Hi Folks,


Just for the record: I am a Mac User.

But I believe my question is a simple UNIX FBSD question.

My problem: I need to learn how to "pick up" the telephone line and dial a number from an Unix shell or shell script execution.

My modem is at /dev/cu.modem

Why I need it?

I have an eletronic circuit in my office that is talking to a program in my computer. In case something goes wrong in the circuit, I would like my computer to dial me at my cell phone.

I have succesfullly done it using the efax command, using an AppleScript that accesses a shell via "do shell script blah, blah, blah". In fact the script tries to send me a fax at my cell phone.

I believe that there should be an Unix command built into my system that would let me to do this simple task.

Thanks for your help,


Bernardo Höhl - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

If you want to dial via a shell script perhaps echoing the AT commands to the device might work. echo "ATAH" > /dev/cu.modem. Not sure though.

Your best bet would be to find a dialer that would be used for dialing an ISP to connect the computer to the internet and modify the settings to dial your cellphone.

Google and Sourceforge.net are your best bets for that.

-Seg

Hi Seg!

Thanks for posting.

Unfortunately your "echo" tip did not work.

I have also successfully applescripted the program "Internet Connect", as you sugested. And it worked.

As I said, the best I have achieved is using built in eFax. And I believe eFax is using some resource I could be using directly... Daemon? Protocol?

But for my education, I would like to learn how to do it the right way.

Any variations I could try on echoeing?

Thanks again.

I don't think there is a 'right way', just get by with what you've got. Glad you got it to work.

-Seg

I'm not a mac user, but there are typically programs called "cu" or "tip" to do this on most versions of unix.

No manual entry for cu or tip...