Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!pollux!smu!merlin
From: merlin@smu.uucp (David Hayes)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Networks considered harmful
Keywords: email fax
Message-ID: <16039@pollux.UUCP>
Date: 19 Dec 89 22:51:30 GMT
References: <8912190403.AA05387@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <1250@toro.UUCP> <6042@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Sender: news@pollux.UUCP
Reply-To: merlin@smu.UUCP (David Hayes)
Organization: Southern Methodist University, CSE Dept. Dallas, TX
Lines: 22

Of course, we could just put a FAX card into our present computers.
I have looked into this for my own purposes.  The problem is not
printing the received FAX messages, but sending them out.

When I send a FAX message, I use FINE or SUPERFINE detail settings.
This looks pretty good when it's received, even though its been
through a digitizing process at the transmitting end.  A computer-
generated FAX does not go through the digitizing stage, so it can
(in theory) look better when received.  The basic lack, though, is
in the software.

A FAX message is a basic b/w or grayscale raster image of the
input page.  It's compressed before transmission.  To send a computer
generated FAX, you must convert your document from whatever word
processor format it is already in to the raster image.  The
software to do this is just not readily available yet.  When it
becomes available, then we may get somewhere.

David Hayes	School of Engineering	Southern Methodist University
merlin@smu.edu	uunet!smu!merlin
"Here's a test to see if your job here on Earth is finished:  If you're
still here, it isn't."  -- Richard Bach, _Illusions_