Jami (software)
Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) is a SIP-compatible distributed peer-to-peer softphone and SIP-based instant messenger for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android. Developed and maintained by the Canadian company Savoir-faire Linux,[9][10] and with the help of a global community of users and contributors, Jami positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement.[11]
Original author(s) | Savoir-faire Linux Inc. |
---|---|
Stable release | |
Preview release | |
Repository | git |
Written in | C / C++ |
Operating system | Android, FreeBSD, iOS, iPhone, Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X[8] |
Platform | x86, x86-64, 32- and 64-bit ARM, powerpc, sparc, |
Available in | English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese |
Type | VoIP, telephony, softphone, SIP |
License | GNU General Public License 3 |
Website | jami |
Jami is free and open-source software released under the GNU General Public License. In November 2016, it became part of the GNU Project.[12]
Two account types are currently available, and many of each type can be configured concurrently. Both types offer similar features including messaging, video and audio. The account types are SIP and Ring. A SIP account enables the Jami softphone to connect to a standard SIP server and a Ring account can register (or use an account set up) on the decentralised Jami network which requires no central server. However, Jami still has to use bootstrap server to connect making it not a truly internet free communication platform as its claim.
By adopting distributed hash table technology (as used, for instance, within the BitTorrent network), Jami creates its own network over which it can distribute directory functions, authentication and encryption across all systems connected to it.[13]
Packages are available for all major Linux distributions including Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu.[14] Separate GNOME and KDE versions are available.[15] Documentation is available on Ring's Tuleap wiki.[16]
History
Jami was initially known as SFLphone, and was one of the few softphones under Linux to support PulseAudio out of the box. The Ubuntu documentation recommended it for enterprise use because of features like conferencing and attended call transfer.[17] In 2009, CIO magazine listed SFLphone among the top five open-source VoIP softphones to watch.[18]
In November 2016, SFLphone was renamed GNU Ring as it became officially part of the GNU Project.[12][19][20] It retained SIP support while adding a new communication platform that does not require a centralized server to establish communication.
On 18 December 2018, Ring was renamed to Jami[21], a GNU package, also known as GNU Jami within the GNU Project.[22]
Design
Jami is based on a MVC model, with a daemon (the model) and client (the view) communicating. The daemon handles all the processing including communication layer (SIP/IAX), audio capture and playback, and so on. The client is a graphical user interface. D-Bus can act as the controller enabling communication between the client and the daemon.
Features
- SIP-compatible with OpenDHT support[15][23]
- Unlimited number of calls
- Instant messaging
- Searchable call history
- Call recording[15]
- Attended call transfer
- Automatic call answering
- Call holding
- Audio and video calls with multi-party audio[15] and video conferencing[24][25]
- Multi-channel audio support (experimental)
- Streaming of video and audio files during a call
- TLS and SRTP support
- Multiple[15] audio codecs supported: G711u, G711a, GSM, Speex (8, 16, 32 kHz), Opus, G.722 (silence detection supported with Speex)
- Multiple SIP accounts support, with per-account STUN support and SIP presence subscription
- DTMF support
- Automatic Gain Control
- Account assistant wizard
- Global keyboard shortcuts
- Flac and Vorbis ringtone support[24]
- Desktop notification: voicemail number, incoming call, information messages
- SIP Re-invite
- Address book integration in GNOME and KDE
- PulseAudio support
- Jack Audio Connection Kit support
- Locale settings: French, English, Russian, German, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese
- Automatic opening of incoming URL
- End-to-end encryption used for chat, video and voice[26]
- Decentralised (but need internet connection over ISP)
See also
- List of SIP software
- List of free and open-source software packages
- Comparison of instant messaging clients
- Comparison of VoIP software
- Tox (protocol)
References
- "Jami". App Store. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
- "Jami - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Index of /windows". dl.ring.cx. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
- "Jami". Mac App Store. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
- Savoir-faire Linux Inc. (30 November 2018). "Commits · master · savoirfairelinux _ ring-client-android · GitLab". git.ring.cx. Savoir-faire Linux Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- Savoir-faire Linux Inc. (23 November 2018). "Commits · master · savoirfairelinux _ ring-project · GitLab". git.ring.cx. Savoir-faire Linux Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- Savoir-faire Linux Inc. (21 November 2018). "Commits · master · savoirfairelinux _ ring-client-ios · GitLab". git.ring.cx. Savoir-faire Linux Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- "News". Ring. 2018-07-25. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
- Free Software Foundation
- "Ring's Tuleap Server". Archived from the original on 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- Robertson, Donald. "The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews Guillaume Roguez, Ring Project Director". Free Software Foundation. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- GNU Ring beta 2 release announcement
- Say Hello to Ring (Savoir-faire Linux)
- "Ring Download". Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- Sanders, James. "Privacy-focused Skype alternative Ring shows promise - TechRepublic". TechRepublic. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- "Ring's Tuleap wiki". Archived from the original on 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- Official Ubuntu documentation
- "5 open source VoIP softphones to watch". CIO. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- https://www.gnu.org/manual/blurbs.html
- https://linuxreviews.org/Jami
- "Ring is now Jami". ring.cx. SFLPhone. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- "Jami". Free Software Directory. FSF. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- OpenDHT project on Github
- Huber, Mathias. "Software-Telefon SFLphone KDE 1.3.0 veröffentlicht » Linux-Magazin". Linux-Magazin. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- "All features by client · Wiki jami-project". Jami GitLab. savoirfairelinux.
- "Protocol".
Once an encrypted and authenticated peer-to-peer communication channel is available, the SIP protocol must be used to place a call and send messages.