[Leaplist] Askerisk - PBX

[patrick]

Moving soon, and going to kill off the landline that is redundant,
expensive, and a source of revenue to the tax collectors with up to 28%
of a bill being "regulatory" taxation!

Replacement? Probably Asterisk, by Digium.  Open Source, uses any PIII
500 cpu with 128MB RAM, runs in GNU/Linux, with a development in the
Debian teams, and also works on other FOSS systems, such as the *BSDs.

But, as is usual, there is too much info out there.  Starting with a
wiki that really doesn't explain it in user friendly terms as to
potential uses, up to the search engine return of manuals of hundreds of
pages!

Looking for a simple overview, in a single page, that covers typical
hardware, uses, how to use in a single home.

So, is there such a thing?  I am trying to promote FOSS solutions, to
folks who don't know what RAM is, couldn't care less about a CPU, and
who are unfamiliar with Mhz, Ghz, GB, and MB and their meanings.  Some
folks are barely able to connect a telephone to the wall outlet!

Sorry to have to dumb it down, but, not everyone is technically competent.

Base questions:

1.  Does Askerisk work with any of the free standing Skype or Vonage
phone modems?  I know how to program the Linksys Vonage system to use
any service and not be locked into the Vonage trap.

But, a listing of basic hardware is a nice asset.

2. Can a home system have 4 phones, through pre-wired wall jacks, on the
system?

3. How do the phone numbers get selected or assigned in this system?