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All modems were compatible with Linux until very late in the piece, when so-called WinModems appeared commercially IIRC ~1998.[0] In these, processing done in h

All modems were compatible with Linux until very late in the piece, when so-called WinModems appeared commercially IIRC ~1998.[0] In these, processing done in hardware on other modems was offloaded to the CPU via closed source systems. This was probably only possible as CPUs had become faster, and was likely done to save cash and PCB space in Y2K-era laptops. I think they were eventually largely supported under Linux, but basically by this time nobody needed them anymore. The reason modems were all so well supported was that a stable serial interface was largely supported across the board by all vendors. After serial line configuration, only vendor-specific extensions and a slow evolution of additional features such as caller ID differed. Some Aussie examples (ignore the two at right): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Australian-modems.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Australi... [0] Just checked and those dates are ~correct https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softmodem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softmodem

axiolite 5y ago
> but basically by this time nobody needed them anymore. Not quite. Broadband was getting significant adoption, but it was more expensive and not available everywhere, so most people stayed on dial-up for years to come. Visitors to this site old enough to recall that era would very likely have been early adopters, so it's easy to have the perspective that dial-up went away circa 2000, when it really didn't, it merely peaked... It wasn't until the 2010s when dial-up disappeared. But that also discounts travel... Even if you had broadband at home, the world wasn't blanketed with Wi-Fi like it is now. Only the best hotels had ethernet jacks, and cellular data was still very slow and with very high per-minute usage fees. So laptops continued to come with rj11 jacks for years to come.
- contingencies 5y ago
  AN OPINIONATED HISTORY OF THE MODEM ~1960s-1980s: critically important for HIGH SPEED LEASED LINE[0] MAINFRAME[1] MINICOMPUTERS[2] IMPs[3] and PADs[4] (~100-300-1200bps). 1980s-early 1990s: Hayes serial modem AT command set released.[H] Modems critically important for BBSs, UUCP, Amiga/PC warez scenes, early open source distribution. (2400bps/9600bps/14.4/28.8/56k) ~early 1990s: critically important for early internet growth which largely supplants BBSs (56k) and coincides with the initial popularity surge for Linux ~1995-2000: broadband grows rapidly in developed countries. It really kicks the llama's ass. Early P2P warez via Gnutella, MP3 and DivX. CD burning is rife. ISO images are a thing. Against this background, Sony's minidisc fails but accidentally enshrines funny Finns rapping as history.[5] ~1998 winmodem! KK System releases Fax U and popularizes negotiation sounds as art.[6] ~1999: Somebody picks up the phone[7] and the modem connection drops. ~2000-2005: potentially viable but declining option vs broadband (Mbps). Even China had >Mbps HFC broadband at this time. DVDs are mainstream. Steam, Valve's revolutionary harbinger of online software distribution for desktops, is released. ~2004: Artists use modems as current subjects.[8] ~2005-2010: poor countries and extreme desperation only. Physical distribution of software wanes. ~2010: 56k becomes slower than mobile data in most places. Many countries cease hauling copper pair due to mobile plus copper thievery. The developing world comes online without legacy copper infrastructure. ~2013: Artists use modems as retro subjects.[9] ~now = Amusing historical tidbit. Slower than mobile data that's 3 generations old. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leased_line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leased_line [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minicomputer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minicomputer [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_Message_Processor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_Message_Processor [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_assembler/disassembler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_assembler/disassembler [H] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes_command_set https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes_command_set [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymNFyxvIdaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymNFyxvIdaM [6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmQSROkTb3c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmQSROkTb3c [7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xphxPPQXJKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xphxPPQXJKw [8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJSQILBGoqk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJSQILBGoqk [9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfdZUnHkuuI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfdZUnHkuuI Phew. A nice Sunday morning dalliance: back to work :)

axiolite 5y ago

> but basically by this time nobody needed them anymore. Not quite. Broadband was getting significant adoption, but it was more expensive and not available everywhere, so most people stayed on dial-up for years to come. Visitors to this site old enough to recall that era would very likely have been early adopters, so it's easy to have the perspective that dial-up went away circa 2000, when it really didn't, it merely peaked... It wasn't until the 2010s when dial-up disappeared. But that also discounts travel... Even if you had broadband at home, the world wasn't blanketed with Wi-Fi like it is now. Only the best hotels had ethernet jacks, and cellular data was still very slow and with very high per-minute usage fees. So laptops continued to come with rj11 jacks for years to come.

contingencies 5y ago
AN OPINIONATED HISTORY OF THE MODEM ~1960s-1980s: critically important for HIGH SPEED LEASED LINE[0] MAINFRAME[1] MINICOMPUTERS[2] IMPs[3] and PADs[4] (~100-300-1200bps). 1980s-early 1990s: Hayes serial modem AT command set released.[H] Modems critically important for BBSs, UUCP, Amiga/PC warez scenes, early open source distribution. (2400bps/9600bps/14.4/28.8/56k) ~early 1990s: critically important for early internet growth which largely supplants BBSs (56k) and coincides with the initial popularity surge for Linux ~1995-2000: broadband grows rapidly in developed countries. It really kicks the llama's ass. Early P2P warez via Gnutella, MP3 and DivX. CD burning is rife. ISO images are a thing. Against this background, Sony's minidisc fails but accidentally enshrines funny Finns rapping as history.[5] ~1998 winmodem! KK System releases Fax U and popularizes negotiation sounds as art.[6] ~1999: Somebody picks up the phone[7] and the modem connection drops. ~2000-2005: potentially viable but declining option vs broadband (Mbps). Even China had >Mbps HFC broadband at this time. DVDs are mainstream. Steam, Valve's revolutionary harbinger of online software distribution for desktops, is released. ~2004: Artists use modems as current subjects.[8] ~2005-2010: poor countries and extreme desperation only. Physical distribution of software wanes. ~2010: 56k becomes slower than mobile data in most places. Many countries cease hauling copper pair due to mobile plus copper thievery. The developing world comes online without legacy copper infrastructure. ~2013: Artists use modems as retro subjects.[9] ~now = Amusing historical tidbit. Slower than mobile data that's 3 generations old. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leased_line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leased_line [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minicomputer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minicomputer [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_Message_Processor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_Message_Processor [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_assembler/disassembler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_assembler/disassembler [H] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes_command_set https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes_command_set [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymNFyxvIdaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymNFyxvIdaM [6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmQSROkTb3c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmQSROkTb3c [7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xphxPPQXJKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xphxPPQXJKw [8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJSQILBGoqk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJSQILBGoqk [9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfdZUnHkuuI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfdZUnHkuuI Phew. A nice Sunday morning dalliance: back to work :)