FOOD FOR THOUGHT Beyond disappointing.....

[Nick Galea]

My issue is that you attacked and attacked Linux and had facebook ads and google ads attacking linux and open source and now you are asking us to embrace and trust 3CX. Only after you were called out on your Linux whitepaper did you do something about it and removed the content. And now instead of saying we were wrong and we saw the light you are defending yourself and your actions and talking about Microsoft.

Actually I was the person that originally wrote that white paper and many of the ads that you mention.

They were never anti-Linux.

As a background I would like to note that I am very familiar with Linux, running it on my desktop since 1999 (Although I now have switched to Mac), developing Linux software (including open source) for several years and I owned a company 'dedicated' to bringing Linux to the desktop of companies back in the early/mid 2000's.

The points I made in that white paper back in 2007 still stand today:

#1 - Don't use a Linux PBX if you are familiar with Windows and run a Windows Server infrastructure. I still stand by that position. Don't learn Linux just to run your PBX, that's crazy. If you like Linux and want to learn it, switch your infrastructure to it and then the PBX along with it.

#2 - Don't use a black box appliance running an obscure 'once off' distribution that will not be updated when new security alerts come out. Still stand by that. PBX in a Flash 5 is different because it runs STOCK DEBIAN and applies security updates as the Debian Community brings them out. PBX in a Flash 3 (which you can still download) is different because it runs on top of a stock CentOS install. Again, security updates will come out and will be applied. This is very different from some hardware PBX appliances out on the market. Running those, you're gonna get hacked.

The other points were around software based PBX and open standards and they were not anti-Linux but anti-proprietary systems - of which there are still many in the market today including Skype for Business, Cisco et all.

So what made 3CX develop a Linux edition? The cloud. The cloud has changed the landscape for deploying and running applications. And soon there will be container technology that will make it even easier. And customers won't even know what the underlying operating system is. And that sure changes things. That takes away point #1 that I made (back in 2007).

Plus development tools have improved since 2007 and now it's possible to compile for both Windows and Linux.

3CX is not a walled garden. It's completely open standards and you can take your data in and out any time you want. Is it Open Source? No, it's not and why would you need it to be if all you want to do is run it in your business. Good developers don't work for free. Neither does Linus Torvalds. To take a product forward you need commercial backing - developers, testers and support engineers - and they need to get paid. Of course if you want to make your own PBX company it's a different thing. Then open source is very handy. But in that case you came to the wrong place. Start from Asterisk.org (we didn't though).

I hope that sheds more light on the 3CX vision and product strategy.

regards

--
Nick Galea
3CX CEO

 

[MrBostn]

Can't deny the PIAF team for needing to generate revenue. For me I like the piaf/incredible installs, and will continue to use them.

I need iax2 support as I connect to a few remote offices via iax2. (I don't sell or make money using piaf-I use it at my place of employment).

I'm no GPL expert, nor do I play one on tv, but it seems piaf/incredible has too much going on. As a hobbyist it's fun to see all the new distos or new pbx's applied, but for work, I want one distro (or whatever you call it) that works, and is continually updated. All this Xivo, 3CX sounds like the devs/Ward are trying to do too much...just give me PIAF and/or Incredible please.
Thank you
Scott

 

[wardmundy]

That's what Choice is all about. At least we have some now.

 

[stanjohn]

Ward thank you for hard work, we are all glad for your efforts. I have taken far more than I have contributed here. While I'm at it I would like to thank all the companies that keep the lights on especially Nick Galea and 3CX.

 

[smarks]

Somewhat relevant but how is it that gurus like me can make money with PIAF 5? Can I resell it? Host and support it? Am I allowed to do all that with the limitations which they then have to buy a license from 3CX to increase? Kinda like how FOP2 does it?

Ward is encouraging the use of Xivo. This is where I first heard of that project. So I think he still believes in open source and doesn't appear to have sold out or anything like that.

 

[chris_c_]

@smarks
You can read the info and signup to become a 3CX (PIAF 5 upgrades to a paid 3CX commercial license) reseller partner here:
https://www.3cx.com/partners/
It's available as hosted or self-hosted on your/customer's server.

 

[Nicky]

Another event that shows that times change - Adapt to changes and be aware of what big companies are doing..

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/16/microsoft_joins_linux_foundation_as_platinum_member/

They used to call linux a Cancer.. Now they are the highest Linux sponsor..

I think I need to call Microsoft and tell them they they are wrong - because John Rodgers said so...

"Microsoft is joining 10 existing Platinum members: Cisco, Fujitsu, HP Enterprise, Huawei, IBM, Intel, NEC, Oracle, Qualcomm and Samsung. There are 19 Gold members including Facebook, Google and SUSE, while over 200 other companies are content with Silver membership."

Nice!!!