IBM seems to have come up with a way of turning 370s under VM into the most expensive fax mach-ines in the world. The Office Facsimile Application/VM Release 1 for host-attached terminals provides facsimile support for terminals in the VM office environment. It is an optional program in the OfficeVision/VM environment, and is a licensed program that enables the user to send and receive facsimile documents using the VM host system and the OFA FaxServer Version 1.1. FaxServer Version 1.1 is a licensed program installed on a PS/2 with a fax adaptor card which can be shared by multiple users on the same VM host system or by other users on the customer’s SNA network. Any Group III fax received by the IBM OFA FaxServer can be forwarded by an administrator to the recipient’s OV/VM or Profs mail address. The OFA/VM user can also send an RFT document, or any file that can be converted to RFT by DisplayWrite, from VM to a Group III fax machine via a FaxServer. The facsimile documents can be viewed from the host only if the VM host attached terminal and DisplayWrite/370 can produce images. Groups 10 to 60 have monthly licence charges ranging between $125 and $450. One-time charges start at $3,000 for group 10 and rise to $21,625 for group 60. The company has also come out with a maintenance release, Version 1.1, of the Office Facsimile Application, which has been repackaged to provide a new distribution method and revised terms and conditions. Previously announced upgrades from Version 1.0 to Version 1.1 are withdrawn – yet another broken promise. Version 1.1 consists of Office Facsimile Application FaxUser Version 1.1 and IBM Office Facsimile Application FaxServer Version 1.1. Additional capabilities include support for ASCII files and Revisable Form Text documents. It provides new support for a second vendor facsimile card from National Semiconductor, Quadram Products Group, and FaxServer Version 1.1 also supports the new Office Facsimile Application/VM Release 1 for host attached terminals in the VM environment, above. Office Facsimile Application FaxUser Version 1.1 costs $150, and the Faxserver Version 1.1 is $2,950.
