TELECOM Digest Sun, 7 Nov 93 12:08:45 CST Volume 13 : Issue 741 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson My Meeting With the Commish (Charlie Hofacker) Voice Processing with Visual Basic (IVR Toolkit) (John W. Barrus) Book Review: "Windows Network Programming" by Davis (Rob Slade) New Method Triples Capacity of Fiber (Josh Backon) Telephone Pioneers Activities and Goals (Dave Leibold) Looking For Software Distribution and/or File Transfer Programs (T. Hull) Need Cellular Rates For New York Metro Area (Seng-Poh Lee) Wanted: Info on Cellular Phone Monitoring Systems (Robin Singla) ATM Newsgroup: is There Any? (Kees de Graaf) Telephones in Italy (Steve Cogorno) Where to Find Amp for Phone Extension? (Bill Leeke) Brought to You by the Letter Q (Bill Leeke) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Charlie Hofacker Subject: My Meeting With the Commish Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1993 04:52:28 EST Well, I got my chance to have lunch with FCC Commissioner Barrett. There was a brief question and answer session at lunch. I decided to ask him about universal access, and whether the concept of universal access should be updated to include more than POTS. I think it would be fair to say he was not enthusiastic about the whole idea of universal access. In fact, I might summarize his reply in the form of a rhetorical question he asked me back: who pays? (Inspiration for my question came from Bob Boucher ). Later he told me that he was still thinking about the issues and he had not closed his mind to any point of view. Perhaps the most amusing moment came when a student asked him about the FCC and censorship. He insisted that the FCC does not engage in censorship and is wholly unconcerned with any content whatsoever with the possible exception of kids TV. It was apparent that he is spending some time in the UK studying the telecommunications situation there. Thanks to all who submitted possible questions. Needless to say there was a lot of competition to ask him questions so I could only get one in. Charlie Hofacker chofack@cob.fsu.edu ------------------------------ From: John W. Barrus Subject: Voice Processing with Visual Basic (IVR Toolkit) Organization: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1993 11:14:11 GMT Contact: Krisztina Holly 617-621-9545 STYLUS INNOVATION'S VISUAL VOICE TRANSFORMS MICROSOFT'S VISUAL BASIC INTO A POWERFUL VOICE PROCESSING TOOL CAMBRIDGE, MA (November 1, 1993) - Stylus Innovation, Inc., today announced the release of its new software product, Visual Voice(TM). Visual Voice is a Visual Basic custom control and graphical workbench which allows developers to quickly build sophisticated, PC-based voice processing applications. Using Visual Voice, developers can create a variety of applications including fax-on-demand, Touch-Tone(TM) order entry, and voice mail. Typical business applications include prospects requesting faxed product brochures, customers placing orders, sales reps accessing shipment status, or employees inquiring about benefits information. One Billion Node Network "Voice applications developed with Visual Voice can interact with practically every available data source and network because of Visual Basic's extensive third party and built-in support. This is client/server with a one billion node network: the PC is the server and any phone in the world is a client," explained Michael Cassidy, president of Stylus. "Not surprisingly, our market research revealed that MIS departments and system integrators would prefer to develop voice processing applications with industry standard Visual Basic instead of spending weeks learning a toolkit based on a proprietary language. Most MIS groups today already have developers familiar with Visual Basic. And anyone who knows Visual Basic will immediately pick up Visual Voice." Explosive Growth in Voice Processing The voice processing industry continues its rapid 30% annual growth and reached nearly $4 billion this year. Key growth drivers have been declining digital signal processing (DSP) chip prices and emerging industry standards for the computer-telephone interface. Visual Voice allows someone with no voice processing experience to develop voice processing applications. Visual Voice handles all of the following functions: - waiting for inbound calls and detecting ringing, connection, line dropping, etc. - making outbound calls and detecting ringing, connection, busy signals, etc. - prompting for Touch-Tone input once calls are established - playing and recording voice files "Stylus Innovation's new Visual Voice product is a great example of pragmatic component software at work," said Tom Button, Microsoft's Group Product Manager for Applications Programmability. "Now, voice processing capability is as easy to build into mission critical solutions as data access, workgroup, multimedia, and the breadth of other functionality available from third parties in the form of tightly integrated Visual Basic custom controls." Visual Voice also includes the Visual Voice Workbench, a set of visual tools designed to speed up development. The Workbench helps create and revise all voice processing objects including voice prompts, menus, and files. Enormous Visual Basic Installed Base There are more than 500,000 Visual Basic developers today. "One of the hard parts of building interactive voice response applications is the database connectivity issue. That involves getting information out of a database to give to someone calling for information. Visual Voice solved that problem," said Jim Burton, president of CT Link, a leading computer-telephony consultancy in Boston. "If you're an organization that has a little bit of development capability and has a need for voice processing, this is a no-brainer." One can equip a PC for voice processing by simply installing a voice response board. Visual Voice is a high level, easy to use interface which controls boards from vendors such as the industry leader Dialogic. Stylus has recently been named a member of Dialogic's Open Developer Program. Low end boards start at a few hundred dollars and prices increase with the number of simultaneous phone lines handled. Also, Visual Voice will support the Microsoft/Intel Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI) when it is made available. This means that Visual Voice will work with every voice response board which supports the TAPI. Visual Voice has an introductory price of $495 and can create applications which handle two phone lines simultaneously. Visual Voice Line Extender will handle an unlimited number of lines (up to the capacity of the host PC) for an additional $1495. Visual Voice requires a 386 or higher PC and Windows 3.X. Stylus Innovation (Cambridge, MA) was the winner of the Best Invention of the Year competition given by MIT in 1991. Stylus has developed several other innovative hardware and software products for the voice processing industry. Stylus Innovation, Inc. One Kendall Square Bldg 1500 Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice (617) 621-9545 FAX (617) 621-7862 Note: Visual Voice, Visual Voice Workbench, and Visual Voice Line Extender are trademarks of Stylus Innovation, Inc. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 93 11:25 -0600 From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "Windows Network Programming" by Davis BKWNPROG.RVW 930929 Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. P.O. Box 520 26 Prince Andrew Place Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948 or 1 Jacob Way Reading, MA 01867-9984 800-527-5210 617-944-3700 5851 Guion Road Indianapolis, IN 46254 800-447-2226 Windows Network Programming, Ralph Davis, U$29.95/C$38.95 I recall a message posted by the developer of a piece of security software. He was explaining the process that was being used to assign priorities for new features for his program. One of the first things mentioned was the time being consumed by ensuring the product would work with Windows. Thereafter, about every two paragraphs, we noted a reiterated cry of, "Have I mentioned how much I hate Windows?" as various features that should have been added to the product were pushed into the background. I have heard the same from communications software developers. Windows has a number of features making initial program development rather easy, but it is full of traps for the unwary once you get into the interesting stuff. Davis' book is intended to address the most complex of communications issues, that of networking. His rather understated intention is to "explore some of the issues" in writing networked applications. In this he would appear to have succeeded admirably. The programmer intending to start building "network aware" applications under Windows would do well to start here. In addition, the experienced programmer who has concentrated on a single API (Application Program Interface) will find this a helpful bridge to other systems. Chapter one serves as both preface and introduction to the work. There is background material on the major protocols and APIs of use in the Windows environment and some comparison as to feature and users. Part one details the protocols, procedures, architectures and data structures of NetBios, IPX/SPX, VINES and Sockets (TCP/IP) as well as a general API. Source code is given for DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) for all systems. Part two deals with specific "built-in" network services, once again covering all the major APIs. Part three covers Windows NT, Win32 and Windows for Workgroups. This work is intended as a serious programming reference. Experienced programmers will appreciate the fact that no attempt is made to address a novice audience. The code listings are tight, with minimal, but clear, commenting. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKWNPROG.RVW 930929 Permission granted to distribute with unedited copies of TELECOM Digest and assocated newsgroups/mailing lists. DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 DECUS Symposium '94, Vancouver, BC, Mar 1-3, 1994, contact: rulag@decus.ca ------------------------------ From: backon@vms.huji.ac.il Subject: New Method Triples Capacity of Fiber Date: 7 Nov 93 08:18:57 GMT Organization: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem I just heard on the news that an Israeli physicist at the Weizmann Institute of Science developed a new technique based on holographic technology to triple capacity of optical fiber. The report indicated that this will have a major impact on telecommunications. Josh backon@VMS.HUJI.AC.IL ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1993 23:02:52 -0400 From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Dave Leibold) Subject: Telephone Pioneers Activities and Goals [From Bell News, Bell Ontario, 25 Oct 93; text Bell Canada's.] From past to present - The Telephone Pioneers of America began in 1911, when three men recognized they shared a number of common interests: pride in the network they had helped build, satisfaction in doing a job well and concern for their co-workers. This handful of special people began an association of long-time and retired telephone workers, whose goal was fellowship and comtinuity of the service philosophy their industry represented. There were 734 members in the first group of Telephone Pioneers. Today there are more than 800,000 active members from the telecommuni- cations industry in Canada (23 374 in Bell Ontario) and the United States. THE ENVIRONMENT The environment is one of the Telephone Pioneers' major areas of concern. Their support of environmental groups and programs include: * the collection of trash from streets, highways and recreation areas for sale to recycling agencies to raise funds for other clean-up activities; * numerous reforestation efforts throughout Canada and the U.S; * the "adoption" and ongoing clean-up of miles of highways, nature trails, streams and river beds. THE COMMUNITY Pioneers have been responsible for the creation and ongoing support of many community services: * programs to combat illiteracy; * providing volunteers and support to homes for battered women; * helping hospitals purchase expensive specialized equipment. THE DISABLED Pioneers' work with the disabled has resulted in a number of worthwhile projects: * built or refitted parks and playgrounds for the disabled; * invented and manufactured "beeping" sports equipment that enables the visually impaired to participate in nearly every sport; * designed special smoke detectors for the deaf * the only organization designated by the U.S. Library of Congress as the official repair depot for Talking Books program; THE CHILDREN Many programs have been initiated or supported by the local chapters of the Telephone Pioneers. Here are just a few: * supplied law enforcement and other agencies with more than 95 000 teddy bears to hand out to traumatized children, victims of child abuse or traffic accidents; * purchased equipment and provided volunteers for infant hearing assessment programs in many hospitals; * support and participate in programs that locate missing children. THE PIONEER PURPOSE IS FIVE-FOLD: * promote and participate in activities that respond to community needs; * provide a means of friendly association for all employees and retirees; * foster among members a continuing fellowship and a spirit of mutual helpfulness; * contribute to the progress of the assocation and promote the happiness, well-being and performance of the membership; * exemplify and perpetuate those values that have come to be regarded as the ideals and traditions of our industry. ------------------- Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:250/98 INTERNET: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG [Moderator's Note: And now I believe many chapters of the Telephone Pioneers and Independent Pioneers have waived the fifteen or twenty year employment requirement for full membership. If you are not a member of the Pioneers, you should inquire about membership in this worthwhile organization today. PAT] ------------------------------ From: terryh@engin.umich.edu (Terry Hull) Subject: Looking For Software Distribution and/or File Transfer Programs Date: 7 Nov 1993 04:05:54 GMT Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor I am looking for some automatic unattended file transfer programs running on Sun SparcStations. But first let me describe what my company has right now. There are 40 branch offices across USA. Everyday, each branch offices will be sending data to and receiving data from the central office. We are currently using RemoteWare from XcellNet to do the job. The RemoteWare Server runs on OS/2 PC residing in the central office, and each branch office has a RemoteWare node runs on a DOS PC. This is a master slave relation between the Server and The nodes. The Server part of the RemoteWare has the scheduling ability. You can program it so that it will initiate calls to the nodes via modem. While this works fine, it is approaching its capacity to handle larger volume of data. Now, we are seeking a similar product, but it should run on SparcStations, and should support both modem dial-up and also IP-based transport mechanisam. I was told that a company call CMI has a similar product. But I don't know anything more besides that. At this moment, we are open to all ideas. If you know anything about this, or have heard of similar products, please drop a line. All help will be greatly appreciated. ------------------------------ From: Seng-Poh Lee Subject: Need Cellular Rates For New York Metro Area Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1993 22:26:43 EST I need the full set of rates for the cellular carriers in the New York Metro area. I understand the two carriers are Bell Atlantic Mobile and Cellular One. In particular, I need to know if either has a low usage rate, ie low monthly fee, but higher per minute charge. I've been told that you cannot get an account for less than $36 per month. Surely every cellular carrier has a low usage plan. As an example, I currenly pay only $9.95/month, 75 cents/min for my wife's phone, which I consider reasonable for occasional/emergency use. In fact, it used to be NO monthly fee up to about two years ago. Seng-Poh Lee ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1993 20:59:58 CST From: U19250@uicvm.uic.edu Subject: Wanted: Info on Cellular Phone Monitoring Systems Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago, ADN Computer Center A friend of mine, without net access, has received some information on a product called "Cellmate Model B" It supposedly allows you to dial in a cellular phone number, and listen to both sides of the call. How does this work? Is it reliable? Has anyone ever heard of any other products like this that are cheaper (this is ~$6000)? Thanks, Robin Singla u19250@uicvm.uic.edu ------------------------------ From: kees@cv.ruu.nl (Kees de Graaf) Subject: ATM Newsgroup: is There Any? Organization: University of Utrecht, 3D Computer Vision Research Group Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1993 10:30:51 GMT I'm new to the comp.dcom.* newsgroups. I was wondering whether there is a group dedicated to the ATM standard/protocol (?) and its applications. Otherwise, what would be the group to read anything about ATM? Thanks in advance, Kees [Moderator's Note: I dunno, I suppose the bankers of America must have some newsgroup devoted to discussing their cash machines and how they work. :) Don't worry, Kees, its just an inside joke around here. PAT] ------------------------------ From: cogorno@netcom.com (Steve Cogorno) Subject: Telephones in Italy Date: Sun, 7 Nov 93 03:26:52 PST Next September, I will be living in Italy for a year. However, from the limited experience I have had with their telephone system, I think I am going to be in for some serious problems modem-wise. Can anyone tell me where I can purchase a RJ-11 to whatever converter, how to make one, etc.? Also, my computer is self adjusting, but the other devices aren't. What kind of power converter will I need, and how reliable is the current? I don't want anything to fry ... Thanks in advance! Steve cogorno@netcom.com #608 Merrill * 200 McLaughlin Drive * Santa Cruz, CA 95064-1015 ------------------------------ From: bailey@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Bill Leeke) Subject: Where to Find Amp For Phone Extension? Date: 7 Nov 1993 10:40:06 GMT Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston IL USA Could someone point me to where I can buy an amp for a phone line extension. (38v->48v) This is an extension to another building in which I've had problems with lightning on an old intercom. What kinds of lightning protection is available? Later, Bill bailey@casbah.acns.nwu.edu ------------------------------ From: bailey@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Bill Leeke) Subject: Brought to You by the Letter Q Date: 7 Nov 1993 10:33:42 GMT Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston IL USA Why is there no digital equivilent for the letter Q or Z on my phone? Later, Bill bailey@casbah.acns.nwu.edu [Moderator's Note: Because in the opinion of The Telephone Company -- does anything else matter? -- there are no names which begin with Q or Z which are worthy of use as exchange names. Furthermore, it is believed that if you are on a voicemail system and your name begins with Q or Z (or has one of those letters in the middle of it somewhere) you should change it to something different. Some very old telephones do have the letter Z where the Operator spot on the dial is located, but I can't think of a single instance where it was ever used. The problem with Q is that it must be followed by U in 99 percent of all words in common use, thus it is rather limited and unflexible where phone exchange names were concerned. Z is far more flexible, but easily confused with S, said The Telephone Company. According to the System as they developed it, there were only enough places for 24 letters of the alphabet (while keeping 1 and 0 completely unambig- ous from the time they were 'pulled' and not context-dependent on what proceeded or followed them) so the two they decided to leave out were Q and Z. No great loss, I say ... modern voicemail systems make a concession to the folks who insist on using those letters in their name; they usually substitute the digit '1' in their stead. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #741 ****************************** ****************************************************************************** Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253