Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!chinet!les
From: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Re: Domain Registration (was Re: Imminent death of UUCP Zone predicted)
Message-ID: <1990Jul26.025310.4158@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 26 Jul 90 02:53:10 GMT
References: <1990Jul16.202721.271@chinet.chi.il.us> <11R41EF@xds13.ferranti.com> <961@van-bc.wimsey.bc.ca>
Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX
Lines: 43

In article <961@van-bc.wimsey.bc.ca> sl@van-bc.wimsey.bc.ca (Stuart Lynne) writes:

>>What we need is a ".phone" domain. Mail to someone at "+17135551212.phone" is
>>accomplished by making a call to +17135551212, logging in as anonymous, and
>>sending mail.

>Interesting idea...

>	user@+number.phone	for dialup mail
>	user@+number.fax	for fax

What we really need is a single machine that understands both.  The originator
should put a tone on the line so that the answering machine can automatically
roll over to a voice phone or modem when something else calls, thus avoiding
the need for separate lines.  It should interoperate with existing fax
machines, converting text to fax image when it detects that it is sending
a mail message to a fax-only device.  When 2 similar machines connect, they
would use something resembling SMTP to exchange either text messages or
encoded images with encapsulating headers that would allow forwarding over
typical mail connections.  The simplest versions would probably be PC cards
with software to view, print and manipulate using the normal PC devices.
Standalone units might have serial ports, network connections, hard disk
(of course), fax-style scanner and printer, etc.  A single machine could
thus give you fax-over-internet and mail to anywhere you can dial.

>Are we going to allow them in routes?
>
>	site_a!site_b!+18005551234.phone!site_c!site_d!user

Normally you would just dial up the one you want.  Do people forward faxes?
There should be a way to include an inbound address, but it would be up to
the installation to decide what to do with it.  Handling at least one hop
of routing would make sense where a local phone connection exists between
one endpoint and a forwarding machine which has network or dedicated conections
to the other endpoint.

I don't see why such a device should cost much more than existing fax
equipment other than the HD storage and with 200M 3 1/2" drives available
for around $1,000, that would only double the cost.   Hmmm... maybe it should
do voice mail as well.

Les Mikesell
 les@chinet.chi.il.us