getting Skype to work on opensuse as a user

Skype is still only provided as a 32 bit binary and that is rather upsetting, because opensuse doesn't ship libXv as a 32 bit build by default. So if it fails because of that install xorg-x11-libXv-32bit (and any other stuff it wants).

If however you aren't root, then you are a little on your own. I got it working with the following

1. Grab a 32 bit libXv from somwehere, e.g. here
   
2. Unpack it. In my case like this: rpm2cpio xorg-x11-libXv-32bit-7.5-1.8.x86_64.rpm | cpio -idmv
   
3. Now push that libXv.so.1 some place sensible (I recommend ~/.local/lib)
   
4. Export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$HOME/.local/lib/" or appropriate
   
5. Start skype from within the reach of that export e.g. the same shell
   

Steps 4 and 5 have to be redone every time, so you might as well make a script out of it
All of this can be automated of course and is just a pointer for poor souls like me that take longer than 10 minutes to figure this out.