hmm,
Fax broadcasts are traditionally done to a set group of recipients (e.g. a companies interstate offices) as traditional fax based devices require these destinations to be pre-programmed in the device phonebook, these phone books entries in many cases can be set up with the recipient capabilities also defined for that individual recipient (e.g. resolution, compression , page size etc).
Let's not forget that broadcasting is loosing popularity as mail merge to network fax / email provides more effective broadcasting due to the ability to address a specific individual as a recipient.
I am currently surveying a number of sites (Australian) that are currently using Internet Fax and preliminary data indicates that over 98% of traffic is to a single recipient.
However, I do acknowledge that this may not be the case in other countries or in the future as Internet fax capable devices become more affordable.
Gerry
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert A. Rosenberg [mailto:hal9001@panix.com]
Sent: Friday, 5 July 2002 4:09 AM
To: ietf@ietf.org; ietf-fax@imc.org
Subject: RE: Last Call: SMTP Service Extension for Content Negotiation
to Proposed Standard
At 09:31 +1000 on 07/04/2002, Gerry Sancataldo wrote about RE: Last
Call: SMTP Service Extension for Content Negot:
>Hi all,
>
>I am involved in the technical support/ training area for fax and
>internet fax devices and would just like to add that typically a
>message/transaction is directed to one recipient only.
>
>(I make no judgement as to other services that may piggyback on SMTP
>and if they will typically include multiple recipients).
>
>As the number of Multi-function devices supporting Internet fax move
>to an increasing number of options (colour copiers etc supporting
>Internet fax) I suspect that the onus should be on the recipient
>client to confirm its capabilities, not the server.
>
>I make no judgement as to other services that may piggyback on SMTP
>and if they will typically include multiple recipients.
>
>
>Cheers,
>
>Gerry
I think you might be looking at the issue from a inaccurate
prospective. What is being attempted is to port the "Fax Broadcast"
Scenario to delivering the Fax via the Internet as opposed to POTS.
In the POTS Broadcast method, each copy is a separate connection and
thus any reformatting is done due to the Connect Handshake
Capabilities exchange. This tailoring capability needs to be
preserved. If you feel (or have some data to support) that only an
insignificant number of the total Fax Volume are Broadcast
(multi-addressed) Faxes, then that might support your initial
statement.