Re: [aclug-L] "Winmodems" for Linux

[Bob_Deep <bobd@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greg House wrote:
> 
> >For those who don't believe that a winmodem will work with Linux.
> >Read about this in some magazine recently and decided to check it out.
> > http://www.pctel.com/news/press8299.html
> 
> The next question is "Why?", given that a winmodem bogs your machine down by
> forcing more of the functionality off of the hardware into the (host)
> software. No thanks, I'd rather have a real modem.

Given today's avarage machine, and the computing power the system has, I
don't think I can easily dismiss this approach...  Most machines have
cycles to spair for this kind of thing, and cutting down the hardware
cost, even in this way, seems good for the consumer...

Don't get me wrong though.  I too don't like this approach, and from the
avarage Linux users point of view Winmodems are not going to be widely
accepted, and I seriously doubt that modems are going to be arround much
longer for most of us anyway...  With the advent of ADSL and Cable
Modems, the avarage person will have some other means of connection
within a few short years.  But this apporach has the advantage of being
cheaper to make.

In the mean time... I may consider this cheaper hardware as an option...
Even though I'd rather have a nice external, do it all modem, instead. 
I just may not have the money, and I know I have the horsepower to spair
on my dual P2 box :).  So I may just skimp on the modem cost, and get a
second CPU instead...

So these modems may make sense to some linux users, and may make it
possible to lower the retail costs of a linux ready machine even
further.. I'm for this development although I would advise folks agnist
it, I would not make it an absolute at this point..

-- 
      -=  Bob =-
Hey.. This is my mail and I charge for SPAM I receive...