The fax concept itself (lat. Fac simile, “do it alike”) has a deep history. Back in 1843, Alexander Bein, a Scottish physicist, published a patent for wired image transmission technology. A little later, in 1855, Giovanni Caselli developed and improved this technology and created Pantelegraf, the world's first commercial fax machine. The first fax line was introduced between Paris and Lyon, and later Paris-Marseille and Moscow-Petersburg lines were created.
Early fax machines were made in pieces and were very different from modern designs. To use Pantelegraf, it was necessary to transfer the read data to a special sheet of lead foil using an insulating varnish. Using a pin, the device read out the pattern by “removing” the electrical conductivity from the sections. The received analog signal was transmitted to the receiver, and from the receiver side, the device recreated the image on paper moistened and impregnated with a special solution using electrochemical influence.
Practical faxes appeared shortly after the discovery of the laws of the photoelectric effect at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1902, Arthur Korn introduced the Bildtelegraph, a photovoltaic fax machine, which in 1908 allowed him to locate and detain the perpetrator by transmitting his photo portrait. The main problem of Bildtelegraph was its very low transmission speed.
In 1907, Eduard Belen created the Belenograph, which was characterized by a significantly higher speed. He received data by bleaching gelatin from specialized photo paper.
The next step in the development of fax technology was made in the 1920s due to the appearance of devices that amplify electrical vibrations, as well as electronic lamps. In 1924, Herbert Eaves presented a photo telegraph that successfully transferred a number of newspaper photographs from Cleveland to New York.
In general, these early faxes were not widespread, since the devices were characterized by high cost, bulkyness, difficulty in management and worked exclusively within their systems. They did not imply the choice of subscribers and were not intended for mass use.
In a more or less modern form, the fax originated in 1964, when Xerox launched the “Remote Xerox” system. Already in 1966, the Magnafax Telecopier fax machine was released, which was much smaller and easier to use than the previous generation devices, and transmitted the sheet in 6 minutes via a traditional telephone line. In the same year, ITU approved the standards for facsimile data transmission over analog networks - “group 1”.
The peak of fax development occurred in the 70s of the XX century. Various manufacturers began mass production of faxes, and they quickly became an integral part of office spaces. In 1978, ITU approved “Group 2,” a transmission standard that accelerated the transfer of data from a sheet of paper to three minutes.
Now, despite the development of various means of data transmission, the fax maintains its niche. This is largely due to the relatively high complexity of hacking. Unlike decentralized Internet networks, which are relatively easy to crack, traditional fax machines use much more centralized telephone networks, which are considered more secure against hacking. Also, a fax significantly complicates intentional data corruption, as in the analog “stream” of transmitted data it is extremely difficult to make a change that is invisible to the addressee.
Answer the questions. Do you find faxing an obsolete device? Why?
What fax features allow it not to be a thing of the past?