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> I really wish there is a modern alternative to FAX What's missing from email + a couple lines of script code? (Or if you prefer, a lightweight piece of softw

> I really wish there is a modern alternative to FAX What's missing from email + a couple lines of script code? (Or if you prefer, a lightweight piece of software that does the same thing). It seems like that covers all the cases you describe: automatically prints, don't have to check it, you can have only one email, etc. I mean the fact that some other parties are stuck on a legacy system is of course always a good reason, but that's not really a lack of a modern alternative.

newhotelowner 8y ago
- Not all hotel owner/operator can write code. - Spam: We get tons of spam FAXes too. But compare to emails, way less spam. - Also, most of the people who send out fax have a hard time scanning and emailing documents.
- wutbrodo 8y ago
  > Not all hotel owner/operator can write code. Yea, dont worry, I wasn't going for the "lol why doesn't everyone just learn Python and spin up a Docker container on ECS" trope. That's why I specified a lightweight piece of software, which is how everything used to work before the rise of the Web and mobile devices changed software distribution. > Also, most of the people who send out fax have a hard time scanning and emailing documents. Yes, this is the legacy third parties thing I was talking about. But this constraint doesn't have anything to do with the lack of a modern replacement for fax. On top of that, there are plenty of services (including free ones) that fake a fax number if necessary, with the standard caveat that inserting a service layer into your business workflow introduces risk. Note that I'm not suggesting that you switch: when the road meets the rubber, it's often the rational choice for businesses to stick with old technologies for a variety of reasons. I was just puzzled by your more-general wish for a modern equivalent of fax, when there have existed "modern equivalents of fax" for decades that are superior on pretty much every axis.
  - sfopdxnonstop 8y ago
    Nah people complained about software bloat before the internet too. They e been doing that since the invention of compilers.
DanBC 8y ago
> What's missing from email + a couple lines of script code? Medical use: I call someone to tell them to expect a fax. I send the fax. I call the person and ask if they got the fax. When sending the fax I hit the button and hear a dial tone. I know my machine is connected to the exchange. I dial the number and hear the ring tone. I know the recipient's machine is connected to the exchange. I hear their machine pickup and negotiate with mine. I know our machines are connected. My fax goes through. If it doesn't go through I get an error. If it doesn't go through on the recipient's machine I get an error. You don't need this for a hotel booking. You do need this if your patient is suicidal and plans to end their life and you're making a referral to a crisis team. Unfortunately, many places do not use real fax machines plugged into POTS. They use virtual fax machines which do goodness-knows-what over the Internet. So, we get the drawbacks of fax combined with the unknown status of Internet. It's a real mess. There's a huge amount of money (in the UK NHS) to be made with a better replacement.
- jessaustin 8y ago
  You could always call before and after an email. I've done that before, when dealing with someone I didn't trust to read her email.
- nl 8y ago
  In many parts of the world they use WhatsApp for he equivalent workflow in multiple domains. That little green tick when someone reads your message is a surprisingly critical part of the workflow.

newhotelowner 8y ago

- Not all hotel owner/operator can write code. - Spam: We get tons of spam FAXes too. But compare to emails, way less spam. - Also, most of the people who send out fax have a hard time scanning and emailing documents.

wutbrodo 8y ago
> Not all hotel owner/operator can write code. Yea, dont worry, I wasn't going for the "lol why doesn't everyone just learn Python and spin up a Docker container on ECS" trope. That's why I specified a lightweight piece of software, which is how everything used to work before the rise of the Web and mobile devices changed software distribution. > Also, most of the people who send out fax have a hard time scanning and emailing documents. Yes, this is the legacy third parties thing I was talking about. But this constraint doesn't have anything to do with the lack of a modern replacement for fax. On top of that, there are plenty of services (including free ones) that fake a fax number if necessary, with the standard caveat that inserting a service layer into your business workflow introduces risk. Note that I'm not suggesting that you switch: when the road meets the rubber, it's often the rational choice for businesses to stick with old technologies for a variety of reasons. I was just puzzled by your more-general wish for a modern equivalent of fax, when there have existed "modern equivalents of fax" for decades that are superior on pretty much every axis.
- sfopdxnonstop 8y ago
  Nah people complained about software bloat before the internet too. They e been doing that since the invention of compilers.

DanBC 8y ago

> What's missing from email + a couple lines of script code? Medical use: I call someone to tell them to expect a fax. I send the fax. I call the person and ask if they got the fax. When sending the fax I hit the button and hear a dial tone. I know my machine is connected to the exchange. I dial the number and hear the ring tone. I know the recipient's machine is connected to the exchange. I hear their machine pickup and negotiate with mine. I know our machines are connected. My fax goes through. If it doesn't go through I get an error. If it doesn't go through on the recipient's machine I get an error. You don't need this for a hotel booking. You do need this if your patient is suicidal and plans to end their life and you're making a referral to a crisis team. Unfortunately, many places do not use real fax machines plugged into POTS. They use virtual fax machines which do goodness-knows-what over the Internet. So, we get the drawbacks of fax combined with the unknown status of Internet. It's a real mess. There's a huge amount of money (in the UK NHS) to be made with a better replacement.

jessaustin 8y ago
You could always call before and after an email. I've done that before, when dealing with someone I didn't trust to read her email.
nl 8y ago
In many parts of the world they use WhatsApp for he equivalent workflow in multiple domains. That little green tick when someone reads your message is a surprisingly critical part of the workflow.