Why VoIP Hacks?

The term hacker has a bad reputation in the press. They use it to refer to someone who breaks into systems or wreaks havoc with computers as their weapon. Among people who write code, though, the term hack refers to a "quick-and-dirty" solution to a problem, or a clever way to get something done. And the term hacker is taken very much as a compliment, referring to someone as being creative, having the technical chops to get things done. The Hacks series is an attempt to reclaim the word, document the good ways people are hacking, and pass the hacker ethic of creative participation on to the uninitiated. Seeing how others approach systems and problems is often the quickest way to learn about a new technology.

Since it is based in software, VoIP is overflowing with hack potential. If you love to tinker and optimize, this technology offers a cornucopia of exciting things to tweak and customize. As in the heyday of the World Wide Web, fortunes will be made in the nascent VoIP industry, and lots of fun will be had by voice hackers like you and me.