Linux-based answering machine

[petergriffin]

Check on this site:
All About Linux-powered Devices - Linux for Devices

It's dedicated to Soc's (systems on a chip) that run Linux.

You can also give a look at the Linutop:
Small PC - Digital Signage - Fanless PC - Internet Kiosk - LINUTOP

[portseven]

some sort of small form factor linux box running asterisk?

trick will be getting small form factor that can plug into standard phoneline, as you usually need some form of PCI card ford that, unless you go VoIP

[bobspud]

Hi,
take a look at asterisk. for the software. Asterisk- The Open Source Telephony Projects | Asterisk and yes a mac or slim pc case would do the do the trick.

regards,

[JohnAbroad]

Candidate hardware might be an early G4 Mac Mini. Debain is popular on them. They had inbuilt modem & fax, very low power consumption. I still run one as a media server under MacOs and VLC. Very Low power consumption.

[OwlHoot]

I'm interested in setting up a compact linux box, with the phone line and a phone both plugged in, with a view to personalised messages, maybe recording certain calls, but above all for the flexibility to be able to mute the thing at night or when I'm having a nap.

(To my knowledge, no commercially available answerphone in the UK has an easy to use mute button, whereby messages can be left without the phone ringing or the message being audible as it is spoken. I vaguely recall this is a hangover from the cold war, when it was anticipated the phones would be used to broadcast emergency messages. So BT will not approve any phone with a mute button.)

So I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a compact (hopefully book-sized) linux box, with provision for the phone sockets (maybe an add-on board), and relevant software, perhaps something like this guy was using back in 2004.

If anyone has actually done this, that would be brilliant. Perhaps you could post a "shopping list" of what I need.

TIA