[asterisk-users] Which Asterisk version to use?

[Michael Collins]

> I'm a complete newbie to Asterisk and have been reading through
> documentation and sites for the last couple of hours trying to
understand
> what to do to start my learning curve with Asterisk, and am very
confused.

It's a big world, so take a deep breath and don't worry about being
overwhelmed at first.

> 
> For starters, what is the difference btwn the 1.2 and 1.4 branches of
> Asterisk?  I can't seem to find a document that describes the changes.
> 
> Secondly, what is the best way to start off with Asterisk?  Should I
> install
> a Linux distro from scratch and then install Asterisk on top of that,
> start
> with AsteriskNOW and go from there, or start with Tribox?  What
advantage
> do
> I get installing Linux/Asterisk vs. installing AsteriskNow or Tribox
and
> starting my learning curve from there?  It would seem as the most
> reasonable
> to start with a prepackaged "appliance" installation - no?

One advantage to using the prepackage method is that you get straight
into what Asterisk can do while skipping most of the how-do-I-set-it-up
drama.  I personally like the Trixbox distro for getting a quick setup
into operation.  It is relatively easy to get started with and let's you
play with the system.  Once you get your feet wet then it's a good
exercise to learn the steps of doing a manual install.


> 
> Can someone please explain the difference between AsteriskNow and
Tribox?
> They seem to be filling the same need - a one-step easy installation
of
> Asterisk on a brand new PC.  Am I missing something?  Both have GUIs,
but
> TriBox seems to be more complete with more features.  Is this not
correct?
> 

Trixbox is, essentially, Asterisk + Asterisk 3rd party add-ons + decent
preconfiguration.  I'm not sure about AsteriskNOW.  Just remember that
Asterisk has an ecosystem, so there are lots of different things you can
plug into it and lots of different apps that can interface with it.
Just take it slow and steady and you'll do very well.


> Thanks so much for any information to help set me on the right path.
As
> you
> can see, I am extermely confused and lost in the maze of Asterisk docs
and
> struggling to find a little headway here.
> 

Someone already mentioned it, but get the O'Reilly book - "Asterisk -
The Future Of Telephony."  (Abbreviated TFOT in many places.)  Be sure
to get the 2nd edition if you're going to buy it off the shelf.  It
should be out any time if it isn't already available.

-MC