Remember Global Village Fax software?

[Epaminondas]

I am cleaning up the office and I have come across some old GlobalFax software - software for the 56K internal modem for, as the label states, the "NEW Power Macintosh G3."

This for my now old Macintosh Blue and White 450, now largely retired.

My recollection is that Global Village modems were the high end of their day primarily due to their "it just works!" user-friendly fax software. And that they went bankrupt once or twice as their competition came down in price and as computer faxing became largely replaced by email attachments and such.  Also as people chose high-speed Internet options to replace their slower telephone line modems.

However, I still do have a fax machine in the office that I use from time to time. Fax does not look to be completely obsolete, yet.

Does anyone out there still use computer fax software?  If so, in what context?


Thank you,

Epaminondas

[kimmer]

Global Village and GlobalFax ... good memories.  I can remember impressing my then boss with sending/receiving faxes. I beat the win guy.

We can use our all in one printer to fax, but we've never set it up. It's just easier to have any faxes sent to a pals business (with his permission) and deliver chocolate cookies when we pick up the fax.

[Gregg]

It's been a long time since I've sent a fax from my Mac. I bet I didn't do it more than half a dozen times. We aquired an old fax machine, and when it died, we were so used to having one, we bought a new one. I don't even have the Drag'nFax icon anymore; with it's depiction of a dragon, of course.

[sandbox]

In OS 8.6 on my PB 5300 Beige G3 tower and in classic I use MacComCenter or it's newer version, HoxFax Message Center.I have both. The CD's come with FAXSTF plus switchboard software.

[pendragon]

Ah, yes! The Bronze, Silver, and Gold. And wasn't there a Platinum too?

And Z-Term. 56k -- zoom!

Gads, I even remember the 300 baud acoustic couplers.

[RHPConsult]

Interesting you should mention Global Village, E.

Back in "those" days, I think I was the only person in my "group" who could send faxes, especially fax a wp document, with such ease and accuracy and speed.

That was a sad day when "whoever" bought GV and killed the company, its energy and its style, and moved it to. . .(gulp) . . . Florida, as I recall.

In its glory days, it was located right down the street from a client of mine in Santa Clara and I would drop-in from time to time when I had a question. Great people.

I have heard that FaXSTF is still around, deluding whoever's interested that they actualy know how-to-do-it. Riiiight! The app was the shoddiest, most unreliable piece of s-t-u-f-f that I ever wasted money on.

[sandyman]

QUOTE(Epaminondas @ Apr 18 2007, 05:42 PM) [snapback]124732[/snapback]

However, I still do have a fax machine in the office that I use from time to time. Fax does not look to be completely obsolete, yet.

Does anyone out there still use computer fax software?  If so, in what context?
Thank you,

Epaminondas

Fax?  

What's that?

 

Seriously though,  I think that I've only ever sent a Fax from a computer twice.  That was to a friend in France who had a hotel.  She had a fax machine but no computer. So a couple of times I sent a fax.

Even at work I could probably count on my fingers the number of faxes I've sent in the last 5 years.  

The number I received was even less, one maybe two.

Slow, bad quality...... etc.

I'm rather glad to see the back of it.  

If a company that I was dealing with asked for a Fax, I would ask myself "do I want to deal with them?" Times have moved on and if they haven't....

Sandy

[Jack W]

E -

I on occasion use the OS X Print function to send FAXen. Just hold-click on the PDF button on the lower left of the print menu, then drop down to the send as FAX option. Of course, you have to have a modem, either internal or external.

Works great.

Altho the built-in software is left way in the dust by the old Global Village software!

- Jack

Edited @ 6:25pm to add:

I have a Global Village FAX modem that will work with the pre-USB Macs.

Free if you pay the shipping.

Includes manuals, software, cables etc. In the original box! Now that's a relic!


If interested, PM me.

- Jack

[rongold]

Still wish I could use Globalfax software. PageSender is good, but does not compare. I still send faxes to those few without computer, but with fax machines. The amazing thing to me is the disappearance of junk faxes. Although they were never as common as spam or phone marketers, I did used to receive 1-2 per day. It guess all the fake faxers are now spammers, much cheaper for them.

[Epaminondas]

Looks like I've opened up memory lane . . .

QUOTE

Ah, yes! The Bronze, Silver, and Gold. And wasn't there a Platinum too?

I remember, now.  

Hmmm . . . this is all beginning to feel a little like a Ray Bradbury story . . .

As I recollect, Platinum came late.  Customers moved on - it hurt GV.

But I admit, my recollection on this is a little vague.

QUOTE

I have a Global Village FAX modem that will work with the pre-USB Macs.

Free if you pay the shipping.

Includes manuals, software, cables etc. In the original box! Now that's a relic!

Wow! That was the Macintosh printer port/fax port!

I am currently on a PC with a serial faxmodem port, so I am going to pass this one by.

But thank you for the kind offer.


Question - does computer faxing require an ISP, or can you just computer fax phone number to phone number?

I fergit - it has been so long.

I think you could just do it phone number to phone number like a regular fax machine - weren't we using these before the Internet came into the forefront?


Just looked - the Mepis 6.5 Linux distribution that I am writing this from, unbeknownst to me, already includes fax software ("efax").  Well, waddya know!

This apparently requires a "Grade 1 or Grade 2 faxmodem" - whatever that is.  No faxing over the Internet - looks like telephone number to telephone number.

Winmodems are best avoided in Linux. But a supported external serial modem should be good.

I am almost tempted . . .

Fastest fax speed is 14,400 - even on 56 K modems.  A used 14.4 modem should be dirt cheap on eBay these days. An external US Robotics 14.4 serial modem would probably be a good bet.

Hmmm . . .

QUOTE

Seriously though, I think that I've only ever sent a Fax from a computer twice. That was to a friend in France who had a hotel. She had a fax machine but no computer. So a couple of times I sent a fax.

Even at work I could probably count on my fingers the number of faxes I've sent in the last 5 years.

The number I received was even less, one maybe two.

Slow, bad quality...... etc.

I'm rather glad to see the back of it.

If a company that I was dealing with asked for a Fax, I would ask myself "do I want to deal with them?" Times have moved on and if they haven't...

Sandy,


It looks like our work situations are significantly different.

To clarify - until now I have been talking about the home office.  Now I am talking about work:

I have never used email from work.  Not once.

Confidential material simply does not go out over email.  

HIPAA.

But we fax at work all the time.  Many times a day.

QUOTE

If a company that I was dealing with asked for a Fax, I would ask myself "do I want to deal with them?" Times have moved on and if they haven't....

If someone that I was communicating confidential data  with asked for an email from work, I would ask myself "do I want to deal with them?" Then my answer would be "no, of course not."

No way.

Remember the old saw: "Never write via email anything you do not want to see in tomorrow's paper?"  

It still holds true as ever - if not more so.

At work we use telephones (wired only) and fax machines for immediate transmission of confidential data.

Express Mail for contracts requiring signatures.

Email does not exist.


At work, what are you using for contracts?  Email? Secure email?  Fax? Express mail?

Does confidentiality matter to your work?

Are Email signatures legally binding?


Inquiring mind -

Epaminondas

[RHPConsult]

QUOTE

Question - does computer faxing require an ISP, or can you just computer fax phone number to phone number?

I fergit - it has been so long.

I think you could just do it phone number to phone number like a regular fax machine - weren't we using these before the Internet came into the forefront?

Yes and yes.

It was easy (if it was a GV), especially if you had a faux letterhead on a wp template, which could then be sent (slowly, of course) to the addressee for a fairly reasonable appearing document (if the receiver's fax was well maintained     )

[krissel]

My old 6300 had the global village 28K which I remember upgrading via firmware to 33K.

It worked great.

My last fax from a computer was maybe a year ago. I was on my 9600 which has a zoom modem connected via serial and I used the FaxSTF software. It worked just fine as it sent a birthday message to my Dad that I wanted him to see in the morning so I sent it about 3 AM.

But I forgot that he had moved his fax machine into his bedroom... oooops!  

[sandbox]

E, we are HIPAA and GLB compliant using a Digital ID and encryption. Actually, if you think about it , faxes are not safe what-so-ever. The only thing they could provide is a legally acceptable time stamp. I much prefer our current method, as does the medical, insurance and financial institutions these days.
Something to look into......

example>

  Encrypt contents and attachments for all outgoing messages

QUOTE

Microsoft Entourage provides two ways to protect the privacy of your messages:
•  Encryption, which makes the message unreadable to anyone other than the intended recipient.
When you send a message that is encrypted, the message must be encrypted by using a certificate (public key) for each recipient. You must also encrypt the message for yourself so that you can read it after it is sent or saved in the Drafts folder. The recipient can read the message because it contains information that matches the private key stored on the recipient's computer. You obtain certificates by receiving digitally signed messages from others and storing their certificates in your Entourage Address Boo•  Digital signatures, which assures the recipient that the message is really from you.
When you send a message that is digitally signed, the message signature contains the issuer name and a serial number that uniquely identifies the digital identity used to sign the message. The message also includes the certificate (public key) and the validation chain (chain of trust). The recipient uses this certificate (public key) to verify which private key was used to sign the messagYou can choose either method or both methods for any message. Encryption and digital signing are most often used by corporations or government agencies that have a heightened security standard.
Before you can digitally sign or encrypt a message, you must obtain a digital ID. A digital ID contains a certificate (public key) and a private key. The private key remains on your computer in a secure location. Some digital IDs contain two e-mail identities and can be used for both digitally signing and encrypting. You can store and use more than one digital ID on your computer.

also

QUOTE

About security features in Word
You can use the security and protection features Word provides to limit or restrict access to a document.
•  Require a password to open a document to prevent unauthorized users from opening it.
•  Require a password to modify a document to allow only authorized users to make changes to it. If someone changes the document without the password, that person can save the document only by giving it a different file name.
•  Have Word recommend opening a document as read-only to suggest, but not require, that users open a document as read-only. If a user opens the document as read-only and then changes it, that person can save the document only by giving it a different file name.
•  Prevent users from changing a form. For example, you could protect an online form to prevent unauthorized users from typing information anywhere other than in designated areas.
•  Prepare a document to be reviewed by requiring that any changes be in the form of comments and tracked changes. As part of preparing a document for review, you can specify that others can change the document only by making comments or tracked changes (with revision marks), or by making comments only. For added security, you can assign a password to ensure that users don't remove this type of protection.
•  Check for macros that might contain viruses whenever you open a document.

[sandyman]

E

HIPAA.? Is this some sort of US regulations?

At my last job we used almost exclusively e-mail in my department.  The company in general has been using e-mail since around 1995/6.  I can't remember which year but it was Banyan "Beyond Mail for Windows" on Windows 3.1.  The office I worked in was the only one in the building to have and (occasionally) use a fax machine.  The only reason we had one was that the IT department would not supply, install and support a scanner, so the only way we could quickly transmit a copy of snail mail documents to engineers in branch offices was to fax them.  Apart from that the machine just took up space and a phone line.  After the last reorganisation it does not even get used for that now.


All confidential stuff is dealt with at a higher level and will be done via snail mail or courier.  Registered delivery if it's snail mail.

Not exactly contracts, but when I had to deal with contractors, sending out Site Instructions to carry out work etc, it was all done by e-mail.  As the company used Exchange Server it was easy to set up read /received receipts etc.  

I personally do know of any other departments which have or use Fax, although it may be used at corporate level.  

Any dealings with customers are done by snail mail.

I think you'll find that email signatures are binding.  In similar circumstances businessmen and politicians are finding this out to their cost.

When I said "If a company that I was dealing with asked for a Fax, I would ask myself "do I want to deal with them?" Times have moved on and if they haven't...." that was purely on a personal basis. If I wanted to buy a product or service from a company I expect to communicate either by email or snail mail.  If they insist on using fax I'd question their business nous. If they can't or won't use email or snail mail, I'll take my custom elsewhere.  Over here Fax really seems to have gone the way of the dodo for most companies.


Sandy

Sandy

[sandbox]

FaxSTF Pro for OS X


Global Village software