[ale] [OT] Are iPhone apps $$$ why Android apps are free?

[Chris Fowler]

On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 13:17 -0400, Jim Lynch wrote:
> When there is freePBX why would anyone ever buy Avaya?
> 
> I'm quite happy with my (small) pbx.
> 
> 

FreePBX is good I used to use it.  My problems with it were cased by
abstraction of the internals behind a web interface.  I abandoned it and
did it old school.  I installed Linux, downloaded Asterisk source,
compiled and I then used the best configuration tool out there.  VIM.  

I got so frustrated trying to get a friends T1 board to work and being
unable to figure out why it was not working.  We even tried this as the
first Asterisk install fest and it beat the guys there as well.  I never
did pick up on that board where I left off but the experience was good
for me.  I forced me to understand Asterisk internally.  We know have a
CentOS 5 server with Asterisk.  Many Grandstream phones and soft phones.
I have a very customized dial-plan with Perl AGI's I've written and
MySQL integration.  All this done with VIM.  It works very well for us.
I would have never been able to do all this neat stuff with FreePBX.  I
have some very neat AGI programs.

Not many people know about FreePBX.  They have heard about companies
like Allworx and other IP PBX or "Softswitch" vendors.  However, Avaya
does an excellent job marketing and selling this stuff.  For now, so
much better than Digium could even do.  This is why Avaya which could be
considered inferior to Asterisk in some ways succeeds.

When you look at all these PBX systems a lot comes down to features.
Even UC (Unified communications).  There is stuff Asterisk does not do
as a package like FreePBX but you could make it so by doing things
yourself.  This is why there is a market for Allworx.  They do what the
developers of * can't or  not willing to do.  They focus on the customer
interface.  They focus on sales and marketing.  They do shows.  

What bugs me is when companies use OSS to provide lock-in.  In Avaya's
case all their current systems run Linux.  Alcatel is also Linux.
Nortel newer systems including BCM50 is Linux.  They deliver a closed
platform on an architecture of Openness.  This is what you should be
bitching about.  Do they give back?  

I'm very into the PBX market and Asterisk is making strides.  Those
strides are being made with companies doing what has always been ignored
in many open projects.  Configuration interfaces.  Some of us will
stumble through forums, man pages, and documentation to configure this
stuff with an editor but fortune 500 companies, hospitals, schools, etc
will have nothing of it.  Many of these same companies don't even
maintain the system.  They pay a per port per month charge to someone
who maintains the PRIs, T1s, phones, does all the adds, changes, and
deletes to the config, etc.  That is where the real $$$$ is in the PBX
market and Avaya learned that years ago.  We are partially to blame.
Our greed has driven margins down so thin that many of these companies
must look at services and lock-in to maintain revenue levels.  However,
they are greedy as well.  

If you only knew what Avaya charges your head would asplode.  You can
not fathom why folks pay that much for that service.  The numbers are
amazing.  Many of you could live VERY comfortably with only the monthly
revenue of one account. It is simple.

a)  It is not their money.  It belongs to their employer
b)  There is no loyalty and desire to save their employer money and 
    offer cheaper solutions
c)  No one got fired for buying <insert brand name here>

To destroy Asterisk all one has to do is go back in time and give Mark
Spencer a free phone system.  Remove his motivation (PBX's are
expensive) to create such an awesome piece of software.

If you are really interested in the effects of lock-in you should watch
closely what is going on in this market.  I think Avaya is making a bet
that they'll win.  They are going all in by forcing those with Nortel
equipment (even old stuff) to be under contract or face a future with no
parts, no updates, and no support.  Imagine Ford, Chevy, etc telling you
that you must pay them $X per month for a maintenance contract or you'll
no longer be able to get your car repaired or even buy parts for it.  If
it breaks you could only fix it with what parts that could be salvaged
from other systems.  There are certain parts of the car you would lose
"keys" too limiting what little maintenance you could do yourself.  This
is what is going on and every end-user is being affected.  So to sum it
up, Avaya customers have never "owned" anything.  Nortel customers have.
Avaya buys Nortel and is taking ownership away from the Nortel
customers.  Like Ford buying Chevy and locking you out of your Chevy
unless you pay them per month.  The Avaya customers have become used to
and immune to the raping.  For Nortel customers it has been an awaking
Maybe even becoming a nightmare.  It is real nasty.  Especially for
companies who claim they have no money to spend.  

One of two things are going to happen.

a)  The end-users are going to take it and fork over the money.

b)  The end-users are going to replace what they have with something
else.

At this point there is lock-in from all directions.  Cisco Call Manager,
Shortel, etc.  Asterisk is ripe for doing very well now.  These
end-users need to be educated.  Who is going to do it?

IMO, I think Avaya will succeed.  People are lazy.  It is easier to do
nothing and fork over the money then to make an initial investment, do
some work, and then be free.  The cost of replacement is great for money
of these companies.  A cost that could be paid back in years but it
takes planning and a desire to be free.   Luckily for my company I have
the luxury to explore and create.  This gives me the time to find
alternatives.  We replaced no phone system with Asterisk.  I replaced
ACT! (POS) with SugarCRM (Community).  I could replace Windows Vista/7
on the laptops if I had to.  I would need to find Webex that works with
Linux.  I think Webex does.  Live Meeting does not.  For one guy, I need
to find a piece of software that is AS GOOD AS Visio.  If I could do
that then my virus worries are over.  For my stuff, it is all Linux.
Servers, desktops, laptops, netbooks, and now phone.


Back to PBX,  I use Astlinux on a small embedded device at home.  Bought
XP100 (sp?) card off eBay years back.   Been running this since 2007 on
my home line.  Have SIP and IAX2 trunks.

Sorry for the rambling.