Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 11:37:54 -0500 (EST) From: Richard Cownie <tich@ma.ikos.com> To: dan@wolf.com, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG, tich@ma.ikos.com Subject: Re: PCI WinModem Message-ID: <199903101637.LAA20496@lonesome.ma.ikos.com>
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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) To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hardware" in the body of the message
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