guyz,
it might be a stupid question.but i m just a newbie in device drivers.
well i wanna know if we cannot port windows drivers to linux.
to my knowledge windows drivers r written using ddk.so there might be some standard functions using which we can write drivers(not exactly but similar to wrinting win app using win api).
wanna know if writing drivers goes like that?dont get ready to shoot me if it sounds too silly.
if it goes similar to that then i think we can port windows drivers to linux.

waiting for a cool responce.....

bang your dead. the big problem with porting drivers is how are you going to read them. the windoze drivers are dll and the such the intergrate with windoze and are mostly the evil P word. propriatary. The way that linux works is someone designs a module or kernel patch and tests it. They get all the info from either the hardware manufacture or by testing the card by hand. < very rare. once this is done. the kernel patch is submited to the kernel maintainer for that section of the kernel and it may be integrated with the kernel or not. that is the reason that alot of hardware will not work with linux, because the manufacture must devulge the great interupt secrets and what not.
hope it helps, was it a nice responSe
wolfe?

Ok, to continue with another 'naive' question: would it be feasible to run a (modem-)driver under wine?

There's a great program for wrapping windows drivers for linux. It's been done with quite a few device drivers, and it would do you good to look into it before trying to run a driver under wine (not even sure that's possible)
here's the link:
Linuxant
maybe they will have a wrapper for your modem driver.

NdisWrapper can make some wlan drivers work in linux. by emulating the windows network device driver API.

search for it on SF, I immagine that the people who wrote that would be the first people to go to when asking about making some sort of universal deriver wrapper. although I have a feeling that unless a bunch of money comes their way, they will only have time to maintain the NdisWrapper package.

Thing is I have a Rockwell Winmodem and am not about to spend money on a driver (I'd sooner spend it on a 'real' modem)

man, spend the 15$ for the driver and support a company that supports linux, if companies see linux as comercially inviable then nobody will ever make programs for it. and a "real" modem will cost you alot more than 15$.

AMEN!