Wouldn''t it be easier to just cough up the 10 or so bucks for another modem? It''s not as if the damned things are particularly expensive these days. With all the broadband take-up we''re seeing, you could probably get a used one for a pittance.

Get an external serial (RS232, not USB) model, since these can''t use the CPU to do the hard work for them. Generic Linux drivers should then work without any problems.

--
Sean Timarco Baggaley

The Linuxant folks are reasonable people, I've lurked on relevant mailing lists extensively. During the period when the driver was under heavy development, it was available for free, and they responded very professionally to people having issues. The software was never free software - it always had proprietary components due to the nature of the hardware.

Before getting up in arms extensively, it's important to realise that the driver for a software modem is not a driver. That little thing that's lodged in your PCI slot is not a modem. The modem is in the software. What Linuxant are selling you is a software implementation of a modem, which works with certain classes of phone-line interfaces (which were misleadingly marketed as modems).

Also, realise that "Available for Linux" does not equal "No money". The linuxant people worked to facilitate the possibility of you using a free operating system with your hardware. If you think they're making a profit on this driver product, you are sorely mistaken.

Of course, I'm biased. I was given a free license for the driver for helping out on the mailing list in the past. That's something for something. You're expecting something for nothing, which is something to seek and be grateful for, but not something to become outraged when you do not find it.

[edited by - jcspray on October 16, 2003 9:33:16 AM]

The beta drivers are still floating on the net, and seem to be freely redistributable:

quote:

---

Copyright (c) 2003 Linuxant inc.
Copyright (c) 2001-2003 Conexant Systems, Inc.

1. Permitted use. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, without modification, are permitted under the terms set forth herein.

---

But later in the license, there is:

quote:

---

6. Redistribution. Redistribution of this software is permitted only for non-beta, officially released versions. Redistribution of versions marked "beta" or "lnxtbeta" requires explicit written approval from Linuxant.

---

Therefore I''m not sure that they are after all redistributable. However, searching for "hsflinmodem-5.03.27lnxtbeta03042700" might lead you to websites with the authorization to redistribute the archive.

Of course, that will be a beta, not the final release.


Hope this helps.