OStatic

Internet telephony startup Ribbit announced today that one of its long-standing proof of concept projects is now available: an integration with Salesforce.com's on-demand customer relationship management applications. Ribbit-handled voice messages can now be integrated with Salesforce in various ways, including having them converted to text, and much more. While there is proof of concept behind this integration for Ribbit and its commercial efforts, there is also proof of concept here for open source developers who have their eyes on the growing synergies between online telephony and open source.

Can open source technology bring cost savings and performance advantages even down at the core network infrastructure levels where players such as Cisco dwell?

Vyatta, which offers both software and hardware aimed at the space, is pushing forward with the concept that it can. On the heels of its recent announcement of an open source router aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses--where Vyatta's router costs thousands less than comparable offerings from Cisco--the company has a new version 4 release of its Vyatta Community Edition network operating system. Previous editions have been downloaded 150,000 times by organizations in aerospace and defense, education, financial services, and government.