On Thu, 03 Oct 2002 10:23:27 -0700, "THE ROCK" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: > I asked this on PCI mac list but got no response. A friend has both a > pc > and mac and is looking at making phone calls through the net using his > computers. He says he's heard it's cheaper. He has friends in France > and > he lives in Southern Cali. How can he go about doing this? > TIA. > Peter.
What sort of connection do both ends have? With modems, the latency (ie. the time it takes for data to reach an internet server) would be so large that there might be a one -two second delay on the 'line', which can eventually get frustrating when the novelty of internet phone wears off. Other methods of connection (broadband, excluding satellite) would be fine, as the latency on these connections is minimal. Firstly, he needs to get a pair of headsets or desktop microphones (the internal microphone in many macs is not suitable for Internet phone). For the Mac, he may need to obtain an Apple PlainTalk microphone as the microphone input on many older Macs is slightly different and requires a special proprietary plug. The software that I use to make calls between computers is CU-SeeMe. This software was originally developed by Cornell but then purchased and distributed as a commercial product by White Pine. The Cornell version is free, works reasonably well, and is available for PC and Macintosh for download at http://www.cu-seeme.net/ . From memory, you need to use an older version of the Macintosh and Windows software (available for download on the aforementioned website) to get them to talk together, although they have a user support forum on the website with people who should be able to help your friend to set it up. There is also other commercial software available such as iSPQ-VideoChat at http://www.ispq.com/ and Netscape CoolTalk (no longer supported but free and can be downloaded from http://sunsite.computing.dcu.ie/pub/netscape/cooltalk/ ). --- Liam Hatton -- Vintage Macs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Vintage Macs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/vintage.macs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
