In article <47ea5210.31039750@news20.forteinc.com>,
Jose <go.spam@somewhere.else> wrote:
>On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:00:38 +0000 (UTC), Gordon Henderson
><gordon+usenet@drogon.net> wrote:
>
>>It's an intersting discussion - the firmware vs. software one, and one
>>I've had many times over the years - my background (20+ years ago) was
>>writing software for embedded systems - robotics, factory automation,
>>etc. and even then the division was becoming blured - firmware to us
>>then was just software in ROM.. But when it becomes changable in EPROM
>>(which I used back then), or Flash (nowadays) does that still make it
>>firmware? Most embedded devices now can be re-flashed, with new software,
>>or is it new firmware?
>
>Hi Gordon,
>
>If it can't get viruses, and if you can reboot it and be sure to have
>it working at least as well as previously to the reboot, with
>degradation of code, it's firmware to me.

Thats as good a definition as any, I suppose...

>>Indeed, but you still need something to connect the ATAs to, if you want
>>to enable the phones to call each other. (Without dialling IP addresses,
>>which some let you do)
>
>Well, it turned out the fellow choose the cheapeast solution he could
>find: he'll install softphones on the PCs of about 20+ employees (in
>one of the offices), and get them USB phones, to use along side the
>analog phones they already have.
>
>Since they'll all be using the same Voip provider, they'll be able to
>call each other for free.

One thing to watch is "internal" calls in the same office - depending
on how it's setup, it might be that to make an internal call, the data
goes back out the broadband connection to the remote voip service,
and back in again... That may not be a problem though depending on the
number of calls handled, and the sip proxy the VoIP operator uses.

>That's good enough for him, plus some other functions he'll get from a
>Centrex PBX solution installed in one of the PCs.

Good luck!

>I'm kind of disapointed, but I don't have a saying about it...
>
>Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experience!

Cheers,

Gordon