RasterWeb!So how do you decide which VoIP ATA to get?
(You know, besides the fact that you want one not locked to a specific company/service…)
There are ATA’s from voipsupply.com, and SIPhardware has a few as well. I’m sure there are others sources too…
I suppose much research is in order!
Due to a DNS change and an uncontrollable form, I was asked to redirect a form from one URI to another. The first attempt was using a redirect in an htaccess file, which failed because the variables being sent via the POST were lost… What to do?
A quick little Perl script with less than 10 lines of code took care of things. We just capture the variables, and convert the POST to a GET and then redirect the browser to the correct location, properly passing all variables in the query string.
And since Apache doesn’t really care what extension is used, as long as it’s defined, you can create script.asp which is really written in Perl running on Linux to redirect to script.asp on another server running Windows and IIS.
Fun!
Ok, I’m about to give some (minor) praise to Microsoft (someone alert Scoble!)
I’m sure some of you are forced to use something called “Outlook Web Access” which is a webmail implementation by Microsoft that connects to their Exchange Server product. Well, on the list of Supported Clients I think they could add Lynx!
I mean, I’m sure you don’t get all the nice stuff you get when using Firefox, and I’m sure when you use Firefox you don’t get all the nice stuff you get when using IE, but I was actually able to read mail.
Well, ok, I was able to read mail, but that was it. I could not send mail, or reply to mail, or anything else besides just read mail. They had to put in all sorts of funky Javascript controls to do fancy stuff like send and reply to mail…
But still, the mere fact that I could actually read mail using Outlook Web Access and Lynx is somewhat amazing…
(Oh, I take back the part about praise for Microsoft…)
In Skype, SIP, and the VoIP we took our first steps towards VoIP, and now that it’s a few months later, we’re ready for an update.
I know, I’m the odd man out again, but I just don’t like Skype. I mean, yes, it “just works” and all, but “Skype the Company” aka “Skype Technologies S.A.” worries me. It’s a single entity, a single point of failure, a single vendor, what have you. Can I choose the “open” VoIP route and be not tied to one specific vendor for hardware, or services, or anything? Real VoIP should be built on open standards like SIP, that can be implemented by anyone. Skype ain’t that yet… And really, what incentive does Skype have to open things up to competition? Once they lock in the users, expect some changes… (See the Skype FAQ.)
Now, I am not normally a fan of closed-solutions (yes, I am a Mac user) but the majority of software I use is open-source, and I run Linux servers as well. Skype is propriety, and so is Vonage, with hardware locked to their service. What to do? I’m currently looking much harder at SIPphone.com, and in my use so far there isn’t really anything I don’t like about it. Most likely I’ll buy an analog telephone adapter (not locked to any specific service) and then buy some minutes (better than long term contracts or monthly fees.) In the end I should see tremendous savings in phone costs compared to the typical land line phone (as well as many nre features.) I don’t know if that would be true for every household (it might be) but in my situation, and considering my usage patterns, I think it’ll work out great.
I will give Skype this one, the software is (currently) easier to set up. So if you go the softphone route with VoIP, there may be a bit of configuration to do. Otherwise I hear most of the VoIP hardware setup is pretty painless.
I know Skype is what all the cool kids are using, and it “just works” and all that, but I just don’t trust them, and dangit, you shouldn’t do business with those you don’t trust.
Look, if you are a big fan of the “free” then go to SIPphone.com and get a free SIP number, and take a look at what they offer. Compare it to Skype, see which one looks better, and if you think Skype is the clear winner, let me know.
I was using IM to communicate with my brother. He uses a Windows machine, I use a Mac:
srp: OK. I need to re-boot (windows memory problem, go figure).
pete: uptime 6 days, 22:19, 7 users, load averages: 1.19 1.41 1.15
AIM: srp has logged off
Ah, if only I’d been logged into the old Linux box under my desk, I could have said: uptime 123 days, 21:44, 2 users, load average: 0.04, 0.04, 0.00 ;)