[KLUG Members] Open-source voicemail?

[Adam Tauno Williams]

>Can you tell me why I want that?
>I just want software that will interface to low-cost POTS hardware
>(like the voice modem I already have, for example), and will let me
>code up a little voicemail flowchart for callers to walk through,
>leaving messages as they go.

Voice modems (98%) are half-duplex.  If you are going to provide a "service"
via
this software I think you will find that a serious limitation.  Playing voice
prompts and listening for DTMF codes can't happen at the same time,  making
using such a servie irritating.  Some software pulls little tricks to try to
get
around this,  but it is a fundamental problem.

Some more expensive voice-modems due full-duplex but they are rather uncommon,
Asterisk does support some of these.  Which ones I don't know off the top of my
head.

>It looks like Asterix PBX is aimed at PBX systems, which I don't
>have and don't intend to get.

Yes,  but it has a robust prompting and voice-mail system and stores the
messages in MP3 (and open format).  You won't find anything to compare with it.

vgetty, etc... are very simple and certainly don't fall into the "highly
stable"
catagory.

>It does mention the LinuxJack, http://www.linuxjack.org/, which at
>$270 is really pushing my definition of "low-cost POTS hardware"
>but if it works cleanly is a possibility I'll consider.  Also
>linuxjack.org has links to other interesting-looking sites :)

How about the $99.95 Wildcard 100
http://store.yahoo.com/asteriskpbx/wildcardx100p.html
Made specifically for Asterisk.

Just like with a fax server,  the device/modem you use is key.  Great software
can't work wonders with crappy hardware.