First let’s start off with what Asterisk is. Asterisk is an open source PBX (FreePBX) application that can be run on most versions of Linux. It is usually compiled from a tarball, and then configured from there. It allows you to use that Linux computer as a PBX, and add other add-ons as necessary. Without a 3rd party add-on, Asterisk is completely command line driven, and is difficult for most people to administer who are not familiar with command line operations. It allows you to use your current telephone line and/or VoIP for calls.
Asterisk@Home was the package that was on an ISO that you would run to completely reformat your PC and install a ready made configuration of Asterisk for you, with a lot of other 3rd party add-ons to the main Asterisk application. It came with SugarCRM (a client relations management software package), AMP, the Asterisk Management Portal, which allowed you to interact with Asterisk realtime, and without knowing too much about the scripting and command line aspect of Asterisk, and built in IVR (Interactive Voice Response), that allowed for greetings, timed greetings, menus, extension options, etc.. It ran on the CentOS flavor of Linux.
Trixbox version 1.0 was released (and would have been Astersik@Home version 3.0), on May 31, 2006. It still retains the previous add-ons, plus a lot more, and still runs on CentOS. The name was reportedly changed due to the moniker “@home” possibly causing an image that didn’t sit well with its potential business class clientele.
Trixbox is based on the same code as Asterisk@Home, and works with the Digium hardware, that allows you to use FXO cards for POTS lines, or FXS cards for plain old telephones inside the business or household.
Trixbox is considered “turn-key” software because of the low amount of configuration required to get it running, when compared to Asterisk proper. Trixbox can be used with standard telephone lines (POTS) or separately or in conjunction with VoIP.
Some cool features with Trixbox:
For the home user, you can have extensions at home that will ring your computer with the use of softphones
You can have your softphone on your laptop and use it to receive and make outgoing calls at any hotspot (Trixbox will direct your call to you appropriately) to any phone number
You can have “Bluetooth Proximity Checking” setup and enabled. This will allow Trixbox to determine if it should route calls to your desk when you are within range, or to your cell phone when out of range
With the proper amount of storage, you can record outgoing and incoming calls, or only specific calls
Video phone calls (using softphones)
More information on Trixbox can be found here:
http://asteriskathome.sourceforge.net/
Information on VoIP in general can be found here:
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/
