[ltp] Re: ACP modem driver comment

[linux-thinkpad@www.bm-soft.com]

>>
Why the reluctance on their part? Afterall, they've released instructions
for installing RH6.1 on a 600e on their website, you'd think they would
then assist said users to go online .

Is it just that they'd prefer us all to be using Windoze?
<<

The main problem is that the ACP Modem is no longer under active
development. Developing ACP Modem drivers for Linux would call for
additional $$ that were not budgeted. As a result, it becomes difficult to
justify the expense.

Which leads to the question, "Why not just open-source the ACP Modem
driver?" The primary answer: There is much intellectual property in the
source code, not all of which is owned by IBM. Open sourcing it would be a
legal nightmare.

I would not say that there is *no* possibility of us developing an ACP
Modem driver for Linux. Certainly there are numerous individual users who
want ACP Modem support, and thanks to Bill Mair I have a fairly lengthy
list of those users. :-)

IBM wants to do the right thing with Linux. However, we have to carefully
choose where to spend our development $$. Since the newer ThinkPads use
Lucent modems, and since we don't have big customers asking for Linux
support for ThinkPads with ACP modems, it initially seems to make more
sense to spend our money to get the newer machines working, rather than
spending it on retro-fitting older hardware. That, of course, is the
on-paper view, which may differ somewhat from reality.

-- Keith

Keith Frechette
Linux Development Lead, Mobile Computing Options and Software Development
IBM Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
kfrechet@us.ibm.com / 919-543-3761 / TieLine:441-3761


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