It may have started with the ability to replicate signatures, but even during the internet age, fax does have one interesting advantage.
It uses a dedicated circuit to communicate rather than using packets.
By that I mean that two fax machines that are connected to send a fax are electronically linked together in a dedicated circuit for the duration of the session, and all the data takes the same path.
This is in stark contrast to an email, which is split up into packets which may take quite different paths to reach the other destination.
That’s also why I love the idea of old copper landline. Commutation of connections versus commutation of packets.
So over PSTN traditionally you’d basically send signals. I don’t think I need to say much more about how cool it is - you may not necessarily use a modem with a computer over it, you can connect a couple of analog electronic devices that an 80s schoolboy knew how to solder together, for whatever kind of functionality. Those could even be used not only with a phone network, but over radio too.
Now instead of electric connectivity (either you have it or you do not) you have data connectivity, and that is very complex and not a given. It’s bad. Like - really bad.
More sophistication in a system means fewer people able to maintain it, fully master it, fix it. Generally.
I can’t help but feel nostalgic for USSR in this regard, despite all the truths about it. Many people living there and then knew their shit on most basic technologies the society relied upon. Knew how various machine parts were called, knew enough of mechanical engineering to maintain machines, knew a lot of civil engineering (of the Soviet level naturally, but still a lot), knew enough of electricity and radio to fix stuff if needed (and not break it in the first place), could use a slide rule. Same with chemistry and agriculture. OK, “many” is an overstatement, but more common than now, and it seems to be the case in western countries too.
At my old government job, we had a fax machine because it “couldn’t be hacked”, so we would only accept certain documents via fax. Is this true? I have no idea. It was even more questionable when we switched the fax line to digital and received all the faxes via a software program on computers. Is THAT “un-hackable” too? No clue.
Fax machines!
They were invented long before the computer or modem, with the original patent being issued in 1843.
They seem wildly outdated, but the ability to replicate the signature (iirc) led to faxes being accepted as legal documents.
This speaks more to the underlying usefulness in earlier eras, but it’s still wild to make a phone call that leads to a printed document.
It may have started with the ability to replicate signatures, but even during the internet age, fax does have one interesting advantage.
It uses a dedicated circuit to communicate rather than using packets.
By that I mean that two fax machines that are connected to send a fax are electronically linked together in a dedicated circuit for the duration of the session, and all the data takes the same path.
This is in stark contrast to an email, which is split up into packets which may take quite different paths to reach the other destination.
That’s also why I love the idea of old copper landline. Commutation of connections versus commutation of packets.
So over PSTN traditionally you’d basically send signals. I don’t think I need to say much more about how cool it is - you may not necessarily use a modem with a computer over it, you can connect a couple of analog electronic devices that an 80s schoolboy knew how to solder together, for whatever kind of functionality. Those could even be used not only with a phone network, but over radio too.
Now instead of electric connectivity (either you have it or you do not) you have data connectivity, and that is very complex and not a given. It’s bad. Like - really bad.
More sophistication in a system means fewer people able to maintain it, fully master it, fix it. Generally.
I can’t help but feel nostalgic for USSR in this regard, despite all the truths about it. Many people living there and then knew their shit on most basic technologies the society relied upon. Knew how various machine parts were called, knew enough of mechanical engineering to maintain machines, knew a lot of civil engineering (of the Soviet level naturally, but still a lot), knew enough of electricity and radio to fix stuff if needed (and not break it in the first place), could use a slide rule. Same with chemistry and agriculture. OK, “many” is an overstatement, but more common than now, and it seems to be the case in western countries too.
At my old government job, we had a fax machine because it “couldn’t be hacked”, so we would only accept certain documents via fax. Is this true? I have no idea. It was even more questionable when we switched the fax line to digital and received all the faxes via a software program on computers. Is THAT “un-hackable” too? No clue.