Very Basic Question

I browsed around the site for a good 20 minutes but could not tell whether asterisk is an application platform that I can build various voice apps on top of. Say I wanted to build an app that when I click a link on my website, it sends a message to the * box, * then dials your cell phone (preregistered on your pc) and calls the number displayed on the link and puts them together. So this is an example. Can I do stuff like this? If so is there a language manual?

Thanks,
Phillip Mobin

Yes, Asterisk is. Here is a good book to get you started:

Asterisk - The Future of Telephony

Yes, this is possible using the Asterisk Manager API:

voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk+manager+API

There is a PHP Class Library that may help you as well:

phpagi.sourceforge.net