Skype also has a very usable API (two in fact if you count the COM control) for extending it, and an interesting developer program to package, promote and sell Skype Extras – even within Skype itself. There are a number of useful utilities that integrate with Skype as well as some that I still haven’t figured out. I can’t fathom the value of loading a game into Skype, though it could be game companies that make Skype Extras merely do so to leverage Skype’s sales platform.

But Skype As IM (nor any other IM) does not have all the features I think would make me more productive. I have set an engineer at work at creating a Skype Extra to add those features. In August 2007, the first public alpha or beta will be available for download.