Andrew Gillis created Asterisk@Home in 2004, an installer that made the open-source Asterisk phone system easy to set up. Renamed trixbox, it was acquired by Fonality in 2006, and he continued to lead its community. He later built VortexBox, an open-source music-server distribution, and founded Small Green Computer, a New Hampshire company that makes music servers and network players. An electrical engineer from the communications industry, he pioneered fiber-optic Ethernet in audio streamers to isolate network noise. — Audiophilia, Small Green Computer Premier Server & Player review (2024).

Infographic for "Lessons from Andrew Gils".

## Part 1: Open Source & System Architecture

  1. On building for yourself first: In late 2004, frustrated by how tedious it was to install Linux, MySQL and Asterisk, he packaged them into a single installer, Asterisk@Home. His only goal was a simple installer that he and a few friends could use. — Reference: Kerry Garrison, trixbox CE 2.6 (Packt, 2009), "The history of trixbox".
  2. On solving the newcomer's problem: Working in VoIP, he saw how much trouble newcomers had on the Asterisk mailing lists, and Asterisk@Home was built to make the open-source phone system easy to install and configure. — Reference: Linux.com, "A PBX for everyone with Asterisk@Home" (2005).
  3. On free and easy: When Fonality acquired the project, renamed trixbox, in 2006: "Fonality shares my vision of making Asterisk free and easy for everyone." — Reference: LXer, "Fonality Acquires trixbox, World's Largest Asterisk Based Community" (2006).
  4. On shipping what users ask for: With VortexBox, his open-source music-server distribution, releases tracked community requests: "One of the most common feature requests we get is for the ability to rip DVD movies... VortexBox delivers." — Reference: DistroWatch, VortexBox release announcements.
  5. On the easiest-to-use goal: "As always our goal is to create the easiest-to-use auto ripping CD and NAS solution," he wrote of VortexBox, crediting "the many VortexBox and SqueezeBox community members that helped with testing and features." — Reference: DistroWatch, VortexBox release announcements.

Part 2: Hardware Engineering & Specialization

  1. On Hardware Specialization: Specialized hardware is built by subtraction. His company argues a general-purpose computer brings a fan, a busy OS and a switching power supply, while a purpose-built server has no fan, no spinning drive and no unnecessary processes. — Reference: Small Green Computer, "'Purpose-Built' Means Something Specific".
  2. On Longevity: Hardware should outlast your preferences: a fanless server with no moving parts should work for a decade, and if you change music software in three years, "you change the software. Not the box." — Reference: Small Green Computer, "Roon, Audirvāna, or Lyrion? Your Server Shouldn't Care".

Part 3: Digital Audio & Signal Integrity

  1. On Processing Overhead: Separate the server from the player. The server does the heavy work that generates heat and electrical noise, so it can live in a closet; only the small, quiet network player needs to sit by the DAC. — Reference: Small Green Computer, "Your Music Server Doesn't Belong in Your Listening Room".

Part 5: Network Latency & Fiber Optics

  1. On Fiber Optic Networking: He favors optical Ethernet because it is "a relatively cheap way to remove 100% of network noise," and it also eliminates ground loops from shielded network cable: "a 'twofer.'" — Reference: Roon Labs Community, "Networking for Audiophiles" thread (2021).
  2. On network noise: Network noise is not abstract: it "gets into your player then into your DAC," and he says you can both measure it and hear it. — Reference: Roon Labs Community, "Networking for Audiophiles" thread (Small Green Computer, 2021).
  3. On Local Area Networks (LAN): With streaming everywhere, "today's home network is one of the most important pieces of audio gear," worth setting up for low latency and low noise. — Reference: Roon Labs Community, "Networking for Audiophiles" thread (2021).
  4. On wired audio, wireless control: His networking webinar for audiophiles recommended a split: hardwired connections for the audio, Wi-Fi only for controlling playback from a tablet. — Reference: Computer Audio Asylum, "Networking for Audiophiles Webinar - Small Green Computer" (2021).

Part 8: The Future of Streaming & Consumer Tech

  1. On owning your library: Stream to discover, own what matters. His company notes that every streamed album is "on loan": "Streaming is a wonderful way to discover music. It's a poor way to keep it." — Reference: Small Green Computer, "Every Album You Stream Is on Loan".
  2. On software choice: Don't tie hardware to one app. Roon, Audirvāna and Lyrion do the same basic job, so a server should run whichever one the listener prefers. — Reference: Small Green Computer, "Roon, Audirvāna, or Lyrion? Your Server Shouldn't Care".