H.323 and SIP Debates Rage On

You know, back in 1999 there were rather heated debates over H.323 vs. SIP. Then, there were claims that H.323 was dead. (Jeff Pulver said that: I heard it with my own ears.)

Roll the clock forward to 2010 and we still hear the same things. OK, perhaps it is not being declared dead, but some view H.323 less favorably for whatever reason. Is it because SIP does something H.323 cannot do? Nope. H.323 does everything SIP can do and more.

Perhaps one day SIP might be a major success. After all, if 5,000 people start charging through a concrete block wall thinking they can run through it, they will likely succeed. There might be a few casualties on the front line, but they'll knock it down. And so it is with SIP.

The reality is, though, that H.323 continues to be deployed and it dominates the videoconferencing market. As chair of the H.323 standards committee, I'm still actively engaged in the development of H.323 and spending some time looking forward now to H.325.

I will not try to sell you on the concept of H.323, since it is a well-established protocol. But, the new XML-based H.325 is really exciting. If you wish to know more about it, by all means, ping me.

In the meantime, let the debates continue! This is quite the spectacle! I'm eager to see what things will look like in another 10 years. :-)