madler@piglet.caltech.edu (Mark Adler) (10/23/90)
A few have wondered about the fax support in 2.0. I found out that it supports the Everex/Abaton 2496 combination fax/2400 bps modem. (Abaton is now owned by Everex.) Before you rush out and buy one however, there are hardware changes to work with the NeXT. (And I suppose, they'll make a black case for it.) These won't be available until the end of the year. The fax part supports group III and the modem part does MNP 5 2400 bps. I already have one, and I'm finding out if the hardware changes are absolutely necessary, and if so, if I can replace some socketed ROM's or some such thing. (I don't mind it being off-white.) If any one else is in the same boat, drop me a note and I'll keep you posted. The fax support in 2.0 allows sending and automatic receiving (the faxes end up in your mailbox). And, of course, you can still use the modem for outgoing and incoming calls. NeXT is apparently also working on support for a Ricoh fax modem, but I get the impression that won't make it into the first release of 2.0. (They're scrambling to get the Abaton support in as it is.) Mark Adler madler@piglet.caltech.edu