[Asterisk-Users] Very Cool.........Asterisk Made Wired Magazine

[Jim Van Meggelen]

asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com wrote:
> Hi Guys,
> 
> The article "They've Got Your number" in the Dec 2004 issue of WIRED 
> magazine mentions Asterisk PBX (on p.100).  The article is about phone

> phreaks hijacking cell phones with Bluetooth technology along with 
> spoofing CID to pull some clandestine hacks on the PSTN.  Anyhow, 
> Asterisk is mentioned as the PBX of choice for an outfit: 
> Telephreaks.org out of Florida that has built their own free VoIP 
> service.

I wish they had said a bit more about the usefulness of Asterisk, as
opposed to talking about how some phrackers are using it to spoof CID.
Then again, it's been said that there's no such thing as bad press.

> Quotes:
> 
> "Slestak, Da Beave, and GiD are the crew behind Florida-based 
> Telephreaks.org, a free VoIP service that they've built to run on a 
> roll-your-own, open source private branch exchange
> (PBX) system called Asterisk"  "But with Asterisk, there's no need for

> the phone company to manage your phone lines anymore.  Your can do it 
> yourself."
> 
> Well, it's good that Asterisk made WIRED magazine but really it should

> be on the front page with Mark's smiling mug on the cover like Linus' 
> was on the Nov 2003 issue of WIRED.

Ya, but that'll come in good time. There's no stopping Asterisk now!

> This is a good day for Asterisk because WIRED magazine has a huge 
> subscriber base and this article will be read by a lot of people, and 
> some of those people might have the gumption to check out Asterisk and

> see what it's all about.  If you all see a lot more newbie question 
> pop up in the next few weeks, be kind, help where you can and point to

> the Wiki for more info.

Good advice at any time. Doubly so now.

> I'll be writing a letter to the editor, encouraging them to check out 
> Asterisk as a possible full featured article and I encourage you all 
> to do the same, if you're so inclined.

Call me paranoid, but you might want to give some thought to the fact
that the story you want them to write about Asterisk may not spin the
way you think it will. Asterisk has been gaining a reputation as a
Phrackers PBX, and that kind of reputation may increase interest, but
not necessarily for the better. As Asterisk begins to take market share
away from traditional Telephony platforms, the FUD will increase as
well. The press serve their own ends, and if they decide that the better
spin is a story about the dangers of hackers, they can use Asterisk's
strengths against it. Remember that the press stole the term "hacker"
away from the community and turned something good into something
negative. Perhaps Wired is above all this, but security is a hotter
topic than open-source, and FUD sells magazines.

I suppose Asterisk is first going to get press as an über-geek's
home-brew PBX, but I sometimes wish this weren't so. It is such a
legitimate technology that it should be getting press in more industry
publications. Ah well, that'll come in good time I guess.

Cheers,

Jim.