Very Computer

i've got an ibook/600, so i have no internet connectivity (unless
i drive to my local coffee shop to use the airport card).

could anybody recommend a nice, *small* usb modem? a quick search
on google brought up the Multi-Tech v.90 (2 ozs). this soft-modem
thing bites. i feel like i did back back in the 1.x kernel days: damnit,
why doesn't this piece of *%$^ hardware work! ;)

tia,

Bill

For years we've been *ing about "winmodems", and that they would
never work with a Unix system because they relied on proprietary drivers
that only Microsoft knows about.

Now all of a sudden, Apple has the same thing! How did Apple manage to
figure it out how to make them work?

Clearly Apple has "unix-like" drivers for them, because they work fine
under OS X. Is it a simple matter of Apple releasing those specs? Even a
closed source one would work, right?

yes it must. I have one of the first 500 that came out in may last year.
At first i was dissapionted that they speed bumped it and increased the
bus speed a few months after getting mine. But now i'm sorter glad. I
don't know whats the best type of usb modem you should get, but make
sure its totaly compatable before you pay. Try and get one that you know
works, either by a freind having one or a preview/review, or something.
What distro are you using?
Colin

On Mon, 01 Apr 2002 11:13:50 -0800,

+> For years we've been *ing about "winmodems", and that they would
+> never work with a Unix system because they relied on proprietary drivers
+> that only Microsoft knows about.
+>
+> Now all of a sudden, Apple has the same thing! How did Apple manage to
+> figure it out how to make them work?

It isn't a unix problem, per se.

It's always been a matter of who knows what about whom. I suspect that
the hardware vendor is actually writing the drivers for Apple so they
can sell more modems to Apple.

And yes, a driver could be made for linux. For instance, certain
lucent chipsets in winmodems are supported under linux. Why? because
lucent decided that releasing binary drivers for linux wasn't a
horrible idea.

James
--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow
isn't looking good, either.
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.

do i miss something,

i thought the  modems in an ibook is working. i heavent tried it jet myself.

can somebody bring light into my darkness? is there a difference between
the colored ones and the ti ones?

thanks

oliver

<snip>

iirc, somebody mentioned the chipset in the new ibook modems carries the
same chipset as other wintel notebooks. there are proprietary and
closed-source (aka binary) linux drivers for those chipsets, but they're
arch specific (i.e. for x86), and being closed-source, can't be ported to
ppc.

personally, i'd pass a few bucks to somebody trying to scratch that itch.
i'd rather give $$ to a free-software project then to another manufactuer
for a piece of hardware i don't even need.

this is why i posted the question ;) suggesstions, anybody?
i'm using debian gnu/linux, woody (3.0?).

On Mon, 01 Apr 2002 22:45:03 GMT,


+> > On Mon, 01 Apr 2002 11:13:50 -0800,

+> > +> For years we've been *ing about "winmodems", and that they would
+> > +> never work with a Unix system because they relied on proprietary drivers
+> > +> that only Microsoft knows about.
+> > +>
+> > +> Now all of a sudden, Apple has the same thing! How did Apple manage to
+> > +> figure it out how to make them work?
+> >
+> > It isn't a unix problem, per se.
+> >
+> > It's always been a matter of who knows what about whom. I suspect that
+> > the hardware vendor is actually writing the drivers for Apple so they
+> > can sell more modems to Apple.
+>
+> > And yes, a driver could be made for linux. For instance, certain
+> > lucent chipsets in winmodems are supported under linux. Why? because
+> > lucent decided that releasing binary drivers for linux wasn't a
+> > horrible idea.
+> >
+> <snip>
+>
+> iirc, somebody mentioned the chipset in the new ibook modems carries the
+> same chipset as other wintel notebooks. there are proprietary and
+> closed-source (aka binary) linux drivers for those chipsets, but they're
+> arch specific (i.e. for x86), and being closed-source, can't be ported to
+> ppc.
+>
+> personally, i'd pass a few bucks to somebody trying to scratch that itch.
+> i'd rather give $$ to a free-software project then to another manufactuer
+> for a piece of hardware i don't even need.

Personally, I'd rather buy hardware from people clueful enough to give
me what I want. This is the reason I despise internal modems in laptops,
since I don't get to *choose* what I get.

James
--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow
isn't looking good, either.
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.