![]() Opening the file takes you to an envelope-like screen that gives you some information on the file, lets you enter a password, and displays a few ads, complete with web links.Īfter you get by the information screen, you can read your faxes. When you launch the application, you are shown an Open File dialog box (using Navigation Services) that lets you pick which file you want to view. While the documentation is nonexistent (you get a one page fax file included with the eFax Microviewer informing you of other eFax services), the interface is so clean that you will not notice that it’s missing. Considering eFax is giving the Microviewer away, they certainly took steps to make Mac users feel at home. The fact is, looks do matter, especially to Mac users. For early adopters, however, it is a bit annoying. For new users of the service, this is not a major issue, since they will likely never see a TIFF-F file. In order to access your old faxes, you must either fax them to yourself or keep around a copy of your TIFF-F viewer of choice. efx files, eFax did not bother to include the ability to read TIFF-F files. There is a reason for this: in facilitating the switch from TIFF-F files to. You may have noticed that I used TIFF-Sight for the image of the TIFF-F file. Therefore, you cannot e-mail somebody a fax you received without first giving them your password. The only downside to the encryption is that there’s no way to disable it. ![]() If you are the only person using you machine, you can tell the Microviewer to remember you password, but for multi-user systems, every user can receive and store their own encrypted faxes. If you have encryption turned on, your faxes are encoded with your password so only you can have access to them. This is not some password that you assign in the system preferences - this password is set in the account management area on the eFax Web site. Whenever you open an encrypted fax, you are presented with a dialog box asking for your password. Additionally, the encryption continues to protect your faxes once they are on your machine. This encryption prevents somebody from looking at your faxes while they are en route to you. This was one of the major shortcomings of the TIFF-F files format, as well as one of the features Windows users had that was unavailable to Mac users. efx files also allows eFax to implement encryption of all fax files. efx file, on the right, was viewed in the eFax Microviewer, while the TIFF-F file, on the left, was viewed with TIFF-Sight. Below are images of the two files for comparison’s sake. By using their own compression scheme, eFax was able to cut the file size without sacrificing quality. efx file, however, came in at a slim 60K. The TIFF-F weighed in at 196K-not overly hefty, but by no means fit and trim, especially over a slower Internet connection. Well, that 4 page document has returned for a second trip through the eFax system and we now have the results. Back in 5.06, I sent several test files through eFax, including a 4 page text document. efx files are much smaller than their TIFF-F counterparts. First, the viewer is free, so the original promise of eFax is fulfilled. There are several advantages to this format. When Mac users indicate that they have downloaded the new Microviewer, they are switched over to the proprietary. As I mentioned earlier, the TIFF-F format was used for non-Windows operating systems because applications that could view these files were fairly common. The eFax Microviewer changed the way the service was handled for Mac users. At Macworld New York, released the eFax Microviewer for the Mac. When I last assessed the state of service on the Mac side of things, I said “there must be a better way to do this.” Apparently, somebody was listening. To the best of my knowledge, GraphicsViewer is the next best pick, cost-wise, at $35. The most inexpensive TIFF-F viewer, TIFF-Sight, costs only $10 but has been pulled from distribution. Second, it was impossible to view TIFF-F files on a Mac without paying for software, thus defeating the whole idea of a free service. Whoever supplies your e-mail services, be it an ISP or an employer, can easily take a peak at what you are receiving. First, faxes sent via e-mail are subject to the same security issues as regular e-mail. ![]() While allowing Mac users receive their faxes as e-mail anywhere in the world, this approach did have some problems. Unlike most competitors, though, eFax let users of other operating systems use their service by distributing files in the TIFF-F format. Like most of the fax to e-mail services currently available, eFaxes’ proprietary software was available for Windows only. Requirements: System 7.0.1 or higher (System 7.5.3 or above recommended)
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