I’ve tried the FydeOS/ChromiumOS solution. I’ve read into the NaCl issues too which may be resolved once v90 is built into it. But even if it is, support has been pulled for it going forward, so it’s not a long term solution.
The source of the poor performance is that zoom is using CPU encoding/decoding which a Pi isn’t fast enough for. As the built in encoders are relatively low compression I can’t see zoom wanting to use them.
Zoom prioritizes bandwidth which is a cost to them over hardware performance which is a cost to the user. It’s the same reason M$ use the silk codec in skype and teams.
It sucks because the educational users could really use it. Maybe a hypothetical Pi5 will be powerful enough but we aren’t there yet,
I don’t want the post to be removed, so all I’ll say is that there are alternatives which do work smoothly and are free.
I saw a stat awhile back suggesting over 600,000 Raspberry 4ps were sold in the 30 days prior to the post. Now I wish I could find that post, although it probably does not matter.
It is unfortunate that they choose to ignore a venue that could make them a world wide provider. Guess Zoom just does not need the growth, or perhaps they are not able to think globally.
Some ARM news. Sad, but it’s not about Linux. Zoom will create ARM-optimized app this summer for Snapdragon-enabled Windows 10 PCs.
Oded Gal, Chief Product Officer of Zoom Video Communications Inc. stated:
“This summer, we’ll release a new version of Zoom that will enable the optimization for Snapdragon, delivering significantly longer battery life allowing Zoom to run longer than ever and allow users to connect from virtually anywhere,” said Gal. “Zoom is proud to work with Qualcomm Technologies to help businesses and students connect, communicate, and express their ideas so they can get more done together.”
Another thing that I would like to share - is article which was originally published on 23 April 2020:
Zoom is currently developing a new Chrome client from the ground up. We are partnering with Google to ensure our new web client and progressive web applications are optimized for speed, features, and compatibility. This app will be the foundation of the Zoom on Chrome experience, and we expect to make it available well before the expected June 2021 sunset of the Chrome Web Store.
I hope that we will see web client with same functions as in Chrome OS version, including joining instant meeting.
Starting from Raspberry Pi 4 (running an up-to-date Raspberry Pi OS) and Chromium, the USB LogiTech webcam starts in the browser, but the Audio icon is a set of headphones with a green arrow. Clicking on it “expands” a menu saying “Use Computer Audio” or some such. But it’s not really giving me a choice, and, as near as I can tell, no matter what I do it is not actually using the microphone available to it via the LogiTech webcam.
What’s the status on this? I’m on the board of a non-profit and we need a low-cost solution for holding meetings. I have a Pi 4 on hand and can set it up for Zoom, but that’s not much good without a client.