from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
SoftModem
The integration of {modem} controller and {data pump}
{algorithms} into a single {RAM}-based {DSP} hardware
architecture. These integrated algorithms are stored on the
computer's hard disk, from which they are downloaded into the
DSP board's random-access memory (RAM). This downloading, or
"booting" process of the PC-installed software algorithms
occurs as part of the computer's power-up initialisation
process in less than 100 milliseconds, making it transparent
to the user.
[Digicom Modem FAQ version 2.03].