Kannel: Open Source WAP Gateway 0.4

	Note 1: The mailing lists have moved from wapgateway.org to
	kannel.org. Please send all mail to kannel.org from now on.
	The old lists will disappear soon. All subscriptions have
	been copied from the old lists to the new lists.

	Note 2: The www.wapgateway.org site has moved to www.kannel.org, and
	the cvs.wapgateway.org site has moved to cvs.kannel.org. Although
	the old name will work for some time still, you need to check out
	a new working directory from cvs.kannel.org sooner or later. We
	apologize for this hassle. --liw

NEWS about Kannel: Open Source WAP and SMS Gateway version 0.4

Change summary from version 0.3:

* Gateway now has a name: Kannel.

* DocBook is disabled if not found by configure or using --without-docs
  option to configure.

* Formatted documentation added to distribution, though not to CVS.

* Bison output files added to CVS and distribution.

* Initial code for decoding headers during WAP sessions.

* Bug fixes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
The press release:

The Open Source WAP Gateway Gets a Name: No Longer a Baby

The Open Source WAP Gateway project started by WapIT Ltd. has grown
up to be a useful member of the WAP community. It is also getting a
name. From January 21, 2000, the name of the gateway is Kannel. The
website is moving from www.wapgateway.org to www.kannel.org.

The project originally started at WapIT in March 1999. At that time, the
approach was to make software for handling SMS messages in a sophisticated
manner. After a short while of development, WapIT realized the need for
a project with a wider focus and more serious goals.

In June 1999, WapIT announced the project to public at WAP Forum meeting
in San Francisco. At that time, the result of the project was simply an
SMS gateway with very primitive functionality.

"The announcement of the project was certainly exciting. Nobody knew
how the developer community would react. WapIT was very lucky to
have a respected hacker - Lars Wirzenius - to lead the project. His
remarkable background as an open source developer gave us the experience
we needed.", says Jouko Vierumäki, Technology Director (CTO) of WapIT Ltd.
Mr. Wirzenius has been a Linux developer for 9 years, having been involved
both at kernel development, application developent, and co-founding and
leading the Linux Documentation Project.

When the project was launched at the WAP Forum meeting, a social event
took place with more than 150 participants. The presence of Linus
Torvalds was a clear signal from the project: it was to be a true open
source approach.

Now, 7 months later, the project has taken off in every aspect. The
fruits of the project have been in production in numerous countries for
several months. The crucial code feedback loop works and a true open
source community has gathered around the project. First level of WAP
support is built into Kannel and the development is soaring onwards.

"Open Source in commercial environment has been a long time dream of mine.
And mobile computing scratches a personal itch", says Lars Wirzenius,
Architect of Kannel.

As a service innovator and creator, WapIT benefits from the project in
many ways. The quicker the network gets accessible for mobile users,
the sooner a market emerges for innovative mobile services. Kannel is
also in active use at WapIT.

But, what does the name Kannel stand for?

"Kannel is a romantic name for the most traditional Finnish music
instrument. It is held on one's lap or on a table - and it can be played
with or without plectrum.", says Mato Valtonen, Marketing Director of
WapIT Ltd.



Contact Information

Mr. Jouko Vierumäki, Technology Director (CTO)
WapIT Ltd.
Atomitie 5 c, 00370 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 50 3000013
Fax +358 9 6947007
E-mail [email protected]

Mr. Lars Wirzenius, Architect of Kannel
WapIT Ltd.
Atomitie 5 c, 00370 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 50 3000019
Fax +358 9 6947007
E-mail [email protected]



WapIT Ltd.

WapIT Ltd. has the mission to create, develop and invent mobile services,
service portals and tools for the whole value chain, for global use. We
are a firstly a service company, secondly a software company. Our company
is a high-profile leader in our defined field.