Microsoft's Skype to be available on Internet Explorer without any plug-ins

Microsoft has announced that it will be supporting the new Object Real-Time Communications (ORTC) API as part of the WebRTC standard and has started implementing it in the Internet Explorer browser. This will ultimately enable users to make Skype calls from within the IE browser, without downloading any third-party apps or or plugins. It is expected to work only with IE version 11 and over. WebRTC is an open project which allows Internet users to communicate via voice and video easily by using a WebRTC-compatible browser. Developers can include real-time data sharing and video/audio calls which includes video conference calls. As of now, this feature will only be available in Internet Explorer and no information seems to given out about the other browsers being able to adapt it. The ORTC which is being adopted my Microsoft is similar, but not compatible with the WebRTC standard that the IETF and W3C have chosen. As the browser-based P2P video-chat technology that doesn’t require any plugins, you can Skype on your desktop without any hassle. WebRTC has been designed to work with traditional telecom lines and if developers wish to change it, they cannot do so without browser level modifications. Internet Explorer senior program manager Shijun Sun writes in a blog post that, Microsoft is developing the Object Real-Time Communications (ORTC) API for WebRTC, which will remove the need for a plug-in on the Internet Explorer browser. Sun also added that Skype is “working closely with the web community to improve other existing standards for richer video interoperability, for example, features to adapt to changing bandwidth conditions and more.” He also says that Microsoft will ensure interoperability with web browsers and SIP-based VoIP endpoints, PSTNs and teleconferencing systems.