not yet compatible with the Video2 spec
used by Linux, so we have to instruct it ot use the Video1 spec instead.

It's easy to verify that video now works in Skype. After launching Skype one can click
Menu -> Options -> Video devices and verify the correct operation of video.
I've used this technique to enable video in Skype ver. 4.1.0.20-1 (I installed it manually
from the relevant .deb file) in Xubuntu 13.04.
Probably future versions of Skype will take this incosistency into account and will not
need this hack to enable video calls.