Elastix - The reliable PBX appliance software
It has been a while since the release of Elastix 1.0. There have been a lot of ideas since then that were scheduled for the next release. Meanwhile, we released the Call Center and Developer modules as GPL and a lot of other useful add-ons. These releases have brought satisfaction to all of us in Elastix. Our community has grown and our downloads are almost half a million in total.
Finally, the wait for Elastix 2.0 is over, and time for new ideas has come. We have started development of this new version and we will try to include as many ideas and suggestions from the community as possible.
For those of you that just can’t wait, here is a preview of some of the main features that have been scheduled for Elastix 2.0:
- Asterisk 1.6
- Elastix Operator Panel release
- Meeting / Presentation sharing
- Advanced reports
- Improvements to the Call Center Module
- Better integration between all components
Asterisk 1.6
This is a very important migration that we’ll be working on. Our focus will be mainly on taking advantage of Asterisk 1.6′s performance improvements.
Elastix Operator Panel
The same old Flash Operator Panel (FOP) will still be available. Nevertheless we have decided to develop our own alternative, specially now that FOP version 2 would not be open source and that is not compatible with the GPL license that Elastix uses.
It is our hope that this alternative Elastix Operator Panel will be available for any distro in the future including those not based on Elastix.
The Elastix Operator Panel will be Ajax-based instead of Flash-based. Our main objective will be performance improvement.
A New Way to do Meetings
Since the release of Elastix 1.0, we have seen how meeting/conference solutions have improved. A clear example of this is the success of Webextm. Elastix will stay follow the latest trends that the latest communications technology demands.
The development of this feature will be divided in two phases. The first phase will be included in the Elastix 2.0 release and will integrate telephony, chat, file sharing and document presentations. The second phase will add further functionality gradually, after the release of Elastix 2.0.
We are sure that the implementation of this feature will maintain Elastix as the leader among Unified Communications distros worldwide.
Advanced Reports
One of the strongest features of Elastix is our reports. Our development framework has improved and will now allow us to improve our reports even more.
In addition to improving data reports, they will be nicer looking and friendly. The new Elastix framework, based on PHP, includes Ajax-management libraries that will allow us to improve user interaction, among other things.
Improvements in the Call Center Module
Elastix has been a pioneer in releasing a fully-functional open source call center solution. Other distros have chosen to close and market their solutions. However, Elastix gives you FREE download of this module under GPL.
The Call Center module gives Elastix insights in the area of large installations.
Among the improvements scheduled for this module, we will work on streamlining the installation and update processes, and performance upgrades. There will be better integration between the communications components of Elastix 2.0 such as PBX, IM, Fax, Email, Agenda and others. We will also focus particularly on the integration of the Agenda with the rest of the components. This will help boost efficiency in the companies that use Elastix.
Of course this is just a sample of the new features in Elastix 2.0. We hope that Elastix 2.0 will see more contributions from the community so we can include as many of your suggestions as possible.
