Bill,
Congratulations!
However, unfortunately, I still did not get from you the file which
failed: was it PostScript or not?
You can see that I was right, the problem was neither efax (nor efax in
gtk flavor) nor the modem.
It **is** important to know if your failure was due to using a
non-postscript file or to a bug in GhostScript or in a PostScript level
incompatibility.
You write: "In the efax-gtk Help section for "sending", it says "Before
sending afax,..........It must be in postscript format (a format
produced by all Unix/Linux word and document processors), and will be
converted by theprogram into the correct tiffg3 fax format."
This information is misleading: didn't you just succeed sending PDF, not
PostScript ???????
Now again, I repeat since you do not seem to have digested this.
GhostScript can take ONLY PostScript files as input, no kind of other
format. It renders out a large variety of formats matching a large
number of printers and displays including the TIFF format used by all
FAX machines. ONE input, a LOT of outputs to choose from.
There is one thing which you must understand. Printers can only print
graphics material, actually matrices of dots, be they ink jet or laser
or whatever else. They do not have a mechanical typewriter in there.
Displays and FAX machines show exactly the same way.
So, you CANNOT print a doc file or a xls file or etc.... without first
connverting it into graphics.
I will assume that you are using OpenOffice to create your doc,xls,etc
... files.
NONE of the formats available when you "Save as" is graphics. To be able
to print or display or fax, you must
convert the file. With displays OpenOffice does it automatically. To get
a printable file, it offers you the EXPORT command (which excellently
create a PDF graphucs file) or the PRINT TO FILE capability in the PRINT
command. PRINT TO FILE converts into PostScript. Otherwise when you want
to really print on real paper from
OpenOffice, you have to select a printer and the "printer properties"
define what has to be done to build a graphics file matching a given
printer: almost always it will create a temporary PostScript file then
invoke GhostScript with
the right "properties" matching the printer.
I would not like to let any reader believe that there are no other ways
to convert graphics formats in Linux, nor that I am so ignorant as not
to know which. Any reasonable Linux distributions contains ImageMagick
which itself contains scores of converters, but discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
is not the place to discuss such issues. GhostScript is no more than one
of those converters, converting POSTSCRIPT ONLY into PLENTY of formats
for printer engines.
If you were trying to FAX a doc or an xls file, no wonder that
GhostScript bombed.
But if you had converted your whatever file (doc, xls,...) into
PostScript, then there might be a bug in GhostScript.
This is why I keep insisting to see the very file which you were trying
to fax out.
The Ubuntu styled "bug report" which you earlier suggested to read
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/efax/+bug/384317
contains this gem:
"Only by exporting the file in . Pdf and after putting it into another
folder, you can proceed to the fax."
The author of this gem seemingly expected non graphics to become
graphics by black magic without having to "export" his FAX object.
Not to speak about "another folder".
I wish you can find better readings ....
When I read such things, I ask myself if there is or not a bug
alltogether, except in the brain of the people who wrote about that
alleged efax bug in
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/efax/+bug/384317 .
Ubuntu style, that is.
Accessorily misleading and driving mad the innocent readers of that
litterature.
Jacques
A4Skyhawk wrote:
Jacques:
Aha! Success! I am using efax-gtk in Ubuntu 9.04, and in
File/Settings/View I changed the postscript viewer program from 'gv' to
'evince', so now when I use the file selection dialog to browse for the file
to be faxed, then select it, then press "view", the document viewer will
display the file -- but only if it is a .pdf or .jpg (the only 2 that have
worked for me so far), and NOT if it is .doc or .xls. So I selected a .pdf
file to fax, and it was successfully transmitted & received at the
destination phone number. Praise all progress!
In the efax-gtk Help section for "sending", it says "Before sending a
fax,..........It must be in postscript format (a format produced by all
Unix/Linux word and document processors), and will be converted by the
program into the correct tiffg3 fax format."
So what does this mean (I am still new -2 months -to the Linux OS,
after many years using MS)? Does Ghostscript handle only certain file
types? What types can be "translated" by Ghostscript? How are other file
types converted into acceptable types?
Re your request for my command line info, I haven't gotten any further
than $ sudo wvdial. I would prefer using the efax-gtk program than using
the command line approach (probably because I am very inexperienced at it --
for example, I am still confused by what phone number needs to be put into
the .conf file!).
TIA,
Bill
Jacques Goldberg wrote:
Dear Bill,
May I kindly repeat my suggestion in my former mail?
Could you please send me the file which you are trying to FAX, the exact
copy of what you type as a command, and the exact and complete error
message which you get?
In your mail I only see: GPL Ghostscript 8.64: Unrecoveraable error,
exit code 1.
But, although I answered many mails today, I believe that you earlier
quoted something more useful like
the file not being a PostScript file.
GhostScript is a program which converts the contents of a PostScript
file into matrices of points which can primarily
be printed, point by point, by a very large number of printers (with a
dedicated driver for each model of printer), and accessorily do it as
well to "print" on a display (one names this a "preview"). One of the
output formats within
GhostScript is TIFF which is the only one which is understood by FAX
hardware on a phone line.
GhostScript has ABSOLUTELY NO INTERACTION WITH THE MODEM.
So if the message which occurs to you is indeed GPL Ghostscript 8.64:
Unrecoveraable error, exit code 1., then the problem is
-definitely not with the modem
-definitely not with efax / efax-gtk software which just INVOKES
GhostScript
-quite possibly that the file which you try to FAX out is NOT a
PostScript file
-quite possibly, if the file is indeed a PostScript file, that there is
a bug in GhostScript, NOT IN EFAX
-quite possibly, an incompatibility of PostScript definition level
(there exist 3: level 1, level 2, level 3) between
GhostScript version 8.64 and the software (which software? A word
processor perhaps, or a maths application generating PostScript
graphics) which has been used to create the file which you are trying to
FAX out.
This is why, I repeat, while the Ubuntu crap discussion is (almost)
useless, I need to have your file, the command which fails, and the
exact and complete failure messages visible on your screen.
I just wrote "almost useless" because there is one valuable information
in the crap: The "bug" disappears when the output of the word processor
is set to come in PDF format. Not surprising, PDF is displayed among
others by Acroread, not by GhostScript. The value of this info is to
hopefully convince you that the problem is NOT with
efax/efax-gtk nor with the modem.
Best regards
Jacques
A4Skyhawk wrote:
Jasques/Marvin:
Thank you for explaining and clarifying the meaning of the
"AT..../Not
supported" report.
And sage advice re reading the manual. I am doing that now.
In the mean time, I found this bug report --
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/efax/+bug/384317
This is exactly the problem that I experience when I try to fax using the
efax-gtk program from Ubuntu 9.04.
Bill
Jacques Goldberg wrote:
No Bill, this does not indicate any further problem.
You have asked the Vista device manager what your modem can do.
The Vista device manager replied that the modem is not able to handle
CALLER ID (using this command; there
are other ways, see
http://www.troi.com/support/callerid.html
If I understood correctly, you are trying to send a FAX, not to enable
or disable Caller ID, so this is NOT another problem at this time, nor
will it if you want some day to enable/disable caller ID when the modem
is set to automatically receive faxes: the modem cannot do it. This is
not a problem, this is a feature.
Jacques
A4Skyhawk wrote:
Marvin:
When I "query" the modem from Win Vista/Device Mgr (I have a
separate
partition for WinVista), all responses look OK (to my inexperienced
eye),
except for command "AT#CLS=?", for which the Device Mgr reports
"Command
not
supported".
Does this indicate another problem?
TIA,
Bill Lowther
Marvin Stodolsky wrote:
To setup the modem in the future, it should suffice to just:
$ sudo modprobe agrserial
Then after once following Jacques guidance below,
again try dialout with:
$ sudo wvdial
MarvS
On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 12:24 PM, Jacques Goldberg
<Jacques.Goldberg@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Bill,
You simply did not understand S6 which is possibly not sufficiently
explicit.
Edit wvdial.conf as shown
Find the following lines:
; Phone = ISDN = 0
; Username = Init1 = ATZ
; Password =
Remove the three semicolons
Insert your ISP phone number after the first equal sign as in
Phone = 111222333
and do the same for the Username and Password given to you by your
ISP
Jacques
A4Skyhawk wrote:
Marvin:
Here is what you suggested (S#), followed by what I did and the
results
I got (R#):
S1) First best to complete general support for dialout with the
wvdial_jaunty_i386.zip at the bottom of
http://linmodems.technion.ac.il/packages/
Unpack under Linux with: $ unzip wvial*.zip
Move into the new folder: $ cd wvdial_jaunty_i386
$ ls and install with: $ sudo dpkg -i *.deb
R1) I looked at the packages available in the Synaptic Package
Manager
and
saw "wvdial" and I installed it (v 1.60.1+nmu2 (jaunty)). I could
not
determine the version of
the wvdial file at the linmodem url above, so please let me know if
I
should
still proceed as you suggested.
S2) Next best get the general driver update automation provided by
package
dkms R2) This paackage was already intalled on my system.
S3) Then from
http://linmodems.technion.ac.il/packages/ltmodem/11c11040/
agrsm-tools_0.0.1_all.deb
agrsm06pci_2.1.80~20090825_i386.de
R3) I did the above.
S4) If not run automatically, after these installations run; $ sudo
agrsm-test
R4) I did the above. Report shown below:
Loading drivers:
Drivers loaded:
agrserial 19808 0 agrmodem 1340932 1
and symbolic link created:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 12 2009-10-10 21:39 /dev/ttySAGR ->
/dev/ttyAGS3
Checking for utility wvdialconf
Found /usr/bin/wvdialconf, preparing to run:
wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf
A file /etc/wvdial.conf already exists, first renaming to
/etc/wvdial.200910103910
Modem Port Scan<*1>: S0 S1 S2 S3 ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 --
OK
ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 Z -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0 -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Modem Identifier: ATI -- Agere SoftModem Version
2.1.80.0
ttySAGR<*1>: Speed 4800: AT -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Speed 9600: AT -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Speed 19200: AT -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Speed 38400: AT -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Speed 57600: AT -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Speed 115200: AT -- OK
ttySAGR<*1>: Max speed is 115200; that should be safe.
ttySAGR<*1>: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0 -- OK
/etc/wvdial.conf<Warn>: Can't open '/etc/wvdial.conf' for reading:
No
such
file or directory
/etc/wvdial.conf<Warn>: ...starting with blank configuration.
ttySAGR<Info>: Speed 115200; init "ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2
+FCLASS=0"
Found a modem on /dev/ttySAGR.
Modem detection successful
Read wdial.txt
Then edit /etc/wvdial.conf with: sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf
at the lines beginning with ; and deleting the ; < > "
Then try a dialout with: sudo wvdial
*************************************************************************
S5) from the above txt - Read wdial.txt
R5) I could not read "wdial.txt" as I could not find it.
S6) from the above txt - Then edit /etc/wvdial.conf with: sudo
gedit
/etc/wvdial.conf
at the lines beginning with ; and deleting the ; < > "
R6) I did the above and left the line blank, so the .conf looks like
the
following
[Dialer Defaults]
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Modem Type = Analog Modem
; Phone = ISDN = 0
; Username = Init1 = ATZ
; Password = Modem = /dev/ttySAGR
Baud = 115200
S7) Then try a dialout with: sudo wvdial
R7) I get the following
:~$ sudo wvdial
--> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.60
--> Initializing modem.
--> Sending: ATZ
ATZ
OK
--> Sending: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
OK
--> Modem initialized.
--> Configuration does not specify a valid phone number.
--> Configuration does not specify a valid login name.
--> Configuration does not specify a valid password
***********************************************************************
I have disabled "Play alerts and sound affects" in Sound.
What is my next step? Should I download efax and efax-gtk?
TIA,
Bill Lowther
Marvin Stodolsky wrote:
Bill,
If fax is not functional under Microsoft, likely it will not be
under
Linux either.
Many of the cheap consumer Winmodems are not Fax competent. If you
need robust fax service,
best purchase a Controller Chipset (hardware) modem. Read the
InfoGeneral.txt for details.
for more ordinary dialout services with your:
Communication controller: Agere Systems Device 0620"
CLASS=0780
PCIDEV=11c1:0620
SUBSYS=11c1:0620
IRQ=5
IDENT=agrsm
Under CPU=i686, Ubuntu Linux version 2.6.28-15-generic
First best to complete general support for dialout with the
wvdial_jaunty_i386.zip at the bottom of
http://linmodems.technion.ac.il/packages/
Unpack under Linux with:
$ unzip wvial*.zip
Move into the new folder:
$ cd wvdial_jaunty_i386
$ ls
and install with:
$ sudo dpkg -i *.deb
Next best get the general driver update automation provided by
package
dkms:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=dkms&searchon=names&suite=jaunty§ion=all
Then from
http://linmodems.technion.ac.il/packages/ltmodem/11c11040/
agrsm-tools_0.0.1_all.deb
agrsm06pci_2.1.80~20090825_i386.deb
In a common folder with the dkms and these to packages,
all can be co-installed with:
$ sudo dpkg -i *.deb
If not run automatically, after these installations run;
$ sudo agrsm-test
Write back to the List (not me directly) if further help is needed.
Sometimes it is necessary to disable Sound (pulseaudio) to achieve
service with this modem and the agrsm software, see below.
MarvS
===========
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jan Groenewald <jan@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Subject: Re: Jan, South Africa, 2.6.27-7-generic, Agere on Jaunty
To: Marvin Stodolsky <marvin.stodolsky@xxxxxxxxx>
Hi
On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 10:48:23AM -0400, Marvin Stodolsky wrote:
You can't blacklist snd-hda-intel as the agrsm drivers depend on it
for 11c11040 chips
Try:
$ sudo /etc/init.d/pulseaudio stop
before the modem tests.
OK, it tries to dial. \o/
/etc/init.d/pulseadio {stop,force-stop} does not work;
says pulseaudio configured on a per user session basis.
I had to use some methods in
http://idyllictux.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/ubuntu-904-jaunty-keeping-the-beast-pulseaudio-at-bay/
sudo mv /etc/X11/Xsession.d/70pulseaudio /root/
sudo update-rc.d -f pulseaudio remove
asoundconf unset-pulseaudio
/etc/pulse/client.conf:autospawn = no
System > Preferences > Sound >> all set to pulse (I will
later try to enable Alsa while using the modem; this way
it is all off; jaunty with intrepid kernel.)
Attached some files. I think I need to check with the owner
of the account on the username/password again, the username
looked funny with two @ signs in it, but they reassured me
that is what the provider told them.
I use gnome-ppp for a user in the dialout and dip groups.
regards,
Jan
--
On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 11:19 PM, Bill <donnabill22@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam:
I recently purchase a new eMachine computer (model #ET1161-05),
with Windows Vista Home Basic included. I have installed Ubuntu
9.04
on
one partition of the hard drive and kept the Windows on another
partition. Vista Home Basic does not support faxing operation,
however,
there is a modem that is detected by Device Manager.
I have run the scanModem program. The attached report confirms
that there is an Agere modem on board. At this point I am
confused
as
to whether or not it can be used in a Linux system. Your
assistance
would be greatly appreciated.
In the event that the Agere modem cannot be used, or if
modifying
it
would be beyond my abilities (this is my first experience with
Linux
-
all previous computers had Windows), what would you recommend
regarding
new modem/driver purchase/installation?
I am in the USA.
TIA,
Bill Lowther
