Virtual Conferencing Tools UN - WSIS - Working Group

`SEARCH & EVALUATION of VIRTUAL CONFERENCING TOOLS`

Update July 2007 :

The Online Collaboration Dynamic Coalition Tools

PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

Main proprietary software ( order by market share ):
- WebEx
- Genesys Conferencing
- PlaceWare ( now LiveMeeting bought by Microsoft )
- InterCall
- Centra
- Latitude Communications ( bought by Cisco now Cisco MeetingPlace ) )
WSIS_WG_Virtual (WIKI page )
Marratech ( Proprietary software that may run under GNU/Linux, Windows and Mac OS/X, used once for an informal Civil Society WSIS meeting by Dr. Derek Cogburn from COTELCO )
- Marratech Pro reference Manual
Elluminate ( Proprietary Java-based software, proposed by Dr. Derek Cogburn from COTELCO )
- Java Web Start
- OpenJNLP (Open Source)
Polycom
Skype ( VoIP, Freeware, not GPL , developed by Kazaa, max 9 persons ) ( Skype re´unit Windows, Mac OS X et Linux )

FREE or OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

Gnome Meeting ( Videoconferencing, GNU/Linux, interoperable with NetMeeting from Microsoft, while installing a few free extra codecs, interoperability with Mac is more tricky, and might be attempted by installing Gnome Meeting on Mac OS X or by using Xmeeting. special tools are available for people with disabilities )
OpenH323 Project
Coccinella ( GNU/Linux, Mac, Windows, Tcl/Tk based shared window with or without a central Jabber instant messaging server )
IVS
Rendez-Vous
ePresence ( WebCasting, soon to be Open Source ).
jSummit (Java based P2P)
Arsenal (Java based )
Rendez-Vous (Java based )
VIC
Orta
Conferencing software projects at SourceForge
VideoConferencing software projects at SourceForge

JAVA RELATED LINKS

Free But Shackled - The Java Trap
The specs of the Java programming language are freely available, however the use of Java presents a specific problem in the sense that the Java runtime environment (JRE) binary is freely downloadable, but Java source code is only available under the Sun Community Source Licensing whereby # Modified source code cannot be distributed without the express written permission of Sun Microsystems, Inc. # Binary programs built using modified Java 2 SDK source code may not be distributed, internally or externally, without meeting the compatibility and other requirements described in the License Agreement. # Building, porting, and testing the Java 2 SDK source code requires a high level of technical expertise. # The Java 2 SDK source code is not the compiled Java 2 SDK. Therefore the use of GPL or OpenSource software written in Java creates problems because of the JRE or JDK is not GPL. There are Free Software projects related to Java.
- OpenJava
- OpenJava
- Blackdown ( Blackdown's Position on Sun's Community Source Policies )
- OpenJNLP (Open Source)
- GNU Classpath - Free core class libraries for the Java programming language (Free software)
- GNU Classspathx - Unfinished free implementation of the Java extension libraries (Free software)
- Kaffe - Complete, PersonalJava 1.1 compliant Java environment (Free software, Kaffe web site and links )

RELATED SOFTWARE LINKS

Video-Conferencing links
Liste visio ( List in French )
Visioconférence IP
Les outils du travail coopératif
Science of Collaboratories
Drupal
Everychat
Kolab
OpenGroupware
Transparent Desktop Opens Doors
Open Media Streaming Project OMS Project

CONFERENCES

Journée d'Etude : La VisioConférence, Savoirs et Communication Scientifique libres en ligne ( Paris, 09 mai 2005 )

AD HOC SOLUTIONS


Proposed by Torsten Scheck  :
Instant messaging (IM, e.g. Jabber), e-mail, 
and a web based collaboration tool (e.g. a wiki) as common denominator. 
All additional means (like audio conferencing or audio streaming) 
must be used in such a way, that transcription to IM is feasible, 
and that IM attendees are not discriminated when the "microphone" is passed.

Here are some examples of similarly executed conferences:

http://www.apnic.net/meetings/18/programme/jabber-chat.html
http://www.apnic.net/meetings/18/programme/video.html
http://www.mobilenetworks.org/nemo/ietf56/invitation-chat-ietf56.txt

WSIS-PCT.ORG WSIS CIVIL SOCIETY WORKING GROUP