Re: [GnomeMeeting-devel-list] Interest for GM 2.00

[Colin Guthrie <gnomemeeting colin guthr ie>]

Hi Damien et. al.

Damien Sandras wrote:
> GnomeMeeting was the first "easy-to-use" multi-platform softphone. I
> insist on the "multi-platform" aspect, as the code is portable.
> (However, nobody is maintaining the MacOSX port, nobody is maintaining
> the FreeBSD port, and we have to do the WIN32 port ourselves (thanks
> Julien)).

Just to share my own personal experience. I've relatively setup our 
office (there are about 6 of us on site with a few satalites), with 
Asterisk. As we work on a very tight budget, we could not afford to 
purchase hardware SIP phones for everyone, but as we all work on 
computers my intention was to give everyone softphones. I assumed it 
would be easy but it was much harder than I thought. While I initially 
played with IAX we got serious issues with audio lag, and it just 
wouldn't shift - defo something at *'s end, but who knows what.

Anyways, I had success with SIP but none of the SIP clients I tried were 
stable or offered features like line transfers etc. I tried *lots* of 
Linux SIP soft phones but none were any good. I finally found the GM2.0 
snapshots and thought I'd take it for a whirl. It's been stable as a 
rock since despite being snapshot releases!!!!

I am genuinely excited about the Win32 version too as I am currently 
forced to use SIPPs (a demo version) which is slow, buggy and 
rubbish.... GM would be much better :)

FWIW the one feature I miss in GM is multiple line support. Multiple 
lines would allow a Managed Transfer feature which would be ace. e.g. 
Incomming call -> Operation -> *Hold* + Call real recipient -> "I have a 
call from Mr So and so - Yes, put him through." -> Unhold+transfer :)


The above said, I use GAIM a lot for my MSN/Jabber accounts and one of 
the SIP solutions I looked at prior to settling on GM was the 
Lindows/Linspire GAIM hack that supports SIP. It was a non-starter 
really, but I do have to admit I do like the of having GAIM do my phone 
as well as my IM etc. I do like GM, so please don't take this the wrong 
way, but I think this is the kind of feedback you are probably expecting 
too....

Opal does indeed seem like a very good library (tho' not looked at it as 
a dev) and there is perhaps an oportunity to integrate this into 
Gaim/Kopete or similar? Perhaps that could be a potential post 2.0 
project if you do decide to slow down GM development?




As a side note, I very rarely use USB keys. I generally keep everything 
(email, contacts, calendar, files etc.) online on my home server. But on 
the odd occasion when I do find myself at someone elses windows PC, a 
really neat feature would be if I could just stick in a USB key and run 
GM and/or Gaim and have my settings all stored on the USB. Without ANY 
setup, I've got my instant messaging and my phone system. OK, I know 
that audio devices would have to be somehow guessed/or prompted for due 
to different hardware etc. but that would be very, very useful.

Even for ppl moving round large companies it could be quite useful (I 
know most corporate VOIP solutions allow you to easily log in to any 
hard phone in the building whereever you are - and I guess the above is 
a similar concept.

Just a passing thought.

Col.