LiewCF.com: “6 Popular VOIP Software for Linux that You Might Not Know” plus 1 more

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 08:26 AM PST

This is a guest post by Mr. Zach Ripples. If you would like to contribute too, please contact me.

Since its arrival in the market, VoIP has undergone a lot of developments. Now it is being used in many large corporations as the only calling service. Here I would like to discuss the most popular VoIP apps for Linux.

Ekiga

ekiga voip software

It was previously known as Gnome Meeting. It can be downloaded free. We can enjoy videoconferencing and VoIP calls through Ekiga. All H.323 compatible hardware and software can be used with Ekiga. We can use it with UNIX also. To use Ekiga, we should have SIP account. Meanwhile, to make PC to phone calls, you should have account with any VoIP service provider. Although Ekiga people recommend Diamond card Worldwide Communication Service but there are many other VoIP service providers like Vonage, Axvoice, Broadvoice etc.

Gizmo5

gizmo5 voip software

It was earlier known as Gizmo Project. This is free software for pc to pc calls. Like other applications, it also has features like call recording, missed calls, messenger style text messages etc. It can be used for computer to phone calls too.

(Editor note: Gizmo5 has been acquired by Google on November 12, 2009)

Skype for Linux

skype linux voip software

The most commonly used VoIP application is Skype. It has approximately 500 million users across the globe. The reason behind its popularity is that it is built on the basis of another VoIP service and users do not have to deal with the complicated SIP settings. Although, Linux version of the product is not as comprehensive as that of windows but still it is useful for the people who want to use it on Linux. However, there are many who fail to detect camera with Skype.

Empathy

empathy voip software

This software is like an universal client for various instant messengers or chat software. Nearly all the chat software features are included in this software. This software is included in Gnome in its 2.24 version.

Twinkle

twinkle voip software
Twinkle is the most popular Linux based SIP software. It supports Linux only and it is an open source SIP client. We can use two lines simultaneously in Twinkle. It offers 3 way conference calling facility. It has in band as well as out of band DTMF. STUN support for NAT traversal is also available. It is available as a Firefox extension also.

KPhone

kphone voip software

This SIP user agent is also used for Linux. It supports IPv4 and IPv6. Kphone supports NAT-traversal STUN. It offers SRTP encryption for voice.

Check with your VoIP provider

The point to remember is that only software is not enough if you want to make VoIP calls. You have to subscribe with some VoIP provider also. There are several VoIP providers like Vonage, Axvoice and Skype etc. Some VoIP providers recommend particular software for their service. Before you install the software, you should ask your service provider if any particular application is required for their application.

Guest post: This article is written by Mr. Zach Ripples. Blogging is his passion and he has been doing this since he was an O level student. His favorite topic is VoIP technology. Currently He is working for Axvoice – Internet Phone Service Provider in USA and Canada.

[image courtesy of Florian Seroussi]

Malaysian Bloggers Earn Up to $1 Million MYR Annually?

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 01:37 AM PST

Fellow Malaysian bloggers are earning up to RM1 million annually and their revenue are taxable income.

The first news in this morning that caught my eyes is about “Malaysian bloggers earn up $1 million Ringgit (~USD$32,700) annually”.

“Wow! Who is that?”

According to the daily [Berita Harian], bloggers, who post their personal accounts are now exploiting their blogs for business transactions or advertisement placements, earning an average monthly income of RM70,000.
The daily highlighted blogger Mira Abu Bakar, whose highest monthly income revenue through advertising revenue was RM12,000 in 2008.
Mira, who has been operating her blog Redmummy.com since 2005, earns an average monthly revenue of RM2,000.
She admitted that she had to declare her side income with the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) as she was unaware about it until she received an audit.
An IRB spokesman said online businesses including via Facebook were bound by the Income Tax Act 1967 and their income were taxable just like fixed income.

[via TheStar Online]

Apparently, Mira is NOT the millionaire blogger. The RM1 million revenue is for fellow Malaysian bloggerS. No idea what are their source, anyway.

My two cents

Mira who made RM12000 in a month is now earn an average RM2000 each month. That’s a huge income drop! By the way, I am not surprised that a Malaysian blogger can earn over RM10,000 per month.

The total earning of Malaysian bloggers should be more than 1 million annually, I think.

One thing worth to highlight in the news is that Inland Revenue Board (IRB) Malaysia offciially announced (also on facebook) that all online income are taxable and need to be declared, which I told fellow Malaysians in 2009.

P.S. I would not tell how much revenue I made from full-time blogging.

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