[Linux-aus] SIP

[David Newall]

On 02/07/13 12:11, Adam Nielsen wrote:
> A quick search suggests these [SIP] URIs are like e-mail addresses in that
> they are very closely tied to the service provider, so you will get a
> new one if you change providers.

What you say is both correct and incorrect.  It is correct in the most 
immediate sense, however, as with e-mail, control over the domain gives 
options not available to users of third-party domains.

Domains are an almost infinite resource and it makes perfect sense to me 
for every person to have a few of their own.  That doesn't mean that 
they must provide their own infrastructure, a fact which is clear from 
brief examination of web and e-mail addresses.

A practical way to enter the VoIP game using non-proprietary protocols 
is to take one of the many find consumer-grade modems or routers and 
replace the firmware with a community-supported alternative such as 
OpenWRT, for which Asterisk is available.

But, again, may I say that the technology to run voice, video, chat and 
shared-desktop over internet is already well mature even as it evolves.  
What I see holding back universal adoption is the concern over 
interoperability with the legacy system.  This is a hard problem which, 
presently, is mostly answered by hiding the new technology behind an 
obsolete number.  Absurdly, even businesses who have bought in to VoIP 
hide the fact.  Try calling IBM using VoIP and you will succeed, but 
only by using their legacy numbers.  IBM hides, or at least declines to 
highlight details of, their VoIP systems.  The world keeps ignoring the 
elephant in the corner, which is that telephone numbers are a very early 
20th century invention that has outlived its need.