[Asterisk-Users] Semi-newbie question "Softswitch" and Asterisk - Is there a difference?

[Steve Underwood]

Q: What's the difference between Asterisk and a softswitch

A: About $100,000

Soft switch - Hard to afford!

Regards,
Steve

Bruce Ferrell wrote:

> I've been working in the VoIP industry for just a bit over a year 
> now... Mostly taking care of the underlying systems.  I've now reached 
> the point where I'm being drawn more and more into the call processing 
> side of things.  My background is in computer and "classic" telephony 
> systems (DMS250/MTX, DSC 400, T1, channel banks. telabs analog echo 
> supressor modules and analog mux etc).
>
> I've seen one commercial product recently based on openh323proxy 
> called a transit softswitch and now I'm looking at asterisk.
>
> Is there a difference between what asterisk is and a softswitch?  Can 
> someone explain it in small words and phrases for me?