A Winmodem or softmodem is a stripped-down modem that replaces tasks traditionally handled inhardware with software. In this case the modem is a simple interface designed to create voltage variations on the telephone line and to sample the line voltage levels (digital to analog and analog to digital converters). Softmodems are cheaper than traditional modems, since they have fewer hardware components. One downside is that the software generating and interpreting the modem tones is not simple (as most of the protocols are complex), and the performance of the computer as a whole often suffers when it is being used. For online gaming this can be a real concern. Another problem is lack of portability such that non-Windows operating systems (such as Linux) often do not have an equivalent driver to operate the modem.
No comments:
Post a Comment