2.3 Is a Driver Needed ?
Any modem, of course, needs the serial driver that comes with Linux (either built into the kernel or as a module). For PCI, this driver should also detect the modem but it's not really a modem driver since it just detects which serial port the modem is on.
But what about modem drivers? Any software modem (winmodem, linmodem) must have a modem driver (if it exists for Linux). Hardware modems don't really need any modem driver unless you want to use special features such as voice and "modem on hold".
Software modems require software to run them and obviously do need a driver. The drivers for MS Windows are *.exe programs which will not run under Linux. So you must use a Linux driver (if it exists). See Software-based Modems (winmodems, linmodems)
* License
