Preface
For the very small number of readers that I get to read this blog, I apologize for the lack of recent entries. Between work and home, I haven’t invested much time. But, that is changing. My goal over the next few months is to release a series of articles related to VoiceXML and VoiceXML applications.
The Problem
I’ve been working with VoiceXML for almost a decade and while I’ve read a variety of books and blogs in that time, I see very little information about how VoiceXML is actually being used. I don’t mean the type of applications being written, but the technologies used to put the solutions together. Things the application architects and application developers learn after many deployments of different types of applications on different platforms.
I suppose this makes sense. Most VoiceXML authors come from two camps. The first camp is trying to teach people how to implement a VoiceXML application. VoiceXML 101 and 102 books and articles aren’t the places to discuss some of the real world challenges facing developers. Most of these authors never get past the 102 course as the number of participants drops dramatically after the basics. In the second camp are the vendors. The vendors are attempting to sell things like platforms, tools and services. They aren’t motivated to discuss problems that they aren’t solving as part of their offering.
One other thing to remember, VoiceXML is a niche solution. While popular web technologies can be used to implement, the VoiceXML development space is incredibly small. VoiceXML or VXML as a Google search term barely registers even compared to other telephony terms, like VoIP.
Goal
My goal is to share some of what I’ve learned about VoiceXML. Some of the topics I intend to cover in these articles:
- An overview of how I look at application complexity
- The typical implementation methods for those outside the industry
- A background on VoiceXML
- Challenges with the VoiceXML standard
- Application development tools and architectures – an architectural view of different ways VoiceXML applications are being put together today.
The last item is the focus of the articles and is the topic that I believe is being given very little attention.
After these items, there are a variety of other areas I might explore. I’m open to suggestion.
Disclaimer
I’ve intentionally omitted my employer’s name to avoid any direct links with them and to avoid having this show up on everyone’s Google Alerts for the company. However, the blog is tied to my Facebook page and therefore, won’t stay hidden. These articles are my own opinions and are not reflective of my employer. Some short web searches should reveal my employment history. Please focus any criticisms directly on me.
My Background
In the decade I have worked with VoiceXML, the first half was part of a professional services organization. I had a lead/architect role working with developers, project managers and customers creating both custom and packaged VoiceXML solutions. In the latter half of the decade, I transitioned to a product development role. One of my products is a VoiceXML application testing tool.
Intentional Omissions
This won’t be a tell-all discussion. My goals aren’t to shame or promote any company or approach. I am not even interested in pushing a particular type of solution. The approaches and solutions, for the most post, will be presented in an abstract manner. In a few cases, such as tool developers and speech vendors, it is nearly impossible to avoid mentioning them by name because of their size and placement within the industry. If you are looking for a consumer reports style article, this set of articles isn’t for you.
This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. Nobody may take credit for my stupidity other than me.
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