Rick,
RC>>> Semantics, but the driver (comm.drv) is a "serial port driver",
RC>>> not a "modem" driver.
DR>> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the discussion was
DR>> about modem drivers.  i.e., a driver specifically for said modem
DR>> and not the driver for the serial port.  If I am in error about
DR>> the topic here, I would appreciate a correction, as I don't want
DR>> to confuse the issue.
RC> The only "modem driver" needed is the software to support things like
RC> Winmodems.  Other than that, there is no "modem driver" in Win95.
RC> There _is_ a .INF file, but that's just used to hold the modem config
RC> strings and the expected results from the modem.  It's not a "driver".
RC> And, yes, you can "pick one at random" and use it if you know what
RC> you're doing - just as you could pick any modem "brand" in an old DOS
RC> comm app and modify the proposed init as necessary.
DR>> My point was simply that, I don't believe that native Win95 comm
DR>> apps would function, without a modem driver installed.  I have not
DR>> tested this and may be wrong.  Agreed, the modem itself, as a
DR>> piece of hardware, being a true, fully functional modem, does not
DR>> require a driver, per say. But, under Win95, will those native
DR>> Win95 apps utilize it? A question.
RC> Of all the magical, mystical things Win95 does, providing a "driver"
RC> for the modem isn't one of them.  Win95 apps depend on Win95 to
RC> provide the "front end" for handling the modem - the init, and so on,
RC> but that's all.  It's a setp up from Windows in that regard.  Let's
RC> have a look at a "comm program" in three environments:
RC> Win95 - the comm program access Win95's "comm subsystem", Win95 looks
RC> after port assignments, speeds, inits, UART buffers, modem responses,
RC> etc.
RC> There's no "driver", but there is a more sophisticated interface
RC> (dial-up networking) that does much of what a pre Win95 comm program
RC> had to look after. A lot of people refer to the .INF file as a
RC> "driver", but it isn't. :-)
I disagree.  Although not a driver in the traditional sense,
a driver non-the-less.  Even traditional drivers provide
"information".  Without the information provided by this .INF
file, your modem won't be very useful with your 32 bit Windows95
apps.  Try NOT installing a modem in Device Manager and see how
well all of your 32 bit comm apps run.  Some probably will,
some probably won't.  But, as you said, semantics.  I do agree
that it is not a driver, if you include all of the things that
a driver normally does for such a device that requires a
traditional driver.
           /  Dave Raymond    -      Moderator:
O[X%X%X%X]{======================================--
           \   HS Modems / OS-Debate / BayChat
... Yea, I love cats too...  Want to trade recipes?
--- GEcho 1.20/Pro
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