computer science

Mwave

Mwave is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mwave rather than just read about it. In short: Mwave was a technology developed by IBM allowing for the combination of telephony and sound card features on a single adapter card. The technology centers around the Mwave digital signal processor (DSP).

Key takeaways

Mwave belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mwave to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mwave from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mwave was a technology developed by IBM allowing for the combination of telephony and sound card features on a single adapter card. The technology centers around the Mwave digital signal processor (DSP). The technology was used for a time to provide a combination modem and sound card for IBM's Aptiva line and some ThinkPad laptops, in addition to uses on specialized Mwave cards that handled voice recognition or ISDN networking connectivity. Similar adapter cards by third-party vendors using Mwave technology were also sold. However, plagued by consumer complaints about buggy Mwave software and hardware, IBM eventually turned to other audio and telephony solutions for its consumer products.

History Malcolm Ware, a former developer on Mwave, dates the technology back to its development in an IBM research lab in Zurich, Switzerland in 1979. The first prototype was tested in an IBM PC in 1981. After being utilized in some other adapter cards, Mwave was given its official name and used in IBM's WindSurfer ISA/MCA card. IBM manufactured Mwave hardware for both Microsoft Windows and its own OS/2. Another revision of the technology was used in IBM's newly renamed Aptiva line. Gary Harper developed some automated test software, loosely based on the movie WarGames, to test how well the Mwave modem could connect to modems used by various bulletin board systems.

One of the revisions of the Mwave card was the Mwave Dolphin. The card was an ISA legacy card that did not support plug and play and natively supported Windows through its software. It featured a 28.8 kbps fax/modem and a Sound Blaster-compatible audio solution. One of the card's most publicized features was its software upgradability: a version of the Mwave software upgraded the modem function to 33.6 kbps. In addition, the card was key in the support of some of the Aptiva's Rapid Resume features, including wake-on-ring. There were various consumer complaints with users reporting problems involving either the sound or modem features separately, or using both at the same time. Some consumers were offered a check for the purchase of hardware to replace the Mwave card, while others were offered a replacement modem, sound card or both. At one point, a class action lawsuit was filed; it was finally settled in 2001. Mwave Dolphin drivers version 20D and the Stingray version of the Mwave adapter addressed some shortcomings of the Dolphin (Stingray added plug and play support), but IBM eventually stopped using the Mwave adapter card in its Aptiva computers and resorted to conventional sound card and modem options. Mwave in some form or another has been produced for the MCA, ISA and PCMCIA busses. Select ThinkPad 600 and 770 models had a PCI version integrated (the Mwave chip integrated in select ThinkPad 755, 760 and 765 models was ISA-based). Certain Sun SPARCstation workstations incorporated the Mwave DSP chip for sound card functionality. Although Mwave adapter cards were discontinued, a Linux driver for the PCI-based Mwave in the ThinkPad 600 and 770 models was developed and released by IBM.

See also USRobotics, Courier modems - Internal DSP design allowed soft upgrades. Audio/modem riser

References

Notes Schneider, Don. "IBM Financed MWAVE Dumping". Archived from the original on June 12, 2000. Retrieved May 20, 2006. Bryer, Jeff. "Mwave Based Telephony/Sound Combo Cards, MDSP1000". Archived from the original on January 15, 1998. Retrieved May 20, 2006.

External links "IBM ThinkPad general hardware questions and answers § Mwave Audio". IBM.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 1997. Ted Felix's Mwave page Jeff Bryer's unofficial Mwave home page Mwave MDSP2780, as used in select ThinkPad 755, 760 and 765 models, at ThinkWiki.org Mwave MDSP3780, as used in select ThinkPad 600 and 770 models, at ThinkWiki.org

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mwave

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mwave claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mwave before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mwave ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mwave

In research: Mwave appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mwave in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mwave is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 1992, Digital signal processors, IBM laptops, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mwave outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mwave in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mwave means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mwave out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mwave in simple terms?

Why does Mwave matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mwave?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mwave.