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Ventrilo is a popular proprietary Voice over IP program with clients for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Most users of Ventrilo use a headset or microphone and use the program to talk freely to each other, similar to a telephone conference call.
Usage
Users install and run the Ventrilo client and connect to a Ventrilo server. The Ventrilo client is released as freeware and is available for Microsoft Windows. A prototype version is available for Mac OS X, and future support is planned for the Linux operating system. The server is available under a restrictive license and is available for all of these systems as well as Solaris, NetBSD and FreeBSD.
The default sound quality is comparable to a telephone but it can be changed to a higher quality by changing to a different codec. The Ventrilo developers have attempted to keep its bandwidth to a minimum but users with a low-bandwidth dial-up connection may still find themselves restricted to using low quality settings.
Ventrilo is often used by multiplayer computer game players. Gamers can use the software to communicate with other players on the same team of a multiplayer game. Communicating by voice gives a competitive advantage by allowing players to keep their hands on the mouse and action keys while playing a fast paced game such as a first-person shooter, particularly in team-based, tactical games. This kind of quick and easy communication can be crucial for those who participate in electronic sports. Most gamers refer to Ventrilo simply as "vent." Ventrilo is also popular among players of other genres of online games, especially MMORPG games and real-time strategy games.
The gaming instant messaging utility Xfire displays the Ventrilo server address to which the user is connected.
Versions and licensing
The current version of Ventrilo is 2.3.0 or 2.3.1 depending on platform. After version 2.1.2, Flagship Industries changed the software license governing the Ventrilo server to limit connection capacity of the freeware server to 8 users. An extremely restrictive license was also debuted for the "Pro" server which supports more than 8 simultaneous users. Among other restrictions, only large hosting companies may purchase licenses for the "Pro" server at the sole discretion of Flagship Industries.[http://www.ventrilo.com/purchase.php]
Similar programs
* TeamSpeak
* Roger Wilco
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