PS/2 Interface (was: Wang 300 Calc]

-------------Original Message: Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:40:49 -0700 From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> Subject: Re: PS/2 Interface (was: Wang 300 Calc] On 15 Sep 2007 at 13:02, M H Stein wrote: I dunno, Mike. I'm generally capable of operating most any computer, but my eyesight is terrible (and not getting any better with age). I'd sure as heck would like the assurance that whatever plug I'm sticking into a receptacle at least isn't going to result in "magic smoke" (see my earlier comment on wall wart perversion) even if I didn't quite read the label on the box correctly. ------------Reply: I know exactly what you mean about eyesight, so I probably wasn't very clear... What I meant was that of all the things that *are* dumb like the PC printer connector and Tony's AC plugs "criminally" used for other purposes, the PS/2 mouse & keyboard ambiguity is as harmless as L & R audio connectors. Mind you, IBM didn't "invent" that printer connector; lots of S-100 boxes used DB-25s for RS-232 *and* parallel printers and, what's even worse, they were usually all female; almost makes sense, actually, since there were stock DB-25M<>CEN cables around at the time whereas you usually wound up making your own serial cables anyway. And wasn't a male connector a sort of "standard" for DTE equipment? Nevertheless, since Compaq could use the same port for a mouse or a keyboard, I can't see either why when there are two separate ports they couldn''t be interchangeable. Some modern PCs even have interchangeable audio connectors; you can plug in line in and out either way and it sorts out which is which. And don't talk to me about wall-warts; what's really annoying is when the equipment doesn't state the voltage & polarity. m