From owner-freebsd-hardware  Wed Mar 10  8:36:51 1999
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From: Richard Cownie <tich@ma.ikos.com>
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Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 11:37:54 -0500 (EST)
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To: dan@wolf.com, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG, tich@ma.ikos.com
Subject: Re: PCI WinModem
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>bites!), but that the very idea of offloading basic peripheral
>functional processing from the peripheral (where these functions
>belong) to the host OS is a Very Bad Idea.

I don't understand this reasoning.  A PCI WinModem is cheaper, 
probably more reliable (because there's less hardware to get broken),
and apparently just as fast.  A technical solution which is cheap,
reliable, and fast seems like a Very Good Idea to me.  Peripheral
processing only "belongs" in the peripheral if there's some advantage
to having it there (and for most people compatibility with FreeBSD/Linux
doesn't win any points).

The "optimal" division of functions between the peripheral and the host
CPU is changing over time as we have more and more horsepower to burn
in the CPU.  Personally I respect the fact that the Windows world is
willing to spend the time and effort to re-evaluate this tradeoff and
build a modem that only costs $15-20 - there's plenty I don't like about
Windows, but I admire the support for all varieties of ultra-cheap
hardware.

Richard Cownie (tich@ma.ikos.com)


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