Also known as a
WinModem, this is a
cheap type of
modem that is compatible with
windows 98 systems, but not yet with
linux. It is cheap because it cuts down on
hardware by farming out some of the
DSP and
compression work to the
CPU of the actual
computer, rather than doing everything on the
card. This saves on
space, but can eat up a bunch of
processor cycles. If all you're doing is looking at
web pages that have no
java, this may be OK. If not, you want to go with a
hardware modem.
If you don't want to buy a software modem, then buyer beware! The boxes software modems come in do not advertise this fact, but usually leave it in the fine print. In one case at Fry's, I had to open one of the suspiciously cheap boxes while none of the clerks were looking and take a look at the install CD, which was the only piece of material on or in the box that had the words 'software modem' on it.