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If I use Alt+F4 on Skype's main window in Windows-XP, it goes to the Windows System-tray, where I can still see and access it, but in Ubuntu, it simply disappears and I can't get it back. Skype is still running according to System Monitor.

Is there some way to bring back a hidden window? Am I doing something wrong?

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You should have a system tray in Ubuntu too. Anyway try to install trayer (a stand-alone system tray), just for a debugging purpose.

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I have an excuse: I've been a Windoze user for too long... I only know how to look down into the bottom right corner. . . The icon was in the top panel all along.. but I have it so that it auto retracts from view. Outof sight- out of mind :). . . Your "should have a system tray" comment got me thingking straight.. Thanks. – Peter.O Sep 26 '10 at 17:01
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Skype has minimized to the Linux old-fashioned equivalent of the system tray. Right click on the top panel in a free area and select "Add to panel." You can find and add the "tray" from there.

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Thanks badp: I didnt understand this answer at first, but I now see what you mean... In the Add to Panel" menu, the "tray"is called "Notification Area", and I was looking for a Tray. . . . Just as an aside: While reading up on this matter, I came across this comment from Canonical (dated April 21, 2010): "Our roadmap is that in Ubuntu 11.04, one year from now, there will be no notification area." ... design.canonical.com/2010/04/notification-area – Peter.O Sep 27 '10 at 13:32
@fred I know about that, hopefully the GUI portion of Skype will go foss before that :) – badp Sep 27 '10 at 16:36
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Had the same problem with skype and Ubuntu 11.10.

I search for a commandline tool to active invisible or minimized windows and found "xdotool". Now I get my skype window back:

sudo aptitude install xdotool
xdotool search --class skype

this lists all window-ids associated with skype. Now I tested all listed numbers (NUMBER):

xdotool windowactivate NUMBER

and got my main windows and chat window back (in my case the last two process ids).

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Thanks Alex.. Yes, a good idea for autormating this action via a shortcut key... Since I originally asked this question, I've actually made use of a similar xdotools script .. but I hadn't used --class though... It looks like a handy opiton. – Peter.O Jan 26 at 4:15
Because, in the long run, I wanted to be able to do this via the keyboard, the main problem was that when Skype was closed via Alt+F4 there is no visible window to display, although many are listed by the xdotool command. To bring up the main window, I eventually had to write a script which scanned the panel for the Skype icon and then send a mouse-click to that icon. It works, quite well, but it takes a lot of setting up; to be able to identify the icon, mainly because the icons changes its look, depending on status and pending messages, etc.. It was quite an experience writing it. :) – Peter.O Jan 26 at 4:38
If you are interested in the script, you can find the prototype version on this AskUbunatu question/answer – Peter.O Jan 26 at 4:42
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