asterisk users - Oct 2004 - Re: Asterisk-Users Digest, Vol 3, Issue 121

"dean collins" <dean@collins.net.pr> writes:

 > Lol, you're kidding right, go and look at what it costs to buy an
 > alternative ip-pabx in comparison, and sorry but no corporate budget
 > here, this is just a system for my home $100 on an old P3-700, and about
 > the same on a card, and 2 $55 grandstream handsets along with some free
 > sip softphone software. Hardly a fortune.

If I were looking for a home system I would agree with you (and I also
agree with the sentiment expressed by numerous posters that Digium deserves
all the support it gets), and I am glad that you have no trouble spending
$310 on your home system.

I am doing technical support for a non-profit K12 school serving aid
workers, refugees and others of relatively low income. I cannot spend
a lot of money on investigating new technology; I need to do my investigation
and testing on a shoestring budget.

I realize that a commercial ip-pabx (or really any commercial pbx) would cost
much more; (a) that is why I am looking at asterisk; (b) I would not need
to test anything; I'd buy it, and if something doesn't work it's the
vendor's
problem, not mine.

 > On the other hand I think we are very fortunate that asterisk exists and
 > cant help but get excited about where they will grow to.

True. And for that reason I wish Digium all the best, and will buy my
production hardware from them. When I have tested the system and become
sufficently familiar, using hardware I can afford.