Faxing is used by lots of organizations still, not just ones that are supposedly dying. I personally don't like faxing and would rather send stuff via e-mail... if you dial the fax number wrong it could lead to trouble. Since it is still widely used I wish it was easier to obtain a free fax program and was hoping that there would have been some useful comments instead of ignorance. Does anyone know a good program that works for Vista/Ubuntu?

redslime

Gina, thanks for the post on qipit. Lifehacker readers appreciate technology services that make life easier and that's the reason we developed qipit. BTW we recently launched a facebook application and have additional features in the works. As always, we welcome user input.

chametner

@Posco Grubb:

Is you're talking physical security, isn't someone just as likely to gain unauthorized physical access to your laptop as they are to a printed out fax?

If you're talking data transmission security: which have you heard more, "My website/email address/browser has been hacked" or "My fax machine has been hacked"? Do they make keyloggers/ trojans / viruses/ wireless WEP crackers for fax machines?

IMHO, Unless you're sending every single email encrypted, the route an email address is inherently less secure than the one to one hop a fax takes.

glitch1138

Fax... the technology that just will not go away. *sigh*

@jeffeb3: Faxes are more secure than emails?? Your secretary and your boss's mother can pick up your fax and read it without you knowing, so it's more secure?

Posco Grubb

@PAUL, I just use the one at my work, or go to an office depot or kinkos. It only costs me a dollar or two.

@JOSEPH, Some companies use faxes because it is much more secure than emails.

jeffeb3

This would be useful in those rare cases that I do need to send a fax as I have no landline.

Paul

@SnowLeopard: I agree. IMHO faxes are used by companies that are dying.

Joseph

To be honest I rarely use fax anymore, only when its the only choice basically. Most documents nowadays I need to get to people are sent over the web, or if I have a hard copy of something I need to send; Scan & Email. Its usually more convenient for the recipient and it involves little effort.

SnowLeopard

The same feature is also available with [scanR.com.] Use your cameraphone to take a photo of a document or whiteboard, email it to the scanR upload address, and include a fax number in the subject line. I've used this many times and it's never hiccuped.

nbr

@glitch1138: Re: physical security: It takes knowledge for someone with physical access to my computer to be able to get past multiple passwords. It takes no knowledge to walk into the room where the fax machine is. IMO, it's easier to break a locked door than to break a good password. Consider that most ID thefts use such low-tech strategies like dumpster-diving... not for hard disks, but for INK ON PAPER.

Re: transmission over the Internet: If data is sensitive, then I'd much rather encrypt than send to a fax machine and hope that the paper actually lands in your hands. At least email has the option of end-to-end security.

Posco Grubb