Desktop PC without a serial port? Yes - Compaq, IBM and HP make them...
iPaq, E-PC, etc... They're part of the new Legacy Hardware Free
workstations - I'm pretty sure that most models just have USB ports for
printers, modems, mice, etc. Admittedly tho, these PCs are aimed at the
corporate desktop - but it's the M$ vision come true for a PC... they've
been trying to get rid of 'legacy' hardware from PCs since they released
Windows 98. Its interesting seeing how slow the rest of the world has
been
to drop legacy hardware in the mainstream - nice, in fact, to know that
they're not driving hardware design as well as everything else... but I
do
believe that the days of external legacy ports are numbered...
Hell, my Nana had a telephone with a dial on it right up 'till she died,
when everyone else was using pushbutton phones... and she was perfectly
happy - and in the same vein I'm sure some people will be still using
Pentium 166 machines with 33.6 ISA modems for years to come, but someone
is
going to have to do something for those of us not content to use the
same PC
for years on end...
Imagine the market for a "Linux PCI Modem" - especially one that had
Windows
drivers available too, for the odd dual-boot system out there...
As for xDSL and cable - I live waaay out of town, and neither Xtra or
Paradise even bothered to reply to my emails asking when I might see
their
services out here...
My 2.5 cents
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: Volker Kuhlmann [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, 23 January 2002 6:24 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: New Modem Question!@#$%
> Volker, are there PCI hardware modems available overseas? I'm
clutching
I have heard mumbels along those lines, but it's not worth following up.
Here are some answers I got when I enquired last December:
From: John Styles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: PCI hardware modem
Hello Volker,
I've seen PCI hardware based Modems available overseas, but not
in NZ. So the answer is no, there is nothing i can get for you
to help out sorry.
From: David Annett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<The essence of it: He thought he was selling hardware modems
until he had a closer look.>
What I did not follow up on is the suggestion from Philip Charles for
a shop in Dunedin, though I can't find the details right now.
> The problem with PC hardware that is evolving today is that serial /
> parallel ports, ISA slots, etc are becoming dinosaur technology and
are
> being phased out of newer equipment
Have you seen a desktop PC yet which did not have a serial port? My
guess is that until/when that happens your 56k-dialup has gone the same
way as that serial port...
> Finding a decent internal HW pci modem is hard, dick smith have a
number of pci ones available on their website, altho' not much in the
way of mentioning chipsets...
It's easy to distinguish, there's a noticable difference in price. An
internal hardmodem is not much less than an external one. If it's less
than $100 forget it.
> PCU has Rockwell chipsetted ISA modems, some of the
> other companies will do as well.
These should be good solid hardmodems. Except for the possible lack of
an ISA slot in the future I view them as a sound investment.
> Don't forget to get your Telepermit. Connect a device without one to
> Telecom's network and it f***s everything up then Telecom will string
> you up by your entrails.
... or just connect it to the Telstra network and tell those
Telecomedians
to get fscked... teehee... (yes I realise it's not an option for
everyone)
One of the reasons why importing some isn't worth it.
Volker
