[bestbits] Best Bits communications and collaboration tools for beta testing

[Jeremy Malcolm]

A number of new communications and collaboration tools, based on free and open source software, have been made available on the Best Bits server for your use.  I would like your help in testing these, to ensure that they are working for everyone and can stand up to the load of real-world use.

The communications tools installed on our server are:

XMPP server.  This can be used for secure voice chat (and, with the right software, for voice and video chat as well), in place of proprietary alternatives such as Skype.  To get started download the XMPP software of your choice such as Jitsi (http://jitsi.org), and contact me for an XMPP account such as yourname at bestbits.net.
Mumble server.  I have mentioned this before.  It is a voice chat application which works particularly well with low bandwidth, and is also an alternative to Skype.  Communications are encrypted between you and the server.  Download it from http://mumble.sourceforge.net/ and then connect to the server "bestbits.net" (further instructions are on our wiki at http://bestbits.net/wiki/main/secure-communication-tools/).
Jitmeet.  This is basically a web-based video chat, which works with the Chrome browser.  Under the hood, it uses XMPP, though unlike the other options given above, it is installation-free.  Find it at http://jitmeet.bestbits.net.  It is a replacement for other web-based video chats such as Google Hangout and Uberconference.  Like other video chats, it does not work well on low-bandwidth connections.

We also have these tools available on our server for collaboration on texts:

Etherpad (online collaborative notepad) at http://pad.bestbit.net.  I'm sure you have all used this before.  From now on, the Best Bits server can also be used to host pads.  This is a simple alternative to proprietary products such as Google Docs.
Ethercalc (online collaborative spreadsheet) at http://calc.bestbits.net.  Less well-known than Etherpad, but the concept is similar.  It is a simpler alternative to proprietary products such as Google Calc.

Please feel free to make use of the above and please provide me with your feedback on any problems you may encounter.

--
Jeremy Malcolm PhD LLB (Hons) B Com
Internet lawyer, ICT policy advocate, geek
host -t NAPTR 5.9.8.5.2.8.2.2.1.0.6.e164.org|awk -F! '{print $3}'

WARNING: This email has not been encrypted. You are strongly recommended to enable encryption at your end. For instructions, see http://jere.my/l/pgp.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/bestbits/attachments/20140414/831132d7/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 204 bytes
Desc: Message signed with OpenPGP using GPGMail
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/bestbits/attachments/20140414/831132d7/attachment.sig>