Setup Skype on Ubuntu x64

If you've tried to install the Skype 1.4.0.74 deb package on a 64bit architecture machine you probably got: Error: Wrong Architecture 'i386'

Edit: According to oleg_t this works for Skype 2.0.0.63 too. Change skype-1.4.0.74.deb to the version you are trying to install.

You could try:
sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture skype-1.4.0.74.deb
linux32 skype
but that didnt work for me coz skype was still expecting the i386 libraries of some files.

Finally what did work was a solution from Ubuntu Forums

sudo apt-get install --yes ia32-libs* lib32asound2
cd ~
mkdir skypebetainstall
cd skypebetainstall
wget http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-ubuntu
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/q/qt4-x11/libqt4-core_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/q/qt4-x11/libqt4-gui_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/libs/libsigc++-2.0/libsigc++-2.0-0c2a_2.0.17-2build1_i386.deb
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/d/dbus/libdbus-1-3_1.0.2-1ubuntu3_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -x libqt4-core_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb libqt
sudo dpkg -x libqt4-gui_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb libqt
sudo dpkg -x libsigc++-2.0-0c2a_2.0.17-2build1_i386.deb libqt
sudo dpkg -x libdbus-1-3_1.0.2-1ubuntu3_i386.deb libqt
sudo cp libqt/usr/lib/* /usr/lib32/
sudo ln -s /usr/lib32/libdbus-1.so.3 /usr/lib32/libdbus-1.so.2
sudo ldconfig /usr/lib32
sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture skype-1.4.0.74.deb
sudo rm -rf ~/skypebetainstall

Basically, my understanding is that, it installs the 32bit libraries that skype needs into /usr/lib32/ and then installs skype.

To run skype just go to Menu > Internet > Skype