flexfax: developement of a windows client

["Bernd Proissl" <news@proissl.de>]

I think about developing a new windows client for hylafax.

It will be in java because one of my reasons for the procecjt
is to become more familiar with java.

the planed features are:
- works like respond.exe (see respond on hylafax contrib page)
- needs printfax.pl on the server (see respond)
- needs a samba printer on the server (can be easyly configured via
  smb.conf, see respond-pages)
- should need only a java-runtime and an installed printer driver
  (e.g. Apple Laserwriter for PS-output) on the (windows) client
- no GUI-based configuration on the client side
  I don't no yet, but if the clients need individual configurations,
  they should be able to read it from an ascii-file which
  can be placed on a server.
- now i need only outgoing faxes, so i do not think about incoming
  faxes
- the user will see a journal of all of his sent faxes.
- the user must be able to view the fax by clicking on the appropriate entry
  in the list of sent faxes
- the viewer-application (e.g. ghostview) will allow to print the fax
(again)
  to the hylaxfax-printer and therefore the user can easiely retransmit the
fax
- the viewer-application (e.g. ghostview) will allow to print the fax
  to an standard printer for paper-based archival of selected faxes
  (the user has the posibility to print only selected faxes: thoses ones
  which have become important after haveing been faxed. So the user does not
  have to print ALL faxes in advance)
- printfax.pl is only able handle some fixed sendfax-parameters.
  I think about modifying
  it to do no paramater-processing at all. This allows the client maximum
  flexibility in passing parameters to sendfax.
- the java code will be based on code fragments from SuSeFax and
  FaxClient (see respond page)

Any suggestions are welcome!


Bernd Proissl