6 ms·

Ok guys, we really need to standardize a Telco REST api. It seems most people are copying Twilios, but at this point we have Tropo, Twilio, Plivio, TelAPI (Tha

by runT1ME 14y ago

Ok guys, we really need to standardize a Telco REST api. It seems most people are copying Twilios, but at this point we have Tropo, Twilio, Plivio, TelAPI (Thank you for not having a wierd name at least), my own Open Source server, and whatever extensions are going to get baked into the next Asterisk and FreeSWITCH versions... I believe the community would do itself a great service to agree on at least a few standards....

johns 14y ago
That's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoiceXML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoiceXML, though it's not particularly developer friendly, hence why Twilio simplified the model and established and upcoming companies are copying it.
- aimatt 14y ago
  Yeah, I've used VoiceXML and it is horrid. Definitely made by some Java devs.
sologoub 14y ago
That has been tried already. See VoiceXML (http://www.voicexml.org http://www.voicexml.org) and CCXML (http://www.w3.org/TR/ccxml/ http://www.w3.org/TR/ccxml/) The problem with those two standards, is that they are not being followed well, and are also far to granular for most implementations. Twilio was a real breakthrough in terms of getting projects off the ground fast. Tropo and Plivo have also emerged as additional options in that space. The main problem I see with this new API is that there really is no incentive for me to go to them over Twilio, Tropo or Plivo. What Twilio doesn't provide is covered well by Tropo and Plivo. The only interesting thing offered is unlimited inbound per channel, however, if you have SIP, you can get it cheaper from companies like FlowRoute (http://flowroute.com/services/inbound/ http://flowroute.com/services/inbound/) and pay $18 per channel, rather than $27. Compare this with: Twilio - first mover, known reputation, strong funding. Tropo - backed by Voxeo (over a decade in business), offers many enterprise-grade things; Prism (IVR server) is opensource. Plivo - a lot cheaper than everyone else, and offers open source layer for FreeSWITCH.
- dougiebuckets 14y ago
  This is awesome! I love seeing comments like this. You obviously know the space which is great! I think you'll find that we're approaching telephony from a different perspective. We're a bootstrapped company of developers building a product for developers. Our users and our product are what matter most to us (along with maintaining a sustainable business of course). We love this stuff! We have no interest in catering to VCs. How about this, I'll give you $50 in free credits (on top of the initial $25) and you can hack away with TelAPI and tell us what we're doing wrong and what we're doing right. We'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think?
  - sologoub 14y ago
    I'll take it, if the offer still stands. How should I get in touch with you?
    - dougiebuckets 14y ago
      Awesome! Tweet me @dougiebuckets
- runT1ME 14y ago
  I'm almost certain prism is NOT open source, while the front end of Tropo is. Did something change in the last year?

by runT1ME 14y ago

johns 14y ago

That's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoiceXML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoiceXML, though it's not particularly developer friendly, hence why Twilio simplified the model and established and upcoming companies are copying it.

aimatt 14y ago
Yeah, I've used VoiceXML and it is horrid. Definitely made by some Java devs.

sologoub 14y ago

That has been tried already. See VoiceXML (http://www.voicexml.org http://www.voicexml.org) and CCXML (http://www.w3.org/TR/ccxml/ http://www.w3.org/TR/ccxml/) The problem with those two standards, is that they are not being followed well, and are also far to granular for most implementations. Twilio was a real breakthrough in terms of getting projects off the ground fast. Tropo and Plivo have also emerged as additional options in that space. The main problem I see with this new API is that there really is no incentive for me to go to them over Twilio, Tropo or Plivo. What Twilio doesn't provide is covered well by Tropo and Plivo. The only interesting thing offered is unlimited inbound per channel, however, if you have SIP, you can get it cheaper from companies like FlowRoute (http://flowroute.com/services/inbound/ http://flowroute.com/services/inbound/) and pay $18 per channel, rather than $27. Compare this with: Twilio - first mover, known reputation, strong funding. Tropo - backed by Voxeo (over a decade in business), offers many enterprise-grade things; Prism (IVR server) is opensource. Plivo - a lot cheaper than everyone else, and offers open source layer for FreeSWITCH.

dougiebuckets 14y ago
This is awesome! I love seeing comments like this. You obviously know the space which is great! I think you'll find that we're approaching telephony from a different perspective. We're a bootstrapped company of developers building a product for developers. Our users and our product are what matter most to us (along with maintaining a sustainable business of course). We love this stuff! We have no interest in catering to VCs. How about this, I'll give you $50 in free credits (on top of the initial $25) and you can hack away with TelAPI and tell us what we're doing wrong and what we're doing right. We'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think?
- sologoub 14y ago
  I'll take it, if the offer still stands. How should I get in touch with you?
  - dougiebuckets 14y ago
    Awesome! Tweet me @dougiebuckets
runT1ME 14y ago
I'm almost certain prism is NOT open source, while the front end of Tropo is. Did something change in the last year?