28 May
2005
28 May
'05
11:23 p.m.
Yes, but a 36 pin connector never would have fit on
the 'olde standard'
for the IBM-PC, which was an MDA card with a 9 pin connector for video,
It's not my fault that IBM made the bracket too small, and actually, the
slot in the back panel is just too narrow to take a standard Blue Ribbon
connector, which makes GPIB cards a little difficult to do right (the
normal thing is to use the IEC625 (IIRC) wiring on a DB25 connector again).
and a 25 pin connector for the printer. Many, many
first-generation PCs
never had any 'I/O' beyond this (except the 37 pin connector on back of
the floppy controller for the external third and fourth floppy drives,
of course, which nobody ever used). Moving data around was a sneakernet
False!. I used it (and still use it). My XT (on my desk in front of me)
has 2 internal 5.25" 360K drives, 2 external 3.5" 720K drives all on the
standard controller). Oh, and a second controller with 2 8" drives.
thing. Or you printed it on paper.
I would have thought RS232 ports wrre not that uncommon. Most multi-I/O
cards included one.
-tony