Apologies for the top post, something is screwed up with my email client, will fix it soon.<div><br></div><div>What a BS story that I have debunked many times. A used Key System could be purchased for a few hundred dollars, a much better investment then writing your own PBX from scratch. </div>
<div><br></div><div>A company that is supposed to provide linux services wasting it's time on such a huge undertaking would go under very quickly. Where is the revenue stream?</div><div><br></div><div>Adtran was behind it from the start. I have posted about this and it can be found with other comments to provide more backing. After making my theory on the list, a former employee of digium who did actual hardware and firmware engineering verified my theory (anonymous for now, I don't remember if he gave me permission to use his name but Mark will certainly know M.P.)</div>
<div><br></div><div><a href="http://web.archiveorange.com/archive/v/8Et0ZDHt1VEHkPySqlzs">http://web.archiveorange.com/archive/v/8Et0ZDHt1VEHkPySqlzs</a>
</div><div><br></div><div>Then this took place several years later which made things concrete in my mind.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.voip-news.com/feature/digium-asterisk-shuffle-adtran-013007/">http://www.voip-news.com/feature/digium-asterisk-shuffle-adtran-013007/</a> </div>
<div><br></div><div>There are a few articles that address my theory and back it up with more evidence.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, check google maps for the offices of Digium and Adtran, unless they moved, they were next door neighbors practically.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Shady stories like this cast a shadow over the reputation of Digium. I appreciate all that Digium has done but let's be realistic, the story is BS and they are broadcasting it. My duty is to call out BS for what it is.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Same deal with Vyatta and Cisco, just do some digging.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Steve T<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Shea Caughron</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:scaughron@digium.com">scaughron@digium.com</a>></span><br>
Date: Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 8:20 AM<br>Subject: Do you know how Asterisk came to be?<br>To: <a href="mailto:stotaro@asteriskhelpdesk.com">stotaro@asteriskhelpdesk.com</a><br><br><br><u></u>
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<a href="http://www.asterisk.org/?link_id=side&elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092&elqCampaignId=36" title="Mark Spencer - Original Creator of Asterisk" target="_blank"><img width="180" height="264" style="width:180px;min-height:264px;display:block"></a></td>
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<span style="width:387px;min-height:883px"><span>Hello
Steve,<br><br><a title="Origin story fatigue?" href="http://app.email.digium.com/e/er?s=491&lid=1190&elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092" target="_blank">Origin stories</a> are all the rage these days, and while perhaps the origin of Asterisk isn’t as exciting as the genesis of Wolverine, it’s still a pretty interesting tale.<br>
<br>Way back in 1999, Mark Spencer had just started Linux Support Services (LSS), an innovative small business that offered support for the Linux operating system. This was the height of the “Dot Com” era, and many start-up businesses were taking advantage of the open source operating system. LSS took off, and as it grew, Mark found that he needed a phone system.<br>
<br>Back
in those days, phone systems were 100-percent proprietary. They were also expensive. Not wanting to take out a loan for a phone system he would probably outgrow in a matter of months, Mark decided to build his own PBX. Unlike proprietary phone systems,<b> Mark’s solution was flexible software that took advantage of the power (and price point) of Linux</b>. Mark named the project “Asterisk,” a reference to the wildcard character.<br>
<br>Within
a year, the Dot-com bubble popped and the demand for Linux support dried up. Fortunately for Mark, interest in his software PBX had exploded. Linux Support Services quickly pivoted to focus on the growing demand for hardware and services related to Asterisk. The groundswell of interest in an open source telephony system grew into the Asterisk Community with thousands of developers and users who pitched in, providing patches, enhancements and valuable feedback. What started as a pragmatic solution to a cash-flow problem, turned into a revolution.<br>
<br>By 2003, the business had been renamed “Digium” and was well on its way to becoming the <b>world’s leading purveyor of telephony interface hardware</b>.<br><br>In the nearly 13 years since Mark released the initial Asterisk code, the PBX market has undergone a massive shift. <b>Open standards now rule</b>
what was once a proprietary market. Expensive, limited proprietary PBX hardware has given way to commodity computers running powerful software. Digium has grown from being a niche player to competing with the biggest names in the PBX market.<br>
<br>So, there you have it. That’s how it all started. By the way, if you have an interesting story about how <a title="Asterisk" href="http://www.asterisk.org/?elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092&elqCampaignId=36" target="_blank">Asterisk</a> or other open source software changed your life, we would love to hear it.<br>
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<td valign="top" align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="4" width="559" height="80" style="border-style:none"><span style="width:559px;min-height:80px"><font face="Arial">Shea Caughron</font> <font face="Arial"><br>Digium, Inc. | Customer Development Manager</font> <font face="Arial"><br>
<a href="tel:%2B1%20256-428-6190" value="+12564286190" target="_blank">+1 256-428-6190</a></font></span></td><td align="left" valign="top" width="5" height="80"></td><td align="left" valign="top" width="16" height="80"></td>
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<span style="width:563px;min-height:43px"><span>Check us out at <a title="Digium" href="http://www.digium.com?elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092&elqCampaignId=36" target="_blank">www.digium.com</a> & <a title="Asterisk" href="http://www.asterisk.org?elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092&elqCampaignId=36" target="_blank">www.asterisk.org</a><br>
Follow <a title="Asterisk on Twitter" href="http://app.email.digium.com/e/er?s=491&lid=532&elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092" target="_blank"></a>u<a title="Asterisk on Twitter" href="http://app.email.digium.com/e/er?s=491&lid=532&elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092" target="_blank"></a>s<a title="Asterisk on Twitter" href="http://app.email.digium.com/e/er?s=491&lid=532&elq=816d47c4aa404f27ae6a0f05a7415092" target="_blank"></a>
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