Hi Jeff,
in drivers/net/8139too.c, we have:
/* Check this value: the documentation for IFG contradicts ifself. */
RTL_W32 (TxConfig, rtl8139_tx_config);
I see that in older versions of the documentation there indeed were some
contradictions but the current version 1.4:
ftp://210.51.181.211/cn/nic/rtl8139abcd8130810xseries/rtl8139cspec_1.4.pdf
clears it up and it seems 8139too guessed wrong. I have verified that
realtek's own windows 9x driver agrees with the documentation.
No equipment to actually measure the IFG and no difference in network
behaviour shows up on a good 100Mbit-FD switch connected LAN, but it
does on an el-cheapo 10Mbit-HD hub connected LAN. Without attached
patch the packet and collision counters are basically the same; with
patch, the latter is only some 70% of the former. Hurray!