Intel, Microsoft doing Internet Phone Software

["E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>]

	I would be curious if the standards mentioned include any cryptographic
capabilities. The PGPhone people might want to look into producing a patch for
the Intel (and later Microsoft) programs allowing encryption. (In consideration
of fair use, I am both editing it down and putting on the same ad I see (I use
lynx).)
	-Allen

>   [The New York Times]

>   _ Monday July 22 6:03 PM EDT _
   
>Intel Unveils Internet Phone Application

>   SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Reuter) - In its quest to make the personal
>   computer an indispensable tool, Intel Corp. Monday unveiled software
>   that will make it easy to place long-distance phone calls over the
>   Internet.
   
>   The Intel Internet Phone software is the first to allow users of
>   different types of computers and software to link up, solving a
>   problem that has held back use of the global computer network for
>   long-distance telephone calls, even though it would save long-distance
>   toll charges.
   
>   Intel's software uses a telcommunications standard that allows users
>   of different computers and telephone software to talk to each other.
>   Until now, people using the Internet for phone calls had to have
>   identical software and hardware.
   
>   The software works on PCs running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95
>   operating system. Intel also has signed up 120 companies who have
>   agreed to use the standard in new products.
   
[...]

>   Jeff Pulver, author of the soon-to-be-publisehd Internet Telephone
>   Toolkit and chairman of the Voice on Internet Coalition, said Intel's
>   breakthrough was that the software is based on open standards, not
>   proprietary software, and so could spur growing use of the Internet
>   for telephone calls.
   
>   ``It's not that Intel is coming forward with a new product, but that
>   Intel and Microsoft recognized the need for standards and have done
>   something about it. Intel is the first company to actually deliver on
>   a standard,'' Pulver said.
   
>   To insure its success, Intel is offering the software free starting
>   Wednesday on its Web site -- http://www.intel.com/iaweb/cpc.
   
[...]

>   The most viable competitor is Netscape Communications Corp., which is
>   incorporating a voice telephone feature in its Navigator 3 Internet
>   browser.
   
[...]

>   ``We believe voice telephony on the Internet represents a major
>   opportunity for AT&T,'' AT&T spokesman Mike Miller said, adding that
>   AT&T is exploring the area as a business itself.
   
[...]

>   Microsoft plans to introduce its version of Internet phone software,
>   called NetMeeting, in September.
   
>   _Reuters Limited_