LINKS ADDED - LINKS CORRECTED - Mar99
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Internet Phone

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* What is This Document?

This is simply my own two-bits on what I know about Internet Phone, though it also contains several links to other internet phone resources so that you don't have to feel limited to my personal decisions of what I feel is worthy to include. (Especially since I am biased towards Macintosh and Unix-based platforms.)

Three cheers to Charley Kline and Eric Scouten for creating Maven ! Thanks to them, my wife and I have been able to talk everyday, during the unfortunate separation of 2,600 miles created by my new job.

You may feel free to make links to this document, or distribute it as you feel useful, but I'd appreciate knowing about it.

-- David D. S. Hale

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* What is Internet Phone?

Internet Phone describes the usage of an internet connection for the purpose of carrying speech information between two computers; very much like a regular telephone in practice.

A regular telephone converts your voice into an analog signal and sends it out over telephone wires, through local and/or long distance switches, to another telephone, which sends that analog signal to a speaker.

Internet phone uses two computers and an internet connection. Using your computer's microphone as input, your voice is converted into a digital signal, which the computer sends out over the internet as data. The receiving computer recognizes the data and converts it into an analog signal which is then played through your computer's speaker. This all happens (more or less) in real time, making two-way conversations possible over the internet, very much like a regular telephone.

Once you've already established your internet connection, there's no additional cost to using internet phone, since on the most basic level you are just sending data back and forth across the internet. So, there's no "long distance company" timing you. There is one caveat, however. Transmitting speech data is very bandwidth intensive. That is, it uses a lot.

Because it taxes internet bandwidth, one would certainly not want to use internet phone for making "local calls" across town. Typically, it is being used by close friends and family who have been separated by great distance, to keep in contact without having to take out loans and second mortgages to do so.

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* System Requirements

* Software

Now, the all-important part, since you already have a computer. What you want is the software! (Keep in mind, that I'm biased towards Macs and Unix boxes.)

Unix

Macintosh

Mac Support Software

Assuming you don't already have an internet connection, then you'll need a few control panels and extensions.

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* More Information

For more information, check out the following:

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This page is maintained by David D.S. Hale . Comments may be e-mailed to:

Last Updated 1998 October 02