Re: [hylafax-users] New way of using Eicom diva boards for fax reception

[Lee Howard <faxguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Luke McKee wrote:

> I've saw that the Mainpine people were saying a few negative things
> about the Eicon Diva server in earlier posts by suggesting to list
> readers not to buy these boards in contary to what the "official"
> hylafax howto says. 


Just so we're clear on a few things... the HOWTO does not say to buy an 
Eicon Diva Server.  (In fact, I have made deliberate efforts to keep it 
from *endorsing* any specific products.)  What it does say, however, in 
regards to the Eicon Diva Server is, "The Eicon Diva Server is known to 
work well."  That's all.  There is no recommendation for the user to go 
and buy it or not.  Again, the HOWTO modem section is not meant as a 
list of endorsements (as it seems people would prefer it to be), but 
rather as simple user-experience information.

In the HOWTO you'll notice a few statements involving Mainpine hardware, 
one touching on multiport modems, another touching on V.34-Fax modems, 
and another in listing manufacturers that use Agere chipsets (Agere and 
Rockwell/Conexant being named as chipsets that work "very well" for 
fax).  However, again, this is not meant to be an endorsement, but 
rather an explanation of user experience.

I've used Eicon Diva Servers, and I've used Mainpine hardware.  I don't 
really see how one of these products compete against another since one 
is for T1/E1/ISDN circuits and the other is for analogue... so I'm not 
really sure that the two markets compete against one another.  Maybe 
they do.  I'm not in a position to judge that.  But I can tell you that 
when I have a customer approach me for consultation that the decision is 
almost always out of my hands.  If they have a T1 circuit then we look 
for T1 interfaces.  If they have analogue lines then we look for 
analogue interfaces.

That said, my personal (not "official") preference is to use the Patton 
2977 instead of the Eicon Diva Server.  (However, others here have 
repeatedly expressed the exact opposite preference.)  My preference in 
this is *solely* based on the fact that when it comes to faxing I like 
*HylaFAX* to be in control because I can fix or work-around the vast 
majority of problems that may arise.  I like a true Class 1 interface 
where the modem obeys the Class 1 commands as it should (instead of 
running things proxy-style behind a Class 1/ Class 2 facade).

Unfortunately, HylaFAX does not have a native CAPI interface.  AVM and 
the CAPI4HylaFAX authors have, to my knowledge, not expressed a desire 
to cooperate in software development.  That said, I don't know much 
about CAPI - I don't know if I would favor CAPI over Class 1.

To my knowledge Eicon has never participated on this mailing list.  
However, Mainpine has been an on-list supporter for a long time now.  I 
give Mainpine credit for that.  I believe that the vast majority of the 
readership benefits from their participation here.  Mainpine doesn't 
control HylaFAX development or documentation, isn't in a position to put 
the software development in a conflict of interest, and doesn't abuse 
their posting privileges to the list.

To my knowledge both Mainpine and Eicon support their products well.  I 
don't know if Eicon tests their products actively with HylaFAX (and I 
would be somewhat surprised if they did), but I do know that Mainpine 
does... and I credit them also for that.  Again, I don't believe your 
constant harassment of them to be particularly productive.

The HOWTO cannot endorse products because an endorsement really, truly 
needs some kind of guarantee backing up that endorsement.  The user 
needs to be able to come back to someone who gives an endorsement and 
hold them responsible for it.  Giving a meaningful product endorsement 
is not something that the HOWTO can do.  I have to sit down and discuss 
things with each of my customers, discover their needs, discuss their 
concerns, and only after that kind of interviewing can I give a 
meaningful kind of endorsement.  Without that process all that I can 
give out is information.

Thanks,

Lee.


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