[Asterisk-biz] Looking for a configuration software

[Dean Collins]

Yep, amp and asterisk at home is the best thing to happen to Asterisk since
Jolt cola.

Don't be fooled by the names this delivers what you need and you never
have to touch a line editor.


Dean

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-biz-
> bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Colin Anderson
> Sent: Tuesday, 27 September 2005 1:55 PM
> To: 'Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion'
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-biz] Looking for a configuration software
> 
> >Very simple:   vi extensions.conf
> 
> >What more do you need?
> 
> 
> With respect, that's not practical if the expectation is for the
Asterisk
> platform is to hit critical mass. While other PBX vendors take the
"It's
> my
> way, or the highway" approach to configuration, it's not enough for
> Asterisk
> to simply ape that model simply because the credibility of the
platform
> with
> CxO's has not been established on the same level as a Cisco or a
Nortel or
> what have you. Asterisk has to do it better, cheaper, and, yes, *more
> intuitively* than everyone else if it wants to compete.
> 
> I read an article recently in the Globe & Mail about VoIP adoption and
the
> last part was a few quotes from Mark S about Asterisk and a quote from
a
> Gartner talking head that basically dismissed the Asterisk movement;
he
> said
> he was "highly skeptical" that any open source platform would be able
to
> compete with the big players (I'm paraphrasing) and really, he
probably
> said
> it because the Asterisk platform had no credibility with him. Problem
is,
> people listen to Gartner Group reports. The unfortunate reality of
> business
> is that pretty screenshots sell software, vi does not.
> 
> You know, and I know, and all of the other guys on the lists know,
that vi
> kicks ass and you can do magic with it. That being said, we are .0001%
of
> the past, present, and future potential users of Asterisk and
insisting
> that
> the user use vi to edit .conf files can only hurt platform adoption.
The
> days of white coated priests muttering incantations over a screen
littered
> with mystic heiroglyphics are over, and business adopters *want*
products
> that are easy to administrate.
> 
> There is always the argument that this is a professional platform and
it
> requires a professional to administrate, to which I say: "Why?" Why
can't
> the complexity of the platform be abstracted to the point where the
> secretary can at least add an extension or reroute a DID? Something
like
> that *adds* to the value of the platform.  This is why I applaud the
> efforts
> of companies like Coalescent who want to bring Asterisk to the masses.
> 
> Some on -biz may see these type of efforts as grass cutting, but I
> disagree.
> It may take a noob to add an extension or a DID through AMP, but it
*does*
> and *always will* take a professional to make Asterisk work in a
> more-than-casual context, and for that, yes, vi is the answer (or more
to
> the point: vi extensions_custom.conf), so IMO there's always a piece
of
> the
> pie avaliable to integrators and consultants. A working Asterisk
install
> is
> the sum of many correctly put together pieces, and an easy admin GUI
is
> just
> one aspect.
> 
> Again, with respect.
> 
> >>M. MAINGAULT wrote:
> 
> >> I'll be very interested in a software who can generate
configurations
> >> files for asterisk : i would like pay once for the software, but
not
> >> paid for each configurations (except if the price is low...)
> 
> 
> 
> 
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