Tuesday, March 04, 2008

PBX in a Flash vs. trixbox

As promised, I have spent some time comparing the various benefits of PBX-in-a-Flash over trixbox. In a nutshell, my conclusion is relatively straightforward.


It's worth switching.

Why, you may ask? Well, the reasons are many and varied, but here are the high points:

1) Upgrades. If you've spent any time poring over the various email lists for trixbox, you will quickly come to realize that the general consensus with respect to upgrading trixbox is as follows: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Upgrading trixbox can be a nightmare (something I've personally experienced), and the simplest solution is to either (a) live with an older version; or (b) do a clean install. Upgrading PBIAF, though, is really, really simple, and it actually works. Everything is web-based, wizard driven, and painless. In fact, the default installation regularly checks for both core and module upgrades, and offers to do it for you.

2) Extending functionality. PBIAF has a rapidly growing set of modules that are simple to install, and add nice functionality to the base system. Wait, you say -- so does trixbox! Well, yes, it does, but when it comes to installing and upgrading these modules, PBIAF is the hands down winner.

For these two reasons alone, it's worth the upgrade. 

Highly recommended.