[asterisk-users] Why does everyone seem to dislike *now?

Greetings,

Last week I began researching Asterisk for the first time. I did what most noobs would do; downloaded an image that seemed simple and straightforward and had some credibility (*now).  I also downloaded the TFOT version 1 as a guide.

As questions arose, I tossed a few out in #asterisckNOW channel..and found it to be a ghost town.  Only later did i start to ask a few quesions in #asterisk...my biggest mistake was mentioning *now and I was quickly marked as the GUI idiot.  Not entirely untrue at this point but not helpful for someone who is getting started.

Here are my first impressions:

• The Devs have spent a LOT of time on *now and seem to be doing a fantastic job.
• *now is not just a GUI...it's a complete base/reference system - I like that the MOST.
• *now is a great starting point for someone new (Me).
• *now needs documentation!  I know it's in beta, but having links to a down site, is not cool. (Sign me up for help if needed).
• *now could be more geared for use as a universal tool.  The default contexts and files were quickly replaced with more standard configs.
• *now could be very helpful in tracking issues with links to "Report a problem" or search the WIKI from the app.
  

I understand the tendency to love the CLI, but I honestly think there a place for a GUI in Asterisk. How many of us still use the mysql CLI? I can't expect my helpdesk guy to know emacs or vi just to add a user.

Curiously,

jc