I’ve recently read the new FreeSWITCH Book from Packt Publishing. I’ve ordered a few books from them in the past (FreeSWITCH 1.06, FreeSWITCH Cookbook, OpenSER, etc) and generally find them to be a great source for open source software.

Before I begin… You know how in my FTC Disclosure I say…

If I get something for free and I write about it, I guarantee it will not influence my opinion. I’ll write my true opinion.

…well, I did receive this book for free from the publisher. A discussion was started on the LinkedIn FreeSWITCH group where the publisher stated that they had 8 copies of the book for free and that all they would appreciate in return was a review.

Well, since I was going to buy the book anyway, I said… OK. I would love one…. and here we are. =)

Now with that out of the way, on with the review of FreeSWITCH 1.2!

This is a well written book. The main author, Anthony Minessale, is one of the main contributors/founders of the FreeSWITCH software; making this an incredibly valuable resource. Michael S Collins, Darren Schreiber (both from the FreeSWITCH Cookbook), and Raymond Chandler also helped author the book. I’ve talked with Darren a few times– great guy (although the Cookbook is not my favorite resource).

I’ll write my true opinion.

This book is an excellent resource for both expert users and those just starting out with FreeSWITCH. Here’s why: The book explains and provides examples.

I’ve always believed that explaining WHY you do something is more important that showing HOW to do something. This book does both.

Now, I did say “starting out with FreeSWITCH” and not starting out with computers/VoIP. This is a very powerful product and a good basic knowledge of linux (unless you’re planning on trying this with windows (please use linux instead) and networking is important).

There’s a fantastic chapter on NAT that should be required reading for anyone working with VoIP.

I’ve been working with VoIP for over 10 years now. I’ve been with Asterisk since version 1.2 and started experimenting with FreeSWITCH when it was first introduced.

I’m a big fan of FreeSWITCH and this book is an EXCELLENT resource. I highly recommend purchasing a copy.

That being said… FreeSWITCH is open source software — costs you nothing. The developers of FreeSWITCH, such as Anthony Minessale, Michael Jerris, and Brian West are amazing contributors to the entire VoIP community. They help countless people with problems, offer advice, and donate their time with troubleshooting and assistance.

Please buy the book. I guarantee you’ll get your money’s worth. Also, once you’ve fallen in love with FreeSWITCH, please donate/contribute to the project.

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