WinModems (Was [NCLUG] IDE RAID

[dmiles]

touche

I'm convinced

On Tue, 6 Nov 2001 15:51:14 -0700, Michael Dwyer <mdwyer at sixthdimension.com>  wrote:
> > With the fast proc's out on the market right now, driving simple
> devices is pretty much
> > not a problem anymore and so the logical step is that we can make
> hardware more cheaply
> > if it's "dumb hardware" and if we have that ultra-fast system proc
> driving it it could
> > end up working faster than "smart hardware" anyway. It's a good idea.
> 
> I guess my problem is that such fast hardware processors came
> significanly
> after the Win-* phenomena.  I recall a blazing fast 300MHz P2 being
> brought to its knees when its Winmodem wanted to dial.  That isn't
> reasonable to me.  Your modem shouldn't cause your MP3s to skip. Period.
> 
> I buy fast processors because I want fast processors.  If I get a faster
> processor and run it with a WinModem and a Dumb Inkjet, did I really
> make a step forward?
> 
> > People have such a problem with winmodems because M$ has so many
> anti-competitave
> > fingers in that area that it can be a royal pain to find drivers for
> the device in anything
> > but Windows. If you can find a driver for your winmodem, more power to
> you but that
> > find is just not likely. :)
> 
> To Bryan's credit, that's only halfway true.  The lt-winmodem driver is
> actually quite viable right now.  I've used it a couple of times, now,
> and it works rather well.  In Linux, at least.
> 
> But I can plug my PostScript printer into anything from an Mac II to a
> iMac G4.  I can plug it into an AIX RS6000.  I can use it under Windows
> or Linux without any thought of the difference.  It isn't going to
> leech power from any of those platforms, either.
> 
> The same thing with my venerable 2400 baud Zoom modem. (heh.)  I can
> plug it into any of those platforms without special drivers or anything.
> My USB mouse and keyboard are intelligent -- I can plug them into
> any OS that supports USB and they will work.
> 
> That's where I'm trying to go with the transparent RAID idea.  Support
> for Linux is difficult to find when the drivers are complex.  But if
> you make the /hardware/ complex, then the drivers are simple, and
> easy to port.
> 
> Obviously, this does make the hardware more expensive.  That goes
> without saying.  I suspect that the uproar about Winmodems is that
> they are sold as real modems, when they clearly are a totally
> different beast.  I would have no problems with Windmodems if they
> were all clearly labeled as such. (A legal impossibility, since
> someone has a (tm) on Winmodem)
> 
> Irony:  3Com sells a Real modem as a way to speed up gaming! "Built
> in controller means less processor power needed!"  And suddenly
> people begin to get what we've been saying all along...
> 
> And yeah, I know what John Carmack says about Winmodems.  I think
> he's dreaming.  You want less latency in gaming?  *Lose* the modem.
> Right now, Winmodems are a draw on processor resources, and the
> ONLY benefit of them is cost.
> 
> In my humble opinion, of course...
> -mdwyer, perfecting the WinEthernet Card and the Controllerless HDD
> 
> 
> 
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