Re: Win-modem (controller-less) driver for OS/2

Captain's log. On StarDate Sun, 30 Oct 2005 20:25:57 GMT received comm from
"Fred Blau" <s@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> on channel comp.os.os2.misc:

: In my opinion, it's a prime example of bad engineering to take a
: perfectly good controller-based modem design, which is almost totally
: independent of the computer to which it is attached, and replace it with

No totally independent (it still needs to communicate with some sort of
communication commands, and also handle data), but I understand what you
reference to.

: a controller-less design that only works with one operating system

Here, and this is the main point, we have two different issues:

1. More or less hardware for accelerated modem functions.

2. Level of OS/2 commitment and active support by IBM.

With regard to issue 1, it can be of three main different designs:

A. Software based command control, and software based data pump.

B. Software based command control, and hardware assisted data pump.

C. Hardware assisted command chip, and hardware assisted data pump.

It can always be debated which of the above alternatives who has the highest
benefit versus the cost (customer value), but rest assure that IBM (and other
vendors) does a business case of each feature to consider. The PC business is
very competitive and cost sensitive. The pressure to keep the costs down are
enormous, and every single spent dollar is carefully counted against what it
gives in value to the customer. Even if it's just a couple of dollars more to
include solution C instead of A above, it's not justified to spent that it the
end customer isn't prepared to pay extra for that option. Perhaps the customer
gets more value by an added USB port (costing the same couple of dollars)
instead. Wasting resources on what the customer doesn't want or perceive as any
significant value is a prime example of bad engineering decisions IMHO.

With regard to issue 2, it doesn't mean that design 1A or 1B automatically isn't
possible with OS/2. Software drivers exist for them also for OS/2 in some cases,
but not in others. The reason why IBM doesn't care is because 10 years ago they
decided to divest their OS/2 business, and the effects of that strategic
decision has been seen ever since, with a dramatic scale back in more than 5
years now (during which time IBM also has recommended their OS/2 customers to
move to another operating system). This shouldn't come as any surprise (unless
your blind and death, or doesn't want to take in the real world). It's not any
"insult" or such, as you claimed, but just a logical action and consequence
taken by IBM in regard with their clearly selected and communicated strategy.

: (actually, none until someone writes the driver). And the only true

Exactly. This (issue 2) isn't any technical issue. It's a strategic one.

: business justification is an extremely small reduction in hardware cost.

See above comment regarding issue 1. You need to justify the value for the
customer against each spend dollar (cost/benefit analysis). If you don't do that
you will soon start to loose market share as the customers will not prefer you
as much as the alternatives from the competitors.

: I mentioned $5, but it's probably a lot less than that at the
: circuit-board assembly level.

Doesn't matter if it's just $1 -- it's still a huge cost if you add everything
up, and also if you compare it with alternative spending options.

: Independent sub-systems are almost always preferable, whether it's
: hardware, software, or anything else.

If you doesn't factor in cost, I would probably agree with you (in this case --
in other cases it could be a better solution with a greater hardware-software
integration). But in the real world customers value their spend dollars very
hard, and they demand that they get value for what they spend. You can't
separate cost from the level of benefit that it brings the customer.

martin

--
Martin Törnsten - http://martin.tornsten.com/


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