OT - I hate that faxing is still relevant in today's business world

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I had a guy who still faxed me stuff as of last year. I had to have a $200 a year efax subscription just for him. I  sent him an article that said that AlQuaeda has reverted to fax messaging because it could not be intercepted as easily as cellular communications. I will tell you what I told him.  Every time you send a fax, the terrorists win. 

JohnInCarolina

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I had a guy who still faxed me stuff as of last year. I had to have a $200 a year efax subscription just for him. I  sent him an article that said that AlQuaeda has reverted to fax messaging because it could not be intercepted as easily as cellular communications. I will tell you what I told him.  Every time you send a fax, the terrorists win. 

Goddamnit!  They already win every time I take my shoes off at the airport!

Skiddymarker

GrateEggspectations said:

What's a "fax machine"?

Ah Grasshopper, it was a machine used to send pictures and you made the connection using a landline telephone without a keypad - you had to spin a numbered dial using the correct telephone number by using a finger stop. Very sophisticated. First versions were called Telecopiers.....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nQGAaCSFlJI

johnkitchens

poster said:

Ya, the fab business is funny. You get a huge diversity of customers. I absolutely hate drawings sent in .pdf, its almost as bad as fax, which we still have by the way.  I will use MasterCAM (big $ prgm) to draw up and program some parts, then its either sent to a Miller direct, or off to the plasma table via 3.5" floppy lol. I just found a floppy to USB emulator that I will try out soon. It is big $$ to upgrade controls, so I can see why some people hang on to older technology as long as possible.

I have a floppy to USB emulator for our ESAB plasma, but I haven't installed it yet. The letdown for me was that the emulator still would only accept 1.44mb of data on a thumb drive! 

When I got it I thought I could load the thumb drive up with all of our files, but I found out the controller will only read 1.44mb. 

The computer that we use to convert the dxf files to cnc files for the cutter died. ESAB wants $6,500 for new software. I am going to try to find a different dxf to cnc file converter before I shell out  $6.5K. 

Possumtrot

I remember when we were thrilled to get our new Fax machine to send info from our mideast offices to our corporate headquarters (circa 1983)  Only took 6 min per page - much faster than teletype..  Then were were thrilled to get a PC XT (10mg HD) and 300 baud modem.  Then absolutely speechless at a 1200 baud modem in 1985 - only $1,200 in Riyadh.  I'm retired now so have no need of any of it.

ColtsFan

I have several clients that still use fax simply because they lack the resources and knowledge to implement a digital solution. They have the "small town" mindset and know nothing else. Trying to get them to upgrade their infrastructure is like pulling teeth. Forget about them trying to understand scanning from a MFP to a scan folder and then attaching that to an email or better yet, setting up a SMPT server on that device and letting them email directly 

I also have several health care providers that have their EMR in the cloud and use VoIP phone systems.  The "insecure internet" comment is inaccurate. It's unpatched software and end-user error that's the issue. 

DoubleEgger

Remember the fax machines with the slick paper roll? 

SamIAm2

DoubleEgger said:

Remember the fax machines with the slick paper roll? 

Seems like you are remembering a mimeograph machine

DMW

DoubleEgger said:

Remember the fax machines with the slick paper roll? 

Heat transfer.

poster

johnkitchens said:

poster said:

Ya, the fab business is funny. You get a huge diversity of customers. I absolutely hate drawings sent in .pdf, its almost as bad as fax, which we still have by the way.  I will use MasterCAM (big $ prgm) to draw up and program some parts, then its either sent to a Miller direct, or off to the plasma table via 3.5" floppy lol. I just found a floppy to USB emulator that I will try out soon. It is big $$ to upgrade controls, so I can see why some people hang on to older technology as long as possible.

I have a floppy to USB emulator for our ESAB plasma, but I haven't installed it yet. The letdown for me was that the emulator still would only accept 1.44mb of data on a thumb drive! 

When I got it I thought I could load the thumb drive up with all of our files, but I found out the controller will only read 1.44mb. 

The computer that we use to convert the dxf files to cnc files for the cutter died. ESAB wants $6,500 for new software. I am going to try to find a different dxf to cnc file converter before I shell out  $6.5K. 

The one i bought is the 1.44mb one and was only $25. Our machine accepts the g-code in .txt so a large part still has a pretty small file, and i do not store at the machine or on the stick as we dont do much repeditive stuff. I did find and purchased one previously for our older milling machine. It is supposed to be capable up to 16gigs, i have tested it and use it frequently with an 8gig stick, but it was $500. Not much really for what it is, but it is overkill for our plasma, and a risk in the extremely dirty environment of the fab shop. I burn through floppy drives and dozens of disks monthly. If your interested in the larger capability emulator, i can get you the info.

Kayak

We've got 'clients' who insist they don't own computers, with or without internet connections, yet we have to service them. We may even have some that don't believe in electricity (Amish). This is in addition to drug mfrs and steel companies. Makes for some interesting phone calls!

kl8ton

johnkitchens said:

poster said:

Ya, the fab business is funny. You get a huge diversity of customers. I absolutely hate drawings sent in .pdf, its almost as bad as fax, which we still have by the way.  I will use MasterCAM (big $ prgm) to draw up and program some parts, then its either sent to a Miller direct, or off to the plasma table via 3.5" floppy lol. I just found a floppy to USB emulator that I will try out soon. It is big $$ to upgrade controls, so I can see why some people hang on to older technology as long as possible.

I have a floppy to USB emulator for our ESAB plasma, but I haven't installed it yet. The letdown for me was that the emulator still would only accept 1.44mb of data on a thumb drive! 

When I got it I thought I could load the thumb drive up with all of our files, but I found out the controller will only read 1.44mb. 

The computer that we use to convert the dxf files to cnc files for the cutter died. ESAB wants $6,500 for new software. I am going to try to find a different dxf to cnc file converter before I shell out  $6.5K. 

I think I have a solution for you.  I will check at work tomorrow.  I think it is 300 bucks. I did it for our wire edm machine.

theyolksonyou

johnkitchens said:

poster said:

Ya, the fab business is funny. You get a huge diversity of customers. I absolutely hate drawings sent in .pdf, its almost as bad as fax, which we still have by the way.  I will use MasterCAM (big $ prgm) to draw up and program some parts, then its either sent to a Miller direct, or off to the plasma table via 3.5" floppy lol. I just found a floppy to USB emulator that I will try out soon. It is big $$ to upgrade controls, so I can see why some people hang on to older technology as long as possible.

I have a floppy to USB emulator for our ESAB plasma, but I haven't installed it yet. The letdown for me was that the emulator still would only accept 1.44mb of data on a thumb drive! 

When I got it I thought I could load the thumb drive up with all of our files, but I found out the controller will only read 1.44mb. 

The computer that we use to convert the dxf files to cnc files for the cutter died. ESAB wants $6,500 for new software. I am going to try to find a different dxf to cnc file converter before I shell out  $6.5K. 

I'll. be. damned. @johnkitchens is still around. 

RRP

DoubleEgger said:

Remember the fax machines with the slick paper roll? 

Not only those but do you remember the short lived units before the copying aspect that transcribed hand written exchanges? I recall airlines used them a lot! 

RRP

I also recall the lament of our corporate attorney who back in the late 80's told me how he and their firm hated faxes! He said how in the past a client would call with a problem and then they would say "put it in writing and mail it to us." He said "now they fax the damn letter to us and expect an answer tomorrow!"

OTOH - my bank was one of the first to install fax machines not only in our office but to also give them to our automobile dealers and home improvement dealers so they could fax us credit applications "on the spot" for quick approval for installment loans. Trust me...we became so friggen popular dealers were knocking on our doors! 

blasting

I've got a friend who owns a UPS store - her fax business is brisk.  

I'm with you @kl8ton.  Emails should have spelled the end of faxes 15 years ago.

Gulfcoastguy

I hated when they gave me a business cell phone. Then contractor, politicians, bosses etc could call me when I'm: on the treadmill at the gym, 15 feet off the ground painting my house, returning from Mother's Day weekend, driving between projects. Since it also monitored where I was and my texts, emails, phone calls, and internet searches I didn't mind leaving it behind when I retired.

Now I liked new hardware better than new software. Or as I put it "change for change's sake". When you have something debugged and have everybody trained to use it along comes the new and "improved" program. The sad thing is that non of the new features tend to help in your particular job but at least they could leave the menu's and icons alone.

sumoconnell

buzd504 said:

I freaking hate faxes.

However, we have an older clientele that isn't exactly tech savvy.  We have a form online that many customers need to fill out.  I swear to god we have had people take  print it, fill it out and fax us the print out.

Fact is, fax transfer is considered a legal transfer of signature if signed.  That's the issue.  Get more folks on DocuSign or equivalent.  I still have physical signed  purchase orders to deal with.... Nothing beats a verified signature.   Tech companies still make fax chips, just like there are printers at car dealerships that can physically type carbon copies.   The power of legacy cannot be understated.

nolaegghead

fax machines are super awesome.  I hope they never go away. 

DuckDogDr

We still use fax machines where I work (both places) 
its a part of normal routine in our industry 

gdenby

Small FWIW, faxes are so 19th century. Really, date from the mid-late 1800s.

For awhile, the place I worked required travel reports to be signed. Those would then be faxed to another department. There, they would be scanned, so the numeric info would go into a database. However, the documents had to be printed from a PC, because the font sizes didn't match up correctly from Mac printouts, which is what my dept. had. We had to keep a PC on hand for those forms, and a fax.

As an aside, a few years back I had to get my aged father on Medicaid. Not easy to come up w. all the forms needed, as he was too far gone w. Alzheimers to remember things like where he was born. Once I gathered everything, I went to the state office, where the nice lady began entering the info. I noticed the modern machine appeared to be running an 8-bit emulator. She explained that the state had purchased its record keeping system from a neighboring state when that state upgraded to 16-bit, and that there was one machine in the office that was the only one that could still process some if the info, and when the guy who ran it was out of the office, no accounts could go thru. Which happened to be my situation.

fishlessman

my accountant must go crazy when we fax over the hand written books we still use the fancy adding machine that looks like a small old time type writer with the paper roll on back.  WE STILL USE A TYPE WRITER how else could you bill a customer. white copy to the customer, yellow to receivables, pink to the customer folder

Possumtrot

Quickbooks?  I'm a retired accountant - hate quickbooks but small businesses here use it a lot.

Eggcelsior

ColtsFan said:

I have several clients that still use fax simply because they lack the resources and knowledge to implement a digital solution. They have the "small town" mindset and know nothing else. Trying to get them to upgrade their infrastructure is like pulling teeth. Forget about them trying to understand scanning from a MFP to a scan folder and then attaching that to an email or better yet, setting up a SMPT server on that device and letting them email directly 

I also have several health care providers that have their EMR in the cloud and use VoIP phone systems.  The "insecure internet" comment is inaccurate. It's unpatched software and end-user error that's the issue. 

 We use cloud EMR and VoIP phones(Cisco Finesse, which is hot garbage outside of their Jabber messenger). That's not what I meant. The issue is on the end-user side, which is why it is insecure and hard to ensure HIPAA compliance. Whether it's a patient with an unsecured email account or an employee of a organization opening spam and phishing emails, human interaction with the system makes it insecure. Computers don't **** up, the idiot on the keyboard does.

SandyHookEgger

Fax servers and most good voicemails have an app that allows you to fax and receive fax from your desktop. Don't have to move. Just open document and send or receive it in an email. Been around for a long time. 
Not a big deal.

kl8ton

SandyHookEgger said:

Fax servers and most good voicemails have an app that allows you to fax and receive fax from your desktop. Don't have to move. Just open document and send or receive it in an email. Been around for a long time. 
Not a big deal.

I had to set that stuff up before those services were in the cloud.  We spent thousands on Brooktrout fax boards and fax server hardware that converted the fax to emails. That was maybe 15 years ago.  Now we pay 15 per month to have our number and a fax to email service for in/out.

SandyHookEgger

kl8ton said:

SandyHookEgger said:

Fax servers and most good voicemails have an app that allows you to fax and receive fax from your desktop. Don't have to move. Just open document and send or receive it in an email. Been around for a long time. 
Not a big deal.

I had to set that stuff up before those services were in the cloud.  We spent thousands on Brooktrout fax boards and fax server hardware that converted the fax to emails. That was maybe 15 years ago.  Now we pay 15 per month to have our number and a fax to email service for in/out.

Brooktrout really is old school. We receive the fax from the old school machine and our voice server converts it to (sucks breath sharply)VOIP and passes it to the fax server. The fax server places it in the correct folder for the department it should go to. No email involved just straight to the final destination.
 Return is our choice email or click the doc and send to a fax.

nolaegghead

If you have a business that requires document correspondence, and you want old (and often grumpy) people as customers, you have to support FAX.