Communications

If you are looking for Open-Source based communications Asterisk can turn an ordinary computer into a communications server.

Asterisk powers IP PBX systems, VoIP gateways, conference servers and more. It is used by small businesses, large businesses, call centres, carriers and governments worldwide. Asterisk is free and Open-Source.

BigBlueButton is an active Open-Source conferencing project that focuses on usability, modularity, and clean design - both for the user and the developer. There are three user roles in BigBlueButton: viewer, presenter, and moderator

Viewer: are users who have no authority within the conference; their primary role is to view the presentation as well as chat amongst other participants. In a course the viewer would be the students.

Presenter: has all the same capabilities as a participant, with the added features of uploading presentations and sharing their desktop

Moderator: has all the capabilities as a participant, with the added features of uploading presentations and sharing their desktop.

Mahara is an Open-Source e-portfolio system with a flexible display framework. Mahara, is a user centred environment with a permissions framework that enables different views of an e-portfolio to be easily managed. Mahara also features a weblog, resume builder and social networking system, connecting users and creating online learner communities.