Since it seems that there is no heir apparent for the position of "OBi digimap guru", it might be more relevant than ever to automate this task. I would conservatively guess that well over 70% of the discussions on this forum are related to this topic. A quick look at the thread "Dial plan explanation" (
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=34.0 ) reveals nearly 30,000 views as of today 2012.06.07. There are countless other threads covering this similar topic. By now, those following this forum long enough have seen a pattern of repetition. Many of the same questions are asked over and over. As a new user, it is only normal to ask a "newbie" type question. That is why the same questions get asked. It seems that even the FAQ is not enough to handle these queries. Human nature as it is, people will always take the easiest path when trying to resolve configuration issues.
The OBi seems to be a BYOD type product that targets consumers who might consider products from Grandstream, Cisco, and others. It may be a stretch to think that it directly competes with mass consumer products like NetTalk, Ooma and Magic Jack. These latter products are intended for ease of use for non tehnical people or those that couldn't be bothered. Never the less, the OBi has the ability/potential to become a hybrid product bridging the BYOD and mass consumer markets.
A "dial plan configurator", in any form, is surely the tool to simplify things for the user. A happy user is a happy customer. I think it is obvious that a happy customer is the engine which stimulates future sales. Win/Win for everyone.
Anyone have any thoughts on this? Do you think it is possible to automate this? After all if we can automate the configuration of an Asterisk PBX with FreePBX, the OBi portal is just another web app which can perform similar duties.
