Faxable Zoomer...
GWRepDoug@aol.com
XXX, 2 Mar 1995 03:09:37 -0400 (EDT)
Lee,
Excellent question.. I've been with Geoworks since before they started beta testing their first PC product. I've asked more questions directly to engineering on why we can't [you will in the blank____]....
Though writting the FAX software, say send only, truely isn't the problem. GW Steve, recently posted a note about FAX software for GEOS in the Geoworks forum.. What is the problem, is the GREAT proliferation of modems that don't follow any set standard for FAX support. If you read the recent PC Magazine, they did a review of the latest 28.8 modems. Some support FAX through Class 1 other Class 2, others yet, both... The difference is Great. Class one requires that the software do most of the work, Class 2 allows the hardware to do alot of the work, allowing the code to remain small.
But, with so many implimentations, if you write a small program to support one chip-set and the particular implementation of that chip-set you have shut-out over 90-95% of the modem market. So, what to do next? Buy 200 modems, and try the software out on each one, until you get the program to work with say 85% of them? By that time many of the manufacturers are into their next product cycle (that being every 6 months in the modem industry), and now they aren't even making the modem you are trying to get your code to support (and the new implementation, might not support what the old one did.. opps now back to the drawing board).
What I'm trying to say, it's easy to write code, but it's a GREAT task to get a general FAX software suit to work with many hardware imlementations of a "Quote unQuote" standard.. To do so, means writting the program to support both class 1 & 2, and enough special support drivers to catch another 40 - 50% of modems that really don't fit cleanly into 1 or 2.. That means a pretty big code-set, tough to fit on a Zoomer.. So the choice may end up being a very short list of supported modems..?
So, If Geoworks or any 3rd party with the SDK going to come out with FAX software? I can only go with the info released by GW Steve from Geoworks.. They did work on a package for the PT-9000 for Sharp. But anything is possible...
Hope this helps explain things a bit..
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