Re: FAXing from SCO Unix 5.0.6

Bill Campbell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 20, 2008, Steve M. Fabac, Jr. wrote:
Nico Kadel-Garcia wrote:
Steve M. Fabac, Jr. wrote:
David wrote:
I'm supporting a SCO Unix 5.0.6 machine. I don't want to spend $1700 on a "fax server solution". Instead, I'm looking for a fax modem for which there are drivers for SCO or generic enough for Unix in general. I also need "fax software" to enable the whole endeavor.

All I'm attempting is what is done quite readily in Windows: print to a psuedo-driver which, in turn, invokes the fax s/w that solicits the phone number to fax to and any other required info. I don't need all kinds of fancy options like choices for cover pages, etc. The application used by my client is strictly text-based - no GUI.

Any advice for public-domain - or inexpensive - software to accomplish this is much appreciated.

Regards,

David


I have installed ActiveFax from Volger Software www.actfax.com for several
clients needing to fax from SCO.
That means buying and supporting another Windows box.
No, who does not have a plethora of Windows system in their office?

I don't. We have one OSR 5.0.6a system, a FreeBSD box, several
Macs running OS X 10.4.?, and a three racks full of Linux boxen.
Not a single machine running the Microsoft virus, Windows.

Bill,

Your company is a special case.

Since I left AT&T in 1987 and begin working as an independent computer
consultant, I have never been called to provide UNIX support to anyone
with your mix of equipment. And I suspect that you have no need to call
anyone to provide support on your systems.

Since the general movement away from serial connected Wyse 60 style
terminals to TCP/IP networked SCO servers with Windows work stations, I
rarely get calls from anyone without Windows machines on the "knowledge
workers" desks.

One instance where the client had no choice was a CPA firm running UNIX
based tax preparation software. Their software provider was purchased
by a bigger provider of tax software and they received a letter in
January of 1997 that the company would continue to provide and support
tax preparation on UNIX into the foreseeable future. On April 16 of 1997
the client received a letter that the foreseeable future had expired
and "... if you want to stay with us, you will have to purchase our
Windows based tax software for the next tax year."

I put in nine Windows 95 pc's to replace their Wyse 60 terminals, upgraded
the UNIX server from SCO 3.2v4.2 to a new box running SCO 5.0.2 with
VisionFS, installed Cat-5 network cable and a Kingston 12-port 100M Hub
all for the princely sum of $24,879 (equipment and OS only).


We have HylaFAX running on a Linux box that also supports dialup
uucp, uucp over tcp, and does e-mail forwarding for several of
our clients. This machine replaced a Caldera 1.3 system running
on a Pentium 75 for nine years or so before I finally retired it
(it was a bit of fun figuring out the smail-3.2 and HylaFAX
configurations that had been running for years unthouched :-).

We have one customer running VSI*FAX. The only thing that has
that I have not implemented with HylaFAX is overlaying form
images with text for invoices. We do that using groff overlaying
EPS images with the .P*** macros for invoicing, creating
PostScript output which HylaFAX handles nicely.

Faximum is another commercial *nix that has been around for
years, and is quite good.

Bill

--
Steve Fabac
S.M. Fabac & Associates
816/765-1670
.

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