Skype has announced that it is developing an open-source version of its Linux client.

"This will be a part of a larger offering, but we can't tell you much about that right now," said Skype developer Stanislav Karchebny (also known as Berkus), in a blog post.

Skype has confirmed that the user interface will be open sourced, but customers have expressed concerns that the client's protocol may remain closed, according to the comments under the blog post.

"Having an open-source user interface will help us get adopted in the multicultural land of Linux distributions, as well as on other platforms, and will speed up further development. We will update you once more details are available," said Skype.

Reports referring to comments from Skype's customer services suggest that the open-source version will be available in the "nearest future". Customers responding to Skype's blog post, however, are asking the company to name a date.

Skype is a VoIP system that offers free Skype-to-Skype worldwide calling and instant messaging capabilities. Skype for Linux operating systems was launched in 2004.

Version 2.1 beta of the Linux client was published in August, supporting better quality video and audio, improved chat functionality and SMS.