asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) (04/04/91)
I have purchased a combined modem/FAX card from Digitan Systems, which runs on IBM PCs and clones. (Mine is a no-name 286) The hardware works adequately (2400 baud modem, 9600 baud Group III FAX). The Modem software (BitCom) is adequate. Ie., I can use it to send and receive information to/from other computers without tremendous diffi- culty. It has Kermit, which seems to work fine. The terminal emulator sucks, but ProComm and Qmodem's terminal emulators _also_ suck, and those packages are supposed to be _hot_ stuff. Therefore, my terminal emulation problem is probably my no-name machine's fault, having who knows _what_ kind of ANSI.SYS file. BUT!!! The FAX software (BitFax) _stinks_ to high heaven!!!!!! It is adequate for items such as scheduling the FAX to run later (like night-time when the phone rates are lower). It's adequate for receiving FAXes (altho I haven't tested this feature yet ... I'm not ready to leave my computer on all day, possibly missing a voice phone call). It's adequate for print-capture, ie, you set up a TSR with a hot-key so that when you print to an EpsonFX-compatible printer, it goes to the print capture instead. It then converts that to FAX format so you can send it. But the "conversion" portions suck. It's impossible to figure what it wants to convert from-to. The "view" portions suck. It's impossible to view a file in FAX format. (This is even a documented "feature.") How the hell are you supposed to be able to view a received FAX if you can't view it? How can you view it in any other format if it's damn near impossible to figure out how to convert the FAX to any other format? The "file formats" suck. It converts file formats like ASCII (of course) and WordStar (of course). It converts Word Perfect 4.1 (now who in the world still uses 4.1?????) I have 5.1, which will happily create a document in 4.2 format, which apparantly isn't quite the same thing. Nearly anything I try to do with it is met with resistance. I'm tired of it. I want some FAX software that _works_! I want to be able to _view_ a FAX _directly_!! I want to be able to _view_ my print capture! I tested it with print-capture from my WP. Had I been able to view the damn file before FAXing it, I would have discovered ahead ot time that I had the line-length set too long in the WP. Apparantly telling WP to print 12 pitch is ignored by the print-capture, therefore, it must be set to 10 pitch, and a shorter line-length. Is being able to verify that the FAX looks OK before transmittal too much to ask? With BitFax, apparantly it is. I don't want to have to memorize the damn user's manual to get a sqeak out of the software. I didn't even need to crack the book for BitCom. It works mostly the way you'd expect it to. Where it doesn't meet your expectations, the online help straightens you out. The online help for BitFax, produced by the same people, is worthless. I want PC FAX card software that does what it supposed to do! (MY definition of "supposed to do," of course!) Anyone have any ideas? Thanks! -- =========== Opinions are Mine, Typos belong to /usr/ucb/vi =========== "We're sorry, but the reality you have dialed is no longer in service. Please check the value of pi, or see your SysOp for assistance." =============== Factual Errors belong to /usr/local/rn =============== asylvain@felix.UUCP hplabs!felix!asylvain