On Fri, 29 Nov 2002, Bill wrote:
It may be old and outdated, but I am new to linux. I'm just relaying the experiences I've had. Yes, I understand that some Win-modems can be made to work with linux but not all.
True.
However, my approach to the whole Win-whatever thing is to totally divorce myself from Windows in whatever shape or form.
OK, then let's call those socalled win-modems what they really are: software-controlled telephone line interfaces. This also makes it a lot easier to see some of the interesting stuff they could be used for. If you just need a plain old modem, get a hardware modem. On that we agree. If, however, you find the thought of a computerized, completely programmable telephone interesting, a soft-modem is for you. How about a phone that: - pages you about important email? - give unwanted callers an automatic response while letting friends through? - interfaces with your address-book application? - has voice dialing? - tells you the name of the caller? - will use Voice-over-IP if available? - can be a switchboard? (That also knows who is still at work - and not in a meeting.) - has a touch-tone gateway? (Press 1 if you want to ...) Most of these things are not possible with a traditional modem, but since a winmodem has its functionality primarily in software, it is only a matter of actually writing the software for it. Just some food for thought. Just because some people call it Win-something, it doesn't have to be totally bad. Regards Ole