Linux and the Dialup Modem | Linux Today

Linux and the Dialup Modem

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
Apr 12, 2010

[ Thanks to An Anonymous Reader for
this link. ]

“One of the interesting things I’ve been working with
of late in the Linux world is trying to get a computer to connect
to the internet with a dialup modem. I myself haven’t had to dialup
to the internet for the better part of 8 years, what with having
DSL myself. However, about 35% of the US has to use dialup in one
form or another. And in other countries it can be as high as 95%.

“And yes, there are efforts to send dialup to a cold, dark grave
in the next five years. However, I don’t think it ever will die.
Yes, it’ll be greatly reduced, and may fall to as little as 5% of
the population who are using it, but it will remain a staple of
daily internet access for at least some slice of the population for
years to come. Therefore, I ask this interesting question. Why
doesn’t Linux do a better job of supporting dialup modems?

“Just because high speed access has become more or less
ubiquitous across the US, and in some parts of the world, doesn’t
mean that we can throw out this technology as old and dead, and
thus just give up on it. Our goal in the FOSS and Linux worlds is
to reach everyone.”

Complete
Story

Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.