Some of you may have heard of PalTalk, though diehard Linux fans may not. PalTalk, on the client side, is all about Microsoft Windows, not Linux. But the success of this voiced-based IM system is all about open source.

Simply put, PalTalk combines the best features of instant messaging and Internet telephony. The free PalTalk service offers a wide range of features that allow users to communicate with each other anywhere in the world and at any time. The service allows users to make free calls to anywhere in the world, with very high quality sound. It's also possible to make live video calls, participate in voice chat rooms and instant message your friends. PalTalk is currently launching its Multivideo service which allows up to six simultaneous video images in a voice conference. The new feature is available now in PalTalk 5.0.

There are currently PalTalk users in 150 different countries with paying (video) customers coming from about 40 countries. PalTalk can handle over 40,000 users simultaneously. Katz has seen groups of up to 700 users. It takes quite a sophisticated system to support those kinds of loads reliably. And just think, that's audio, text messaging, and video, all together.

So how did this ultra-sophisticated, on-the-rise system get its start?

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