In order to save a friend's answering service (small business), I wrote an answering service software package with PHP, using Comet (the precursor to websocket)

In order to save a friend's answering service (small business), I wrote an answering service software package with PHP, using Comet (the precursor to websocket) using Asterisk as the PBX in 72 hours. Their previous system had been running since 1986, which utilized a 386 SCO server and some sort of external caller id / DID identification box that integrated with it. That caller id box died and a replacement couldn't be found, which pretty much rendered the system useless.