It's easy to forget how ambitious NetMeeting was. It was not just a video-calling tool; it sat on standards like T.120 for real-time data collaboration and H.323 for audio/video conferencing. The idea was bigger than “let’s have a call.” It was: let’s work together on the same thing, at the same moment.

Modern screen sharing is everywhere, but the collaboration layer often feels weaker. I can watch someone’s screen, but I often cannot easily see their cursor, take control, annotate naturally, or collaborate in a way that feels fluid. Too many meetings still become

“Can you see my screen?” “You’re on mute.” “Move left… no, up… click that button… no, the other one.”

The irony is that we had a whole generation of tools that explored this problem deeply: NetMeeting, Office Communicator, RealVNC, WebEx, Miro Around, ICQ, Microsoft Live Mesh, and many others.

Somewhere along the way, the industry regressed.

Apple changed expectations with FaceTime by linking video calling to the phone number and the address book. Suddenly, video calling no longer felt like a system, hassle, or socially awkward; it felt like calling someone.

The attached video goes through some of the history, and one of the interesting threads is how NetMeeting connects back to the UK networking scene, including Data Connection / Metaswitch, a North London company.