Review in Byte Online
By Jerry Pournelle
August 8, 2005
(Testing 64-Bit Windows : Page 1 of 1 )
Meanwhile, O'Reilly has a great introduction to the VOIP scene. It's called talk is cheap, switching to internet telephones, by James E. Gaskin. I don't know whose idea it was to eliminate capital letters in the title, but perhaps he could be given less demanding work. Other than that, this is a very good book, beginning at the introductory level and going on to reasonable technical information. It discusses Skype and Vonage: what they are, how they differ, which does what best, etc. It goes into the problem of telephone extensions and why your present wiring probably won't work (one reason I have avoided VOIP up to now). There's a chapter on portability. If you are seriously interested in VOIP, you need to read this book.
Other reviews and press mentions.
ISBN: 0-596-00960-7
My new book on broadband phones for consumers and small businesses is now in a bookstore near you (and online). Here's the chapter links, where you can see each chapter's Table of Contents and introductory paragraphs.