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The Linux Modem Problem?

Posted by Cliff on from the no-carrier? dept.

muonman asks: "There is a business in town which refurbishes old computers and distributes them to kids, roughly at cost. Part of this cost is a $5 license for Windows 98 (they do use OpenOffice, tho). I have outlined to them the benefits of migrating to Linux, but the showstopper is modems, which most of their customers require. They buy in bulk at $4 each, with unpredictable chipsets. I can find reliable(?) drivers for Smartlinks, but cant buy them for less than $6 each, and I hate to recommend the switch in suppliers without more info. I haven't had luck getting license info from linuxant for using Conexants. It seems there has been no activity on the linmodem front for some time. Any wisdom from the Slashdot crowd?"

5 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Contact the modem manufactures for donations by joelparker · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Have you asked the modem manufacturers to give it to you for free?

    This is often possible for software when there's good public relations and/or a tax-writeoff.

  2. Not much help but by Red+Moose · · Score: 3, Insightful
    ....wouldn't it be a symptom of the increasing use of broadband (worldwide). I'm sure the guys who originally were making linux drivers for the shitty winmodems that used to ship with Dell and Gateways from around 1998-2001 when linux started to get in the news have long since migrated to some broadband type of connection.

    This isn't a flaw in the open source development method - plenty of companies don't bother supporting old devices either (or old software for that matter).

    --

    Acting stupid isn't much fun when there's someone around who knows better

  3. Where is the problem? by NotoriousQ · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Total Cost Delta:
    +$2 modem
    -$5 windows
    -----------------
    $3 profit

    Why not just buy more expensive modems and save money at the same time.

    --
    badness 10000
  4. Test them. by MindStalker · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm sure you have some numbers of the percent of these cheap modems fail. If the failure rate even in windows is high enough, the conversion to a better modem might be worth it financially as well. Run the numbers, you may be surprised.

  5. Dial-up with Linux: Plug-n-Pray by imperious_rex · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Even when using PCI hardware based internal modems (such as US Robotics/3-Com modems) it's a crapshoot. Just because a modem is listed as being Linux compatible is no guarantee. Getting online depends a lot on what distro you're using.

    For example, on my Linux distro test box I have a 3CP5610 internal PCI modem. It works fine with Xandros, Lycoris, and Mandrake. Knoppix can detect the modem, and dials up to my ISP but cannot truly connect (although my KPPP settings are identical to the settings in Mandrake). Mepis cannot detect the modem, even though I tell it to use ttys4.

    With the rise in broadband access, modem support is becoming less of an issue. But for those needing dial-up access, what distro you use can make or break your ability to get online.