SUMMARY: Fax Survey

From: mike_p (mike_+a_WTL_+lmike+_p+r%Trans_Ocean_Express@mcimail.com)
Date: Sun Nov 14 1993 - 02:33:20 CST


MHS: Source date is: 10-Nov-93 12:15 PDT

File item: 2Post.SUMMARY.fax
          Attached.

        =========== Original posting ===============

As i can see, not that many talks about FAX on SUN machine.

Let's evaluate available packages and modems.

I am currently using Clarity Rapport and can share some experience and tips.

Considering other alternatives, i am asking everybody who has and uses

(or used to use) anything related to faxing from SUN to share their ideas and

experience.

I will definetly summarize.

Thanx in advance.

        =============================================

Maybe this will be a premature summary, but almost 2 months

passed since my posting regarding Fax software on SUN.

I did get a lot of responses and definetly have to summarise.

In our company people use workstations mainly for word procesing and

all kind of e-mail including Faxing.

We receive about 100 faxes per day and send about 50.

We do have an integrated package called Clarity Rapport from

Clarity software and before disconnecting Fax machines and switching

this service to the SPARCserver 670MP with 2 MultiTech 1432BA modems

i had little or no headaches at all.

The problems started with the FAX load.

A lot of garbled inbound faxes and once a day hanging fax server

forced me to look out for alternatives.

I did find a package which i think is best.

It has a few important good things:

- build around client-server architecture

- multiple lines support

- data/fax sharing

- polled retrieval of facsimile

- wide variety of Class 1 and Class 2 fax modems

- mailing list

But the most important one - the source code is available and it's free.

Someone may consider a few aspects as a negative ones.

- compiling

- only command line ( althought there are few independent GUI interfaces )

- some other PD packages invloved

As i mentioned, i still testing it and so far have no complains or problems

I did not installed it in place of the former package and realy can't compare

them ( the load is not sufficient yet)

THANK"S *VERY* MUCH to all who responed

* FlexFAX (a free package from sgi.com, source included)

...excellent results using a ZyXEL 1496E modem...runs pretty much

   "out of the box".

...It seems very flexible, and reliable.ZyXEL U-1496E+

...It took a bit of tweaking, but it works great.

...excelent and free...

...works fine for us. The price is right too!

* IsoFax from "The Bristol Group Ltd."

...Isofax (Bristol), Replix, Corporate Fax, and Express Fax (GNP).

   Of the four, Isofax was clearly the winner in terms of features,

   ease of use, set up and administration...although pricy...some unexpected

   bugs related to converting landscape postscript and imbedded command line

   faxing of documents from withing our in-house developed applications...

   place my recommendation for Isofax, no question about it.

...It works pretty good.

...love it and I have had very few problems with the combination

...very straight forward to setup and required next to nothing in terms

   of hacking system files to get it working

...satisfied with it, and are going to get more licensenses...*much*

   better than transmission between normal FAX machines...administration

   is fairly easy...command-line modus and in X...Replix comes also on PC's

...really nice interface for OpenWindows... most all of the features...

* REplix from SoftLinx (spun out from Samsung Software)

... find it real good

* Perfect Fax from Perfect Byte Inc.

...The software has been reliable and well supported

* MIT media lab's "netfax"

...quite satifactory...sent over 21,000 faxes this way so far...would

   be nice if incoming faxes could be spooled and easily adjudicated

   on-line...the modem the software was written for is no longer

   manufactured

* V-Systems VSIFAX version 2.0 with the FxScript (Postscript) rasterizer

...it works well...low system maintenance

* XpressFax

...does what you're looking for...GUI is OpenLook, but Motif is in the works

* FAQ for comp.dcom.fax

...perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most

THANK"S *VERY* MUCH to all who responed:

Charles

Miguel

Larry J. Miller ljm@halsp.hitachi.com

Andy andy@genie.geis.com

Brian Farrell

Gary Blumenstein garyb@gcm.com

peter gross pag@scg.boulder.co.us

Gustavo Vegas gustavo@ECE.concordia.ca

Douglas L.Acker acker@wg2.waii.com

Catherine Fulmer cfulmer@pnc-pimc.com

Tom Kinter tmk@mayo.edu

Nico Garcia raoul@athena.mit.edu

J.Matt Landrum mdl@cypress.com

Louis M. Brune louis@andataco.com

Poul Henneng Sorensen poul.Sorensen@nilu.no

                        jingoro@tcp.com

Richard rich_b@oldham.gpsemi.com

-Misha Pavlov.

Systems & Network Administrator

Trans Ocean Express Ltd.

425 Park Ave. 22nd Fl, New York, NY 10022

+1 212 486-0008



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Fri Sep 28 2001 - 23:08:29 CDT