4 Aug
2006
4 Aug
'06
11:22 p.m.
Alexandre Souza wrote:
Some first-generation iMac keyboards (the ones that had their own cord
builtin, more specifically than the ones that needed an extra cord) dis
this exact thing. I remember setting up some iMacs at school one day,
and remember having to plugin a USB floppy drive into the USB port 1 of
the keyboard, and the mouse in USB port 2 (some didn't have a floppy
drive cause the keyboard was the ones that needed a extra USB cable for
the keyboard itself, consuming a USB port just to function).
Why? They were using the second USB port on the system for either a
printer or other USB device, for example, this touchpad that was bigger
than the computer+keyboard+mouse (a good 30 inches, in fact). A few had
USB ethernet dongles to replace the fried onboard ethernet (it's a
public school, any mention of a "surge protector" or any other device it
would be logical to use gets KIGO'd. Eh, I guess that's what our tax
dollars are going for -- and horrible cafeteria food.)
--
The real problem with C++ for kernel modules is: the language just sucks.
-- Linus Torvalds
Printers are a
case in point too - a parallel port does that job just
fine,
yet it's hard to find a machine that
doesn't have more complicated USB
interfaces on it, and a printer's now expected to use that.
The problem is the legacy - in order of building smaller PCs, people
should get rid of the (big and clunky) parallel port. Imagine a pc where
everything - printer, keyboard, mouse, pen-drive - is USB. You'll have to
have a power supply, a video and a USB connector, all peripherals can be
connected thru USB, and many of them (as a keyboard - dunno why it doesn't
happens today) becoming a USB hub.