Ask HN: Is email the new fax? - Fsp2WFuH
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spyckie2
No. Fax is a specific communication medium where you can send physical
documents to others, and was replaced by email because email was a general
communication medium that was more accessible (everyone had it), and didn't
have as high costs to accessibility especially for non business users (fax
machine).

The current trend is actually the reverse: general communication is being
replaced by specific communication that is better suited for the type of
communication it is. Social, pictures, group chat, business collaboration,
negotiation/agreement, etc - email CAN function as the medium but is not
ideal, whereas the apps that replace email streamline the communication
experience.

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notheguyouthink
I've been wishing we'd come out with a few new email expectations, like email
in json format or something. It sounds insane I know, but right now all email
is human intended, right? Yet, I _love_ the distributed medium over email.. I
want more of it.

I realized I want more when, a while back, I saw someone working on a social
network over email. I realized that it's a brilliantly low-tech solution to a
problem people are trying to solve in fairly complex and inventive ways _(like
Scuttlebutt)_. Social network posts as email would be an interesting approach
to the problem.

Back to my original statement, data emails would allow users to carry a pile
of application data (like their social net feed) with them. Since email is
something federated, backup-able, migrate-able, etc - users would own their
own data. I like that idea.

Fundamentally I love the idea of email. I do of course have reservations with
the idea of introducing non-human oriented emails, but I hope you _(reader)_
can look past that and onto the intent - offering slightly more feature to a
robust, tried and true platform.

I say "slightly more" with care. Lest we make email a steaming pile of
innovation like we always do.

~~~
spyckie2
This is why I was so in love with Google wave, and so disappointed in it's
result.

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newscracker
In the sense that it's not used as widely, except in certain circumstances? No
way! Email is here to stay for a long, long time (maybe even beyond the
lifespan of anyone reading this in 2018). Even if person-to-person
communication has shifted to different apps and platforms (like Facebook or
Telegram or WhatsApp or Snapchat or Instagram or Google+ or what have you),
communications within companies and communications from companies to
customers, potential customers, suppliers and others, are cases of large scale
regular use of email — as a communication platform and an archival platform.

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randomerr
Yes. We have our Exchange system setup that if we have 'SECURE' in the title
it will check if we TLS agreement with the receiving server. If we do, we'll
send the email through with encryption. If not, the receiver is required to
sign-up for our secure web service and then use a one-time code to download
the file.

We do limit the file size of what we'll send in encryption. But does someone
really need a 3 gig PDF?

We really only keep fax for government requirements and the few outliers that
will not cut the phone cord. We were getting some many junk faxes we had to
implement a white-list.

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na85
Yes, it is the new fax, in a good way.

I wish everyone would stop trying to disrupt it.

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gsich
Every "competitor" has the same problem: No federation and walled garden.
Email is compatible with every programming language, device, operating system
... you name it. It's the most compatible system there is. Try sending a
message from Slack to Whatsapp for comparison.

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jnordwick
As in dated technology that is still chugging along? Yes.

As in terms of usage? No.

I still have to fax things to the government, and I have no idea why. For
example, I had to fax an old tax return to California Franchise Tax Board, but
they would only accept mail or fax.

And I never scan something and email it. Even banks went straight past email
check deposits to smart phone photo check deposit. I put pictures on the web.
I text things way more. I use Google Docs, Drive, DropBox, or the cloud for
about everything else.

~~~
jlgaddis
> _... but they would only accept mail or fax._

It's because the USPS (and FedEx, UPS, et al.) and fax are considered "secure"
methods of transmission for confidential or private information (including
PHI).

E-mail is not, because it travels over the public Internet.

~~~
Rjevski
But technically it’s just as insecure, if not more - email has opportunistic
encryption, fax doesn’t.

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htsideup
It's the new (old) fax since the 90s.

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partycoder
Whoever argues that Slack is the new thing, I give you this

    
    
        > sudo ps_mem | grep slack
        564.3 MiB +  72.4 MiB = 636.8 MiB	slack (5)
    

I run it because I have to, but I really hate how bloated it is, and how the
background color (white) cannot be changed.

Usually end up running "xcalib -i -a" (invert colors) before switching to
slack.

