The first book has been available for a while and it may be convenient for those of you outside the US because there is a downloadable version.
[url]http://www.signate.com[/url]
The newer one will be out tomorrow.
[url]http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/asterisk/[/url]
I preordered my copy.
-RFH
Interesting. But i can’t see that the signate book is worth US$50 for downloading though. As it says in the book, most of the information is taken from the voip-info wiki - although “there is still a lot left for you to find”(!)
I think it would be more sensible to just use the voip-info wiki to find the information - it’s kept up to date there, apart from anything else. A printed version of the book is possibly a different matter - it would, at least, have some advantages over the online wiki.
I’m afraid, though, that neither the quality of the writing nor the standard of the proofreading appear to be very professional. Take, for example, the following sentence from Chapter 6, Asterisk Configuration :
The Asterisk community done a trememdous service to the community in creating this resource.
And this is in a sample chapter!
Also, in Chapter 9, IAX Configuration:
Asterisk servers or Asterisk devices like IAX telephones can connect to remote Asterisk servers with Inter Asterisk Exchange (IAX.)
It’s a very sloppy writing style - and why is an IAX phone an “Asterisk device”? Also, i think IAX should be defined as “Inter Asterisk Exchange protocol” - it doesn’t make any sense otherwise.
I can only hope the O’Reilly book is better. However, i think it may be a little early on in the development of asterisk for the first edition of this book to be really worth buying.
Will:
I wouldn’t buy the paper version of the first book: it has too many errors and it is not a product that is ready. The downloadable version will offer upgrades (I hope!). The author for instance says that “codec” means “compressor-decompressor” when anyone knows that it means “coder-decoder”. I bought it simply because it was the only publication available and is is nicely organized in chapters. At the time I would have bought anything available, because I was so information-hungry and so eager to have my Asterisk doing something for real. Now that I have my 2 SIP extensions, I can take it easy learning more complex stuff.
I am sure the O’Reilly book will be of a much higher quality, since they are such a big/specialized organization (compared to Signate), with lots of proofreaders, editors and what not. The sample Chapter 5 is pretty good.
-Ramon
Yeah, you’re right. It does like good. I can’t decide whether there’s enough in it that’s likely to be of interest to me, and that i don’t already know, to make it worth buying.
Also, i can’t help feeling that this edition is about v1.0.7 - which is already out of date. 1.2.0 seems to have a lot in it that wasn’t in the last CVS version of 1.0 that i had running. And of course a lot more will be added over the coming months. But i may be wrong about that - the book may be just as relevant for 1.2 as for 1.0.
Of course, having a resource like the voip-info wiki available does dramatically reduce the attraction of a static old book! 
Yes, i was wrong! Looking at the sample chapter, i see there is information about v1.2.
Hi Will:
If you send me an e-mail to ramon at jonjay dot com
I will forward you something of interest.
-Ramon
The kind of book that I need and it won’t be available until Sept 28 
i got the yellow one
I am getting a copy sooner.
http://www.pbxinfo.com/index.php?module=Pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=4&pid=562
You can download chapter 2. I think this book is going to be really good. If all thier chapters are as easy to read and understand as that one. Asterisk will be good to go!
Just order one today. 
[quote=“rixride00”]I am getting a copy sooner.
http://www.pbxinfo.com/index.php?module=Pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=4&pid=562
You can download chapter 2. I think this book is going to be really good. If all thier chapters are as easy to read and understand as that one. Asterisk will be good to go![/quote]
Unless I’m mistaken, you’re talking about a different book entirely…and NOT getting it sooner.
[quote=“rixride00”]I am getting a copy sooner.
http://www.pbxinfo.com/index.php?module=Pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=4&pid=562
You can download chapter 2. I think this book is going to be really good. If all thier chapters are as easy to read and understand as that one. Asterisk will be good to go![/quote]
Yeah, how are getting a copy sooner than Sept. 28. I mean we would like to get a copy sooner too you know.
The OP discusses 2 books…the new O’Reilly one due out later in Sept., and the “original” one (yellow). The book that rixride00 refers to is NOT the O’Reilly new one coming out.
[quote=“Darryl”][quote=“rixride00”]I am getting a copy sooner.
http://www.pbxinfo.com/index.php?module=Pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=4&pid=562
You can download chapter 2. I think this book is going to be really good. If all thier chapters are as easy to read and understand as that one. Asterisk will be good to go![/quote]
Unless I’m mistaken, you’re talking about a different book entirely…and NOT getting it sooner.[/quote]
Your quite right, I just re-read your original post. Sorry thought you were talking about another book.
It almost makes no sense to buy a book now.
Version 1.2 will be out shortly, and they’ll all be obsolete.
[quote=“dufus”]It almost makes no sense to buy a book now.
Version 1.2 will be out shortly, and they’ll all be obsolete.[/quote]
If you look a bit further up the thread, you’ll find i’ve mentioned that the O’Reilly book does actually cover v1.2.
Guest what? My boss order the book 2 days ago and we just got it and I though it was not going to be available until the 28th.
[quote=“dufus”]It almost makes no sense to buy a book now.
Version 1.2 will be out shortly, and they’ll all be obsolete.[/quote]
From my O’Reilly Asterisk book which just arrived:
“This book is focused on documenting Asterisk Version 1.2, however many of the conventions ad information in this book are version-agnostic.”
-RFH
Sep28??
Amazon is shipping it within 24 hours last i knew… I walked into border’s in phoenix, AZ today and bought it right off the shelf, 18$ off introductory discount at that. And it DOES cover 1.2 features, extensively.
I ordered the book (early last week) through a local bookstore…he typically charges me 20% off the list price on any and/or all books I order…haven’t heard from him yet though 