SlingshotSMS: A Lightweight Open Source SMS Gateway [Alpha]

developmentseed.org

24 points·uptown··10 comments

Why can't we just send SMS messages over the internet, instead of having to get an SMS modem or phone? It's such a simple little packet.

The carriers used to have free gateways, but then they couldn't charge both the sender and receiver of each message.

Would you pay per-SMS for a very simple web service that takes care of this for you to all carriers? How much?

Yes if it was bi-directional. I'd want to receive texts by having the service hit an API on receipt.

See for instance http://www.clickatell.com/

4 cents per message is rather expensive.

I dont get it. Why do I have to contact a web service for sending an SMS through a phone or modem that's directly connected to my computer? How does it help anyone?

because carriers want more control over this process and make it harder to use by other means in order you to use your beloved phone, which completely bounded by your carrier, more.

It's a local application - it communicates via an HTTP endpoint, but it's a tiny little server that's cross-platform and whose only purpose in life is to make writing your killer SMS/geocoding/beer prices/petfinding application.

(disclaimer: I wrote it)

I like the artistic style, but as a image to explain something technical... that diagram is simply terrible.

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