Top 10 Reasons Why I love Asterisk
Source: blog.tmcnet.com
In November 2001 I wrote an article for Communications Solutions Magazine (precuror to the #1 VoIP magazine, Internet Telephony Magazine) titled “In Search Of A Linux-Based PBX” . In that article I espoused the benefits of Linux and open source and pondered why there wasn’t an open source Linux-based PBX. It was then that I discovered and wrote about Asterisk which virtually no one knew about and which was still up-and-coming.
Who knew that out of the plethora of Linux telephony companies I found in that article that Asterisk would be the clear front-running Linux IP-PBX today. In just a few short years, Asterisk has built a rabid and loyal fan base. Asterisk along with Digium’s popular hardware have created excitement in the VoIP industry like no other VoIP player has. And that’s why I thought it was time I wrote an article stating unequivocally how much I 
Asterisk. And so here it is…
Top 10 Reasons Why I love Asterisk
- Because it’s open source, duh!
- It has a strong and loyal community that continues to grow. While there are many open source solutions, most don’t have nearly the support that Asterisk has.
- Its configuration files are so granular you can configure Asterisk to do just about anything and you can easily add third-party applications. For instance, you can get weather reports from your Asterisk phone system. Why you can even call and talk to your plants giving them some - your plants will even call you using Asterisk and talk to you. Another app example: Asterisk supports Bluetooth presence integration so when you aren’t in the office calls are automatically forwarded to your cell. (Nerd Vittles has tuts here and here.)
- If a feature doesn’t exist, or you need help with something, you can ask the Asterisk community.
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Even Linux novices can try Asterisk with a simple bootable ISO image called AsteriskNOW.
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All the cool Asterisk “hacks” - run Asterisk on anything including a Linksys WRT54G wireless router or even on an Apple TV.
- According to this article, security issues are handled quickly by a core team of Asterisk developers that address issues 24 to 48 hours from the initial report. Talk about a fast bug fix turnaround!
- Want a highly scalable 64-bit virtualized and hosted version of Asterisk with clustering? Check out my BlueWave Telecom post.
- Asterisk is “the” open source PBX that has helped drive costs down for traditional PBXs while forcing traditional PBX manufacturers to innovate more quickly. Traditional PBX manufacturers today offer more “bang-for-your-buck” features due to competition from Asterisk.
- Last, but not least, the reason why I love Asterisk is that the founder of Asterisk, “Asterisk guru”, Mark Spencer likes fast convertibles, as do I.
So what would you add to this Top 10 list? Post a comment.
