asterisk users - May 2004 - * INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ASTERISK COMMUNITY - PLEASE READ NOW *

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

** The mailing list is growing

The lead programmer of Asterisk, Mark Spencer at Digium, inc, recently
wrote:
> The Asterisk community is growing at a remarkable pace.  I know there are
> thousands of you out there -- in fact there are over eight *thousand*
> subscribers to asterisk-users alone, and almost one *thousand* registered
> users on the bug tracker.
This means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to over
8.000 mailboxes that is already flowing over with messages.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org project is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list. You'll find it
on http://lists.digium.com, which is the address where you manage
your subscription to this list as well. Please, do not crosspost
the same message to multiple mailing lists. It will not help you,
it will only add to the mail flow and get people that read both
lists irritated.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.
Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't request
help from people, demand new functions or support. However, there
are many individuals and companies out there that are offering
services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX and get you connected to either
the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants


Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

/oej

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

** The mailing list is growing

The lead programmer of Asterisk, Mark Spencer at Digium, inc, recently
wrote:
> The Asterisk community is growing at a remarkable pace.  I know there are
> thousands of you out there -- in fact there are over eight *thousand*
> subscribers to asterisk-users alone, and almost one *thousand* registered
> users on the bug tracker.
This means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to over
8.000 mailboxes that is already flowing over with messages.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org project is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services.

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't request
help from people, demand new functions or support. However, there
are many individuals and companies out there that are offering
services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX and get you connected to either
the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants


Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

/oej

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

** The mailing list is growing

The lead programmer of Asterisk, Mark Spencer at Digium, inc, recently
wrote:
> The Asterisk community is growing at a remarkable pace.  I know there are
> thousands of you out there -- in fact there are over eight *thousand*
> subscribers to asterisk-users alone, and almost one *thousand* registered
> users on the bug tracker.
This means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to over
8.000 mailboxes that is already flowing over with messages.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Looking for or offering a commercial service?

Use the asterisk-biz list for discussions on who offers what and
for offering your business services.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org project is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services.

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't request
help from people, demand new functions or support. However, there
are many individuals and companies out there that are offering
services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX and get you connected to either
the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants


Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

/oej

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

James H. Thompson wrote:
>I've wondered if a mechanism like this would help:
>For the first N messages you post to the mailing list,
>your post does not automatically get posted.
>Instead you get a message similar to Olle's below,
>ending with something like:
>
>     "If you still want to send your message to
>      the mailing list, just reply to this message"
This might cause more harm than it does good. However, I
can see no harm in sending an auto-reply to each newbie
poster (for the first n messages) that asks something like
"Did you read the rules?" in the subject line containing
'the rules of conduct" for the list in the body, but
without the "reply to confirm your post" thing.

There is also some stuff that could be done automatically
to keep the noise level down. For example ...

- any post to the list with the digest in the subject line
or the digest in the body, should be auto-rejected.

- any post containing any kind of HTML, should be
auto-rejected.

- any post containing with a very low new content to
quotation ratio (ie 20 lines of quotation for a single
line of new content) should have the quotation part
automatically cut to size (ie no more than 5 lines of
quotation per single line of new content apparently
responding to that quotation)

Note: if it is essential that the quotation is left uncut
in the resulting post, the responding poster would have to
use markup to indicate that the quotation should not be
stripped nor cut. For example:

--===[LONG QUOTATION]===---
>
> very long quotation not to be touched by the ML engine
>
--===[/LONG QUOTATION]===---

This would cut down on excessive laziness quoting.

It would also be possible to rate each poster's posting
quality and send the results to the list every week or
month. There is a utility that can be used to assess how
much new content somebody posted and how much quoting
posts contained. The utility is called style and has been
around for ages, since Bell Labs' early Unix releases.

Of course all this requires a bit of work to do and thus
time we all have so little of.

But at the very least the mailing list's mail host should
be configured to reject anything that contains HTML. This
is fairly easy to do and it would go a long distance.

rgds
benjk


--
Sunrise Telephone Systems Ltd
9F Shibuya Daikyo Bldg., 1-13-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
GANBARE! NIPPON!
http://mail.ganbare-nippon.yahoo.co.jp/

On Thu, Jul 22, 2004 at 01:28:50AM +0900, Sunrise Ltd said:
<snip>
> There is also some stuff that could be done automatically
> to keep the noise level down. For example ...
> 
> - any post to the list with the digest in the subject line
> or the digest in the body, should be auto-rejected.
> 
> - any post containing any kind of HTML, should be
> auto-rejected.
Agree 1000%. Any attachments other than PGP / SMIME signatures should be
rejected or stripped. If people want to post stuff, use a web or FTP
site and post a pointer.
 
> - any post containing with a very low new content to
> quotation ratio (ie 20 lines of quotation for a single
> line of new content) should have the quotation part
> automatically cut to size (ie no more than 5 lines of
> quotation per single line of new content apparently
> responding to that quotation)
<snip>

Rather than cutting quoted material automagically, if the system just
rejected any post with multiple copies of the mailing list footer that
would go a LONG way towards improving etiquette. Refering users to RFC
1855 may be helpful as well.

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

** The mailing list is growing

The lead programmer of Asterisk, Mark Spencer at Digium, inc, recently
wrote:
> The Asterisk community is growing at a remarkable pace.  I know there are
> thousands of you out there -- in fact there are over eight *thousand*
> subscribers to asterisk-users alone, and almost one *thousand* registered
> users on the bug tracker.
This means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to over
8.000 mailboxes that is already flowing over with messages.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org project is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.
* The VoIP Search at
   http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services.

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't request
help from people, demand new functions or support. However, there
are many individuals and companies out there that are offering
services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX and get you connected to either
the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants


Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

/oej

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

** The mailing list is growing

The lead programmer of Asterisk, Mark Spencer at Digium, inc, half a
year ago wrote:
> The Asterisk community is growing at a remarkable pace.  I know there are
> thousands of you out there -- in fact there are over eight *thousand*
> subscribers to asterisk-users alone, and almost one *thousand* registered
> users on the bug tracker.
Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers. This means that everything
anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to thousands of mailboxes
that is already flowing over with messages.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org project is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services.

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't request
help from people, demand new functions or support. However, there
are many individuals and companies out there that are offering
services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX and get you connected to either
the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants


Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

/oej

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

...and a Happy New Asterisk-year!

/oej

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the stable version. The stable version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current stable version of Asterisk is 1.0.3. The stable version
contains no new functions and only changes when bugs are fixed.
The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This 
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to 
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support. 
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are 
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you 
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the 
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every day.
Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-)

/oej

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the stable version. The stable version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current stable version of Asterisk is 1.0.5. The stable version
contains no new functions and only changes when bugs are fixed.
The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.
If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your apology
than over your first message.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

If you want to get up to speed quickly and plan to visit
the Voice on the Net conference in San Jose or live in
California, don't miss the Asterisk pavillion where you
will meet Digium and Digium partners. Also, on Friday
the 11th there will be a one-day Asterisk tutorial
called "Meet Asterisk" - http://www.astricon.net

Meet you on the IRC channel :-), the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the stable version. The stable version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current stable version of Asterisk is 1.0.5. The stable version
contains no new functions and only changes when bugs are fixed.
The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.1 and will be the basis
for the next stable version, version 1.2. We will hopefully
soon reach a code freeze and start testing the stability
of version 1.1, so we will need your help.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your 
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Astricon Europe registration is new open!
http://www.astricon.net

Meet you on the IRC channel :-), the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the stable version. The stable version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current stable version of Asterisk is 1.0.7. The stable version
contains no new functions and only changes when bugs are fixed.
The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.1 and will be the basis
for the next stable version, version 1.2. We will hopefully
soon reach a code freeze and start testing the stability
of version 1.1, so we will need your help.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
   well worth reading.
* Asterisk Daily news is at
   http://www.sineapps.com/news.php
* VoIP-search (Asterisk mailing list etc)
   http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

The next community meeting is Astricon Europe in Madrid
June 15-17. The conference agenda is now published and we
have a lot of Asterisk speakers, including Mark Spencer
- the creator of Asterisk!
* See http://www.astricon.net/europe

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-), the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the release version. The release version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current released version of Asterisk is 1.0.7. The release version
is fixed, we are adding no new functions and only changes it
when bugs are fixed.

The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.1 and will be the basis
for the next release version, version 1.2. We will hopefully
soon reach a code freeze and start testing the stability
of version 1.1, so we will need your help.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
  page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
  http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
  is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
  Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
  well worth reading.
* Asterisk Daily news is at
  http://www.sineapps.com/news.php
* VoIP-search (Asterisk mailing list etc)
  http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
  "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
   away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

The next community meeting is Astricon in Anaheim, California
October 12-14, 2005. We are working with the conference agenda
- a call for speakers is out - and we already have a long list
of Asterisk speakers, including Mark Spencer - the creator
of Asterisk and Allison Smith - the voice of Asterisk!
* See http://www.astricon.net/2005/

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel :-), the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the release version. The release version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current released version of Asterisk is 1.0.9. The release version
is fixed, we are adding no new functions and only changes it
when bugs are fixed.

The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.1 and will be the basis
for the next release version, version 1.2. We will hopefully
soon reach a code freeze and start testing the stability
of version 1.1, so we will need your help.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
  page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
  http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
  is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
  Their handbook "The hitchhiker's guide to Asterisk" is already
  well worth reading.
* Asterisk Daily news is at
  http://www.sineapps.com/news.php
* VoIP-search (Asterisk mailing list etc)
  http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
  "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
   away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

These are exciting times for Asterisk, with a release candidate
for 1.2 out and a release hopefully coming soon. Check the new
features on http://www.astricon.net/asterisk1-2/

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel, the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej

PS. There's also a new mailing list on lists.digium.com called
asterisk-i18n for discussion on Asterisk internationalization.
As soon as 1.2 is out of the door, let's meet there and discuss what
we can do to improve how Asterisk works in different languages
and character sets. Subscribe today if you want to participate!

** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the release version. The release version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current released version of Asterisk is 1.0.9. The release version
is fixed, we are adding no new functions and only changes it
when bugs are fixed.

The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.1 and will be the basis
for the next release version, version 1.2. This version is to be
released any day now, and development will continue on the
1.3 version.

** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
  page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
  http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
  is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
  You can download their new book from the web site or buy
  it from the bookstore.
* Asterisk Daily news is at
  http://www.sineapps.com/news.php
* VoIP-search (Asterisk mailing list etc)
  http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs
If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
  "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
   away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel, the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej


** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the release version. The release version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current released version of Asterisk is 1.2.4. The release version
is fixed, we are adding no new functions and only changes it
when bugs are fixed.

The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.3 and will be the basis
for the next release version, version 1.4.

There are also a lot of development branches in our subversion
repository, hosting new functionality developed for testing by
you, the asterisk community.

For more information about these, please visit
http://www.voip-forum.com/index.php?p=189&more=1


** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   You can download their new book from the web site or buy
   it from the bookstore.
* Asterisk Daily news is at
   http://www.sineapps.com/news.php
* VoIP-search (Asterisk mailing list etc)
   http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs

If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-VoIP%20Training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!

Welcome to the Asterisk users community!
----------------------------------------

Asterisk is the leading Open Source Telephony platform,
with support both for classical telephony and IP telephony.
Asterisk.org is a fast moving project. New code is added every
day.

Our community is also growing fast and we're having a lot
of interaction, on the IRC and on the mailing lists.

It's great to have you participating in this Open Source project
- building an Open Source PBX. Here are a few things to know and
remember while working with the project.

I have just returned from one week in Tokyo, testing the Asterisk
SIP channel with a large number of other SIP stacks. Since last
SIPit, the SIP stack has improved quite a lot. It looks really promising
for the 1.4 release of Asterisk this summer. Things are progressing
well. At the next SIPit in New Hampshire this fall, I hope to have the
first version of chan_sip3 for testing.

Asterisk is a world wide project with many members. In Tokyo, I met
Japanese Asterisk users and learned quite a lot on how they
use Asterisk. An Open Source project is not only about software,
it's also about the people involved. You are all very important,
your feedback and support are our keys to success.

Again, welcome to the Asterisk.org Open Source PBX Project!

Meet you on the IRC channel, the bug tracker or
on the mailing list!

/oej

** Asterisk European Tour - MeetAsterisk.com!
This week and next week there's a European tour with Asterisk
seminars for beginners, named MeetAsterisk. The event is organized
by Edvina.net in cooperation with Digium, Xorcom and local Asterisk
distributors and consultants. Register now to make sure you have a
seat!

- http://www.meetasterisk.com


** Asterisk version information

At this moment we have two current versions of Asterisk, the
developer version and the release version. The release version
is distributed as .tar.gz archives on several servers. The
current released version of Asterisk is 1.2.7.1. The release version
is fixed, we are adding no new functions and only changes it
when bugs are fixed.

Current versions:
- Asterisk Version 1.2.7.1
- Zaptel Version 1.2.5
- Libpri Version 1.2.2
- Addons Version 1.2.2
- Sounds Version 1.2.1

The development version is to be used by people that can test
new functions and live with bugs and unexpected shortcomings.
The development version is branded 1.3 and will be the basis
for the next release version, version 1.4.

There are also a lot of development branches in our subversion
repository, hosting new functionality developed for testing by
you, the Asterisk community.

For more information about these, please visit
http://www.voip-forum.com/index.php?p=189&more=1


** The mailing list is growing

Today, we propably have over 10,000 readers on the -users list. This
means that everything anyone write to this mailing list, is sent to
thousands of mailboxes that are already flowing over with messages.
That's why we all need to follow some simple rules on how to use
the mailing list and the other tools that are available.

** Think before sending a message, think twice

I would like to stress the fact that you have to think before you send a
message to such a big list. Do *not* send out personal replies on the  
list.

If you offer services to someone, do *not* CC: or reply to the list, it
will annoy more potential customers than get you new customers. If you
send out a message by mistake, you don't have to apologize to all of us,
we understand you're embarassed. We will get more annoyed by your
apology than over your first message.

And please do not send out "test" messages to the list.

** Try finding the answer first, then ask the list

The Asterisk Wiki at http://www.voip-info.org is an important
knowledge base for the project.

Go there to find your answer first, then search the mailing list
archives (Google or http://search.voip-forum.com) and then
go to the IRC channel. The IRC channel is populated with Asterisk gurus
around the clock (literally) and they'll help you move forward.

* IRC info: http://www.asterisk.org/index.php?menu=support#irc
* There's many links to Asterisk web pages on the documentation
   page at http://www.asterisk.org
* The Asterisk FAQ is found on the wiki
   http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+FAQ
* The Asterisk documentation project (which needs your help)
   is at http://www.asteriskdocs.org
   You can download their new book from the web site or buy
   it from the bookstore.
* Asterisk Daily news is at
   http://www.sineapps.com/news.php
* VoIP-search (Asterisk mailing list etc)
   http://search.voip-forum.com

Finally, if you don't find the answer elsewhere, try the list.

** Mailing lists
For developers, there is a developer's list, asterisk-dev.
Do not use this list as a secondary support line if you do
not get an answer on the -users list. It is meant for developer
discussions, not advanced support. If you need answers, there
is a better chance that you will get help on the irc channel.

For BSD users (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and OS/X) there's a
list called asterisk-bsd. There is also a business list
for those that want to ask for commercial services and
inform their community about new services (asterisk-biz).

You'll find all lists on http://lists.digium.com, which is the
site where you manage your subscription to this list as well.

Please, do not crosspost the same message to multiple mailing
lists. It will not help you, it will only add to the mail flow
and get people that read both lists irritated. If you are
unsure which list to use, send only to the -users list.

Make sure that you remove unnecessary text when you reply,
to make it easy to browse the mailing list quickly. And please
do not send HTML mail to a mailing list.

** Reporting bugs

If you think you have found a bug, report it. We need bug reports.
Read this document http://www.digium.com/bugtracker.html and then
go to the bugtracker http://bugs.digium.com to file a report.
If you are unsure, find a bug marshal on the IRC channel to help
you. They're appointed to support you with how to handle bugs.

Please check the bugtracker thoroughly before posting a new bug;
often, your bug or feature already exists but is simply slowly
making it's way through the system.  Duplicate reports slow things
down for everyone, so please spend a few minutes searching first.

The bug tracker is also a place where you add your contribution
to Asterisk. If you have coded extra functionality, make sure you
give it back to the project so it can be added to the code base.
This is how Asterisk grows, free contributions and consultants
that are paid to add functionality on a case by case basis.

** Be a community member - contribute!
The Asterisk software growth is very much based on user contributions.
That's really how we all pay for the software - and get revenue back.
If you develop custom functionality, you can rest assured that there
is someone out there that wants it, needs it and will be helped by it.

Don't forget to contribute. Open Source is both giving and taking.
The financial model behind it all is really cooperative in some way.
As one member to the community said to a contractor:
   "Hey, I'm paying you to deliver code to me, then I'm giving it
    away to the community. How did this happen?"
It's the Open Source business model. And if it didn't work, we
wouldn't have a lot of the software platforms that we all use
in our business systems - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL and
Asterisk.

** Remember: It's Open Source, it's voluntary
Asterisk.org is a Open Source project. This means you can't demand
help from community members, nor demand new functions or support.
However, there are many individuals and companies out there that are
offering services based on Asterisk, from VoIP service providers to
consultants all over the world.

Of course, this is also part of Digium's business, so you have
plenty of help if your willing to pay. Digium is to be found at
http://www.digium.com. Service providers and consultants are
listed on the wiki, where you'll find companies all over the globe
that are willing to set up your PBX, provide training and get you
connected to either the PSTN or the growing telephony network on the
Internet.

* See http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk%20consultants
* For training, see http://edvina.net/training

-------------------------------------------------------------
PS. This message will be sent regularly. If you have any
corrections or additional information that needs to be
included, mail me * off list *. Thank you!