Microsoft plans to include VoIP in the new MS Office package

[Eraserhead]

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1881409,00.asp
Does that mean VoIP will be free once you have Office installed?

[Cable Monkey]

How much is going to cost to install Office??
I suspect it is not VOIP but MOIP they are trying to corner the market on. Strictly speaking the use of voice, video and other Media types for conferencing and presentation.

[RekalinSimms]

How would Microsoft work this?

[Cable Monkey]

They already have software and protocols that can do it (used in Messenger as one example). They will simply package it, make it more secure and add options to use it, for instance when you use the invite function on a pc for net meetings and conferences. There really is nothing new there, it will simply be rebadging and marketing...

[Monty Burns]

..., it will simply be rebadging and marketing...

And a logical progression if you ask me....

[suniil]

Exactly! they had this since they launched windows XP (though they have outsourced this from 3rd party)

If you notice windows messenger bundled with windows XP, it works on SIP (prior ones work with propritery/h.323 protocol)

Microsoft Office 2003 have Live Communications Server 2003 (SIP)

Longhorn o/s will have SIP built-in

They already have software and protocols that can do it (used in Messenger as one example). They will simply package it, make it more secure and add options to use it, for instance when you use the invite function on a pc for net meetings and conferences. There really is nothing new there, it will simply be rebadging and marketing...

[spinalize]

Office Communicator is an add on to Outlook as far as I can see. If you have an exchange server and Live Communication server you have Email, IM and presence. OC allows you to add voice to that system so you can talk to other users on Exchange/LCS. Expect add ons to break in and out to the "real world".

Is it a PBX? Not really
Is it SIP? Sort of with extensions to SIP
Will it take off? It MS

Spine

[RekalinSimms]

It will be interesting to see how in the US this offering from Microsoft competes with companies like Vonage and SunRocket.

[Uridium]

Can't see anthing in Office 12 Beta, maybe it will only be in later (RC1 on) versions

[dejongj]

They've had it for many, many years....Netmeeting has been around since Windows 95 if I recall correctly...With the appropriate equipment (i.e. soundcard) one could converse via the network...If that network was running IP one had VoIP :) Unbelievable how something so old is all of a sudden something new ;) Conferencing server add-on for MS-Exchange has also been around for donkey-years....In fact Interactive Intelligence is going back to 1994 and was running on NT Advanced Server that we had as a fully IP PABX...It's ancient.... :)

[Chris Muriel]

Certainly works for me in Windoze Messenger (WinXP both pre and post SP2).
Have also used voice chat in some Yahoo Groups.
For radio amateurs only there is also Echolink - but you can only talk to other radio hams.


Chris Muriel, Manchester