Softphone

Useful Mac Applications Part 2

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I had so many new apps that where so cool I had to make a part 2 to my new and notable Mac software.

Skype & Gizmo are both relatively free VOIP clients. Skype is proprietary and very popular, and the Gizmo Project is an open source project. Both allow me to make and receive calls directly from my Mac without a phone. I have had a skype phone number for about a year now, and I just went out and bought the Gizmo number. I don’t use either service as much as I would like, but they both are fantastic. When I travel (not as often as I used to) they are great. I can use my bluetooth headset paired directly with my Mac for a long calls. For $20 I bought a USB handset for Skype that acts like a normal phone handset. It is very cool. Now that both apps are Universal binaries I am happy on my work Powerbook or my home Mac.

Unison is a universal binary Usnet News reader. I go into and out of phases where I use Usenet. I am currently loving Unison’s ease of use. It does bog down my Intel Mac when it is downloading lots of headers, but other than that it is a good all around app.

Rename4mac is a useful program that I have actually been using for a while but I wanted to throw it in. It takes any batch of files and allows you to rename them all in a new format. This is great for me since I can’t stand the format that my digital camera uses.

RDC Menu is a little freeware app that takes Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app for the Mac and lets you access it from the Menu bar. What is really does well is allow you to run multiple instances of RDC so you can have multiple remote sessions at the same time. You can do that with the windows version but until this app you couldn’t do it with the Mac one. For work this is helps out so much.

RPG is a freeware random password generator. It is a universal binary and it even lets you select some characters not to use in its random passwords. For my job it is great to be able to just wip up a few random passwords when I need them. I had a windows app that did the same thing but I finally found a replacement for it with RPG.

SnapNDrag is not as good as snagit for windows (or that is how I feel so far) but it is a great full screen capture program. It also lets you take snapshots of just one window, and more. It is very helpful for documentation. It is a helpful addition to my list of apps.

I will add more as I come across worthwhile software.

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More Softphones That Are Cool!

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I got the chance to play with Cisco’s new IP Communicator software. Well it is not that new anymore, but it was new to me. I had used their older IP Softphone software. This is just a new version of their phone-less phone. IP Communicator lets you use your computer as the telephone. The concept is fantastic, and IP Communicator actually works as advertised.

The software emulates the look of a Cisco 7970 IP Phone. You can do 4 way conference calls (we cannot do that on the 7940’s we have). Answering and placing calls is as easy as having a hard phone. Searching the Corporate directory is faster now that you have a real keyboard to search. The call quality was great.

I need to try the software out from a cable modem this weekend. I have it on my Thinkpad to give it a whirl.

Softphone did allot of what I just discussed, but it was a pain to setup and configure. Communicator was simple to do. The only draw backs will be fixed when we move to CCM 3.3.4 or later. The main issue being extension mobility not working.

Work Computers

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I have several computers at my desk at work. Scary as it may seem, I need them all. Ever few weeks I try to get rid of one or more, but only end up cleaning up wires.

Currently I have a computer for running VMWare sessions. It needs to have allot of ram and hard drive space, and I like to keep very little on the OS besides the VMWare.

I then have a machine that has 2 CD-ROM’s in it so I can burn disks. That machine also doubles as a box on a special V-LAN so I can test our softphone and other voice applications. That network is the only one where I can do that.

Then I have an old desktop that I run Linux on. Currently I have Suse 9.0 on that machine.

I have a spot for my powerbook. I have a 4 port KVM and all 3 other machines are on it, so I put the powerbook on the last port. I am finding recently that I am using it as my primary machine for email and office application work. Go Apple.

On another monitor setup I have my company Thinkpad T-40. This is my primary machine. It has all the day to day programs I use, and all my files on it.

At last count that was 5 machines. I have also been known to put a server or other desktops by my desk and hook them up to a kvn so I can build them or work on them. It gets really load in my office when I do that. Add to that Keith’s 2-3 machines and we have allot of heat also during the summer.

The crazy thing is we probably need space for more computers, not less. We are always tinkering with something new. And that is why I like what I do!!!

Projects Updates

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Finally put into service our first Windows 2003 Active Directory server. I demoted an old 2000 box and transfered its roles to the new server.

Started redirecting call center users in NYC to our new mail server we are using for our Kingston office. The end goal is to have the entire call center on that mail system. Once I get all the alias’s and accounts done I can just delete the old mail accounts and tell everyone they have a new email address. It is a slow process since I need to edit everyones profile when they are not at work. I did about 10 people in 2 days. this rate it will take me a month to get everyone cut over.

We upgrade our Pix firewalls next tuesday to enable us to use a VPN tunnel to send large amounts of VOIP calls between offices. when I mean large amounts I mean more than the 2-3 we can now. Probably like 20 at a time on a dedicated internet T-1.

Other things going on are the guys in Kingston are working on Cisco Softphone setup’s to allow remote agents for our call center. Or to allow us to use the phones from outside the office on our laptops. Also in the works is the ability to move your phone number between desk phones if you need to.