Voice in Computing

0 ver the past 10 years, the computer has evolved from a tool for computation to a tool for communication. This includes everything from writing documents to preparing presentations, and from sharing files across a LAN to sending electronic mail across an ocean. Despite this new role, computers have had little integration with the most common form of human communication: voice. This has resulted partly because the world continues to be split between “telecorn” and “computing” practitioners. While it is true that computing technology has played a major part in the evolution of telephone switching, telecom practitioners have done little to extend voice communication capabilities to computers. On the other hand, computing practitioners have done little to exploit the ready availability of voice communications or to use voice as a computer interface medium. On many people’s desks, the computer and telephone sit side by side yet isolated from each other. The purpose of this special issue is to take stock of voice in computing by assessing the state of the technology, examining typical applications, and discussing directions in integrating voice with computing. The issue features a blend of telecom and computing articles. I hope one of the payoffs will be a shared perspective by telecorn and computing practitioners on the