Well, the codec is supported in the card (those that are not
propriatory/closed/require licensing) but then, net2phone and dialpad take
care of that for you. You use their software app and make your calls, they
take care of everything else on their end.
With these cards, they can handle the codecs locally but they STILL require
an IP-to-PSTN gateway be located somewhere. Again, net2phone and dialpad
provide this for their users but having one of these cards does not mean you
can use their gateways, or anyone else's for that matter. There are none,
really, that a linux user could make use of. It may well be the case that
there are projects along this line here or there, but that is the same as
saying fusion power is being worked on. ONE day it may get here, but don't
hold your breath.
The advertising on the Quicknet website is misleading, and I guess I wanted
to warn people of this. You cannot get one of their cards and make
PC-to-phone calls inspite of what their page says. It is THEORETICALLY
possible but in practice it just cannot be done because the other services
required to make this work do not exist. What you CAN do is make PC-to-PC
calls (big deal). You are merely doing a audible instant messaging in this
case.
Anyway, if a hacked app were produced that would work ala net2phone or
dialpad's broken java app with their respective services, you get the
PC-to-phone capability, do not need to spend money on a very specialized card
and can just make use of any decent, modern soundcard, and make longdistance
calls over the internet.
I was rather hoping that someone HERE would prove me wrong in my critique of
the Quicknet hardware and tell me that you CAN set it up, not theoretically
but REALLY, to make PC-to-phonecalls. See, I am also a member of the
quicknet linux-drivers mailing list. These people are great to help you get
your card driver downloaded and compiled, but big deal, you have a
driver...what do you do now? Well, I asked about gateways and setting the
card/config files up for using them. No answer. THEY know of no real,
extant way to do this now. Not a single soul provided any information about
any gateway anywhere that could be used. The best I got was a suggestion to
read the openh323 pages because this person thought they saw something there
about projects along this line. Well I DID read the pages and if you follow
an octopus of links hither and yon, you will read all about the potential use
of internet telephony, may even get links to net2phone and dialpad and the
like, but not a single link on gateways that can be used with linux, sans
propriatory software, with your shiny new pricey Quicknet card.
On Friday 16 February 2001 08:11, Rusty Carruth you wrote:
> "Praedor Tempus" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Well, I think I was suckered.
> >
> > ...
> > Quicknet hardware are all very specialized bits of equipment with no real
> > benefit over of decent soundcard which most people already own if they
> > own a computer. The equipment are merely glorified modem/soundcards,
>
> Have you considered the codec? I forget if the codec is part of the card
> hardware or not (I have access to the phone card and the line jack both,
> but its been a while since i played with them). If its part of the
> hardware then there is one (smallish) thing you get out of the card you
> don't get with a sound card...
>
> rc
>
>
> Rusty Carruth Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice: (480) 345-3621 SnailMail: Schlumberger ATE
> FAX: (480) 345-8793 7855 S. River Parkway, Suite 116
> Ham: N7IKQ @ 146.82+,pl 162.2 Tempe, AZ 85284-1825
> ICBM: 33 20' 44"N 111 53' 47"W
--
Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.
