I'm well aware of that... I also know that the MS Teams client uses the same connection channels (you can answer calls on either skype for business or in teams, for example)... I was suggesting that MS Teams (electron app) might be a useful alternative.

Teams is still not up to snuff with the capabilities of Skype for Business. As of today I cannot handle incoming instant messages originating from another Office 365 Skype user in Teams, and presence information has only been syncing between the two since the Ignite event last month. It feels like the implementation must be similar to what was done with the newer Mac Skype for Business client, because there are many of the same limitations and bugs.

The story has been for about 18 months that Teams is going to eat all the things, but the execution is slow coming.