I intend to write and package a free computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) application for Linux; there appears to be no free CATI software in the universe, and what CATI software there is is extremely overpriced (per-seat licensing), runs on certain operating systems that aren't free produced by Microsoft, and has really crappy support. [The disgusting part is that writing a CATI application appears extremely trivial... you can do 90% of what you need with dialog or whiptail.]
I intend to base it around the newt 0.50 (new upstream version not yet in Debian) slang-based windowing toolkit and the Python scripting language. I suspect I'll use Python's database interface as well (which supports multiple database backends). I plan on including support for "smart modem dialling" (the modem handles busy signals and no answers for the interviewer) and "voice" modems with builtin speakerphone capabilities (for use with off-the-shelf headsets). For the unfamiliar, CATI programs are used to to conduct surveys over the telephone (although they can also be used in other contexts). Think of an "installation wizard" with a modem dialer and database backend, and you've got the idea. The concept here is basically to make it possible to turn mothballed 486es (or eMachines ;-) into interviewing stations running Linux for the cost of a network card, a good USR modem and a noise-cancelling headset (i.e. well under $200). The software will be GPLed. Chris -- ============================================================================= | Chris Lawrence | Get your Debian 2.1 CD-ROMs | | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | http://www.lordsutch.com/ | | | | | Political Scientist Wanna-be | Your site belongs here. | | University of Mississippi | [Commercialize your sig today!] | =============================================================================
