5 May
2012
5 May
'12
1:15 p.m.
On 5/4/2012 12:19 PM, Tony Duell wrote:
I have a device on my desk here that's the size of a small paperback
book; it's a subnotebook computer. I can connect keyboards, mice,
scanners, printers, serial ports, parallel & scsi ports, cameras,
calculators, phones, GPIB interfaces, external sound, video capture,
hard drives, usb memory sticks, card readers and dozens of other things
that I'm not able to bring to mind in the 20 seconds it took me to type
To add all those at once you must have external hubs (since USB is not a
bus), which will increase the volume somewhat.
Actually, i have a similar-sized machine here. It fits in my pocket
(normal size pocket) runs off interal primary cells, and can be programmed
in 2 high level languages and assembly languate. It can be connected to
external disk drives, tape drives, RS232 ports, parallel ports, HPIB
devices, printers, pen plotters, video display units measuring
instruments, other similar machines, and so. It can easily conenct ot 31
devies at a time, ther are ways to make it do rather more. Oh, and did I
mention it doesn't need external hubs to do this.
No, it's not USB. The thing is getting on for 28 years old...
Because
it's clearly simpler to have a single bus and lose the
specialised connectors. Which PCs eventually did (long after Apple did).
Firslty
whatever USB is, it is certainly not a bus.
Secondly, how is it simpler? It certainly makes the electronics a lot
more complicated (USB being a more complex protocol than the one for a
PS/2 keybord or mouse). And I don;t think it makes things much simpler
for the user. After all, there are specific conenctors for the mains
input and the video output (VGA or DVI or whatever), why is a specific
connector for the keyboard so complciated? that -- all to one of the pair of USB ports on the
side. (No, not all
at the same time, smartass :)). If this device had a specialized
connector for each (or even most) of these it'd be completely covered in
them and probably weigh 30 pounds :).
FIrstly, what would be the problem if it did waigh 30 pounds nad lived in
a 19" rack module?
Secondly, I assume you normally conenct a mouse and keyboard to it. That
takes up 2 USBN ports,wheter built into the machine or on an external
huyb. The volume of a SUB connector is comparable to that for a mini-DIN
connecotr. SO it souldn't take up any more space to have PS/2 interfaces
for the keyboard and mouse.
This is the advantage of USB for modern computing. No, it's not
You misunderstand me. Iam not quesitoning (yet) whether USB is a good
idea for external memory drvies, or anything like that. I am specidicalyl
askign why it is a good thing for keybaords and mice. So far nobody has
managed to justivy that.
-tony