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Firefox VoIP

by Luca Filigheddu on June 6, 2006

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UPDATE: Now it works with any VoIP service

Firefox VoIP Extension Now Open to any VOIP service

 

IMPORTANT UPDATE – 2006 – 09 – 08
It now works under Mac and Linux too.

MacOSX
Firefox / Flock: http://labs.abbeyphone.com/firefox/abbeyphone-ff_mac.xpi
Thunderbird: http://labs.abbeyphone.com/thunderbird/abbeyphone-tb_mac.xpi

Linux
Firefox / Flock: http://labs.abbeyphone.com/firefox/abbeyphone-ff_linux.xpi
Thunderbird: http://labs.abbeyphone.com/thunderbird/abbeyphone-tb_linux.xpi

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Firefox has now his VoIP client. Abbeynet Labs released today the first version of a Firefox VoIP extension, that means that you can now have a full featured SIP user agent directly into Firefox. This is a very useful tool to enhance the VOW experience. It is still not an official product from Abbeynet, but you can try it out anyway.

  • You don’t need any other desktop software, all VoIP functionality is built in the extension.
    One-click call feature to dial a number straight from the web page you are browsing.
    SMS sending
    Just sign up for a valid account at abbeyphone provider.
    Internet calls are FREE. PSTN call rates can be found on Abbeyphone’s web site.

After the installation and restarting Firefox, you will find the extension on the lower right side of the Firefox’s status bar. Anyway, you can change the position if needed (you can place it on the Menù Bar or Navigation Bar).You can see your SIP number, your credit, a edit box where you can insert the number you want to call then three buttons (make call, stop call and menù).

As default behaviour, the Firefox VoIP extension is absolutely autonomous, so you don’t need to install any other piece of software to make phone calls.

On the other hand, you can choose to change the default behaviour, forcing the extension to “drive” the web based Abbeyphone VOW client, that will be loaded on the Firefox’s Sidebar. For now, this latter option won’t work, because you need a Firefox Plugin which Abbeynet is going to release in the following days, to use the Abbeyphone VoIP activeX control under Firefox.
So, stay tuned if you like this feature.

Moreover, you can use the Firefox VoIP Extension to “drive” the Abbeyphone Deskbar, if you have previously installed it. I’ll post a complete review of this SIP client in the following days.

In addition, the Firefox VoIP extension can handle the rendering of any web page, so that any phone number showed on it becomes “clickable” and you can call it directly from inside Firefox.

You can find an example down here, where a phone number in an web based email is automatically highlighed and, when I pass over the number with the mouse pointer, I get a tooltip from which I can click and call directly.

Download the Firefox VoIP extension from here.Comments are well appreciated, so please drop me a line.

UPDATE:Now it works with Flock also.

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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }

1 wom June 7, 2006 at 3:03 am

This is awesome. Aside from its main function, I love the integration aspect of it. That Gmail screenshot says it all. Now all I need to be released is the AllPeers p2p extension.

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2 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 9:11 pm

It appears to be Windows only, so major uselessness there.

Is it a standalone SIP client, or does it only work with ‘Abbey’ services? The article tends to suggest the latter, and if so, then ho-hum.

Come back with something that isnt OS-dependent, and will work with any SIP service, then you’ve got something.

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3 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 9:17 pm

Windows only, non free, and seems not to be compliant with SIP in general. More simply: it sucks.

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4 TechieUser June 21, 2006 at 9:30 pm

windows only.. sorry, you have to remember most of us are on linux and bsd. Tell us when you have a decent port.

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5 Luca Filigheddu June 21, 2006 at 9:33 pm

Well,
this version is OBVIOUSLY linked to Abbeyphone service. But the branded versions can be open. Moreover, the Mac version is coming out in the following weeks. So, be patien :-)

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6 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 9:38 pm

Ron Turgon will probably like to keep this in mind?

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7 Luke Stodola June 21, 2006 at 9:40 pm

Wengo has an opem-source, cross-platform VoIP client, including firefox plugin. openwengo.org

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8 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 9:42 pm

Ignore the anonym trolls, if they want it on linux they can make it themselvs

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9 Snis June 21, 2006 at 10:10 pm

What’s all the fuzz about?!! Have a look at OpenWengo at http://openwengo.org/ The same features but works on MacOS X, Windows and Linux. A Firefox Extension is also available. The NG (Next generation) release even has support for other IM protocols, such as MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and AIM.

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10 Guido June 21, 2006 at 10:12 pm

My firefox plugin worked great. I especially loved the message that came up that told me I had to run IE to use it! HOORAY!

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11 The AMAZING GUIDO June 21, 2006 at 10:25 pm

I award you the crappiest Firefox Extension Award of the year. I hope you create many more just like this one, ones that are O.S. dependant and warn about I.E. errors. HOORAY FOR YOU!!!

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12 MAMA MOOCHI June 21, 2006 at 10:27 pm

Guido!!!! YOUR SO AMAZING I LOVE YOU HOLY CRAP!

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13 Eric June 21, 2006 at 10:29 pm

Yeah, nothing like coming to someone’s site, and cowardly bashing something cool just because they can’t use it. Perhaps they throw rocks at birds because they can’t fly.

I think it’s cool plug in. Since Windows (however much you may not like it) is the prevalent OS, if anyone is going to use it, might as well go for the numbers.

Linux snobs.
http://www.reallylinux.com/docs/snobsoped.shtml

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14 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 10:30 pm

Guido, MAMA MOOCHI – You are GAY!

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15 The AMAZING GUIDO June 21, 2006 at 10:44 pm

Hey Eric, just to tell you, birds can fly. So you need really large rocks to hit them or many small ones and hope you get lucky. I LOVE YOU MAMA MOOCHIE!!

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16 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 10:50 pm

I happen to be a very, very high ranking technical magus and see this as the natural course of convergence….this level of integration of web/voip inteface makes sense and is not forced.

And to the users who would chastise another for using windows, for those who complain of the lack of a linux port of this feature, woe to you! Woe to you I say!

Build it yourself you fools, if you like…

I myself share a certain level of contempt for windows, but that is natural considering I have been forced to use it it interface with the windows only folk…windows users do not know any better, they are like children or small dogs…that is all…

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17 The AMAZING GUIDO June 21, 2006 at 11:07 pm

Our concern by the way was not for the point of running only on windows, but more after that this is a firefox extension that opens a web application that can only be run on Internet Explorer. Therefore, this extension really serves no purpose.

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18 Luca Filigheddu June 21, 2006 at 11:17 pm

Guido, if you read CAREFULLY my post, you can read this paragraph:

“As default behaviour, the Firefox VoIP extension is absolutely autonomous, so you don’t need to install any other piece of software to make phone calls. On the other hand, you can choose to change the default behaviour, forcing the extension to “drive” the web based Abbeyphone VOW client, that will be loaded on the Firefox’s Sidebar. For now, this latter option won’t work, because you need a Firefox Plugin which Abbeynet is going to release in the following days, to use the Abbeyphone VoIP activeX control under Firefox. So, stay tuned if you like this feature.”

So, you will understand that the option you mentioned is not working because it is an alfa version and, moreover, I cleraly underlined this point.

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19 Anonymous June 21, 2006 at 11:28 pm

As other have said already, if it’s Windows only, it is useless for me.


Oskar

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20 Anonymous June 22, 2006 at 2:56 am

If it dosent work in Linux I cant use it

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21 Anonymous June 22, 2006 at 4:06 am

Very Good news, but does it work under Linux? I use Tomahawk Desktop, probably the best Linux OS for VoIP. Is there a plan to port to Linux?

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22 Anonymous June 22, 2006 at 5:54 am

As a POC this is pretty sweet. I’ve been pining for such an extension. I haven’t tried it yet, but I can say that SIP server and OS independence would put this extension at the top of the DL charts.

Remember kids, Rome wasn’t built in a day, nobody really cares if you know how to install Fedora.

sed s#whiner posts#more code#

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23 Anonymous June 22, 2006 at 10:27 am

I will try it when I can run it on Linux.

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24 Shrikant Joshi June 22, 2006 at 10:32 am

Any body here heard of Zoep (pronounced “Soup”)

I don’t work for them, but I could not let the comment stand that this is the *first* VoIP extension for FF.

I beg to differ. Zoep is the first VoIP extn for FF. And its been here for quite a while. Plus it’s open source…

Regards,
Shri.

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25 Luca Filigheddu June 22, 2006 at 11:18 am

Hi Guys, thank you for all your comments.
Quick answers:
1) it will be multiplatform in the following weeks, at least it will be released for Mac, then for Linux

2) now, as a “alfa” release, it works just with Abbeyphone SIP server on purpose. Maybe, in the future, it will be open.

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26 Anonymous June 22, 2006 at 6:28 pm

I love it! People complaining that it doesn’t run Linux, so it must suck. And even better, the blogger being criticized because “most of us are on linux and bsd”. What a bunch of snot-nosed brats. If you want a Linux version, go write it yourself. Oh, that’s right, you have no skills. You all sound like someone who grew up in an affluent family, and as an adult, still expect people to take care of you.

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27 Jean-Denis Girard June 22, 2006 at 6:57 pm

MozIAX (moziax.mozdev.org) is another Firefox VoIP client. It runs under Windows and Linux (could easily be ported to OSX), is Open Source, and uses Asterisk’s IAX2 protocol. It’s been publicly available for more than a year…

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28 Gerard Braad June 23, 2006 at 12:26 am

Welcome for posting the first official SECOND Firefox extension for VoIP… if not, the THIRD! Besides Zoep, we also have Wengo!!!

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29 Anonymous June 23, 2006 at 10:56 am

Why not work with Linux?

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30 Luca Filigheddu July 15, 2006 at 10:25 am

Guys, Firefox VoIP extension for Linux and Mac is under testing, so please wait some weeks more. I’ll drop a line to everyone of you who is interested.

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31 Anonymous July 24, 2006 at 9:31 am

All info useful. Moralizing and demonizing dismissed. Downloaded OpenWengo. Thanks.

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32 Bisnishandal.com September 11, 2007 at 4:51 am

good news.
still cannt run under linux?
http://www.bisnishandal.com/

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33 mark September 21, 2007 at 9:06 pm

I’m wondering why it doesn’t work with linux too? :(

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34 Luca Filigheddu September 24, 2007 at 10:24 am

Mark, you can use under linux too. Take a look at the beginning of this post, there is an update.

Reply

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