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Cassette tapes and fax machines seem to be prime examples of obsolete and unsupported tech that has been mostly replaced with objectively better solutions.
by ryanlol 11y ago
Cassette tapes and fax machines seem to be prime examples of obsolete and unsupported tech that has been mostly replaced with objectively better solutions.
- laumars 11y agoEven there, it's not so clear cut. For example, backup tapes are anything but obsolete and unsupported. It may not be the de facto standard any more, but it's still commonplace and the hardware is still manufactured and thus easy to buy new. I also don't agree with your point about fax machines as they are still commonplace in the UK. Granted less so in tech companies, but you see them a lot in governments and legal offices as they're often used for sending legal / official correspondence such as signed contracts. While other mediums do exist that can act as a direct replacement in many instances, some require additional steps (eg sending signed correspondence via e-mail would require an electronic signature, photocopier with SMTP support or another means of scanning the document to PC); or offer little benefit for the additional migration costs (eg backing up to removable HDD over tape doesn't offer any significant improvements. Backing up to the cloud does, but it also offers some significant drawbacks as well, which might mitigate it's practicality for a specific business).
- mhurron 11y ago> I also don't agree with your point about fax machines as they are still commonplace in the UK. They're common in the US too. They're not unsupported equipment.
- ryanlol 11y agoBackup tapes and cassette tapes are obviously a completely different thing, lets not even go there. Yes, fax machines are still used. That doesn't make them not obsolete. Fax is ridiculously slow, requires both participants to have fax machines (so you can't even realistically not have another solution implemented) and on top of all that super insecure.
- laumars 11y ago> Backup tapes and cassette tapes are obviously a completely different thing, lets not even go there. Backup tapes are cassette tapes. Audio cassettes and backup tapes are different (not "completely" as the technology is actually quite similar), but backup tapes are magnetic tapes that come in cassette cartridges. They quite literally are cassette tapes. > Yes, fax machines are still used. That doesn't make them not obsolete. I guess that depends on your definition of "obsolete". Google defines it as "no longer produced or used" and fax machines are still manufactured and -as I described before- used quite common. So definitely not obsolete. It should be noted that I wasn't advocating the use of fax, but I feel the need to address your other points since you've posted quite a specific and one sided opinion on facsimiles: > Fax is ridiculously slow Sending a fax isn't slower than having to manually scan your documents and then email the resulting PDF. Which is the main usage I see it still being used for. In fact in many instances, the alternatives to fax are more laboured even though the actually communication protocol for fax is slow and outdated. > [Fax] requires both participants to have fax machines An endpoint is required with all communication mediums. Even e-mail would require the recipient to have an e-mail address. Plus your point is moot when talking about technology that has already been adopted. If anything, the reason fax is still used is because people already have one so make use of it. > [Fax is] super insecure. This is sadly very true. It is probably the best reason not to use fax but it's also worth baring in mind that even for all it's flaws, fax is still no less secure than a telephone conversation (let's all replace telephones with something! :p) or the depressingly high number of SMTP servers who don't default to TLS. Thankfully that e-mail criticism is now changing at a significant pace. --- Please be mindful that I'm not trying to advocate the usage of fax machine nor magnetic tapes. The tone of your arguments would suggest that you think I am promoting their usage, but I'm really not. I'm just being pragmatic about things. :)