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Serial

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Serial has certain advantages, especially when setting up a computer for the first time, some older computer systems and older operating systems don't recognize the usb ports before the keyboard and mouse scan is preformed by the BIOS, (I know not so prevalent in modern systems with modern BIOS's and newer operating systems.) But the bulk of the systems out there still running ARE older systems. Every where I do business, I see older slower systems, doing there best to continue as workable systems running Windows 2000 at the minimum.

Which can at times lead to complications in the setup process, when the system refuses to boot, because of the error generated when it doesn't find a mouse and keyboard present. I know that this argument only makes sense with much older systems, and those that still have serial keyboard and mouse ports, do you know about the original serial mouse ports, came on an add on card, used a DB-9 connector? Those were really fun to set up, because the same card generally was also the video card.

I always keep around a serial mouse and keyboard just for this instance. For the reason that when the USB bus hasn't had a chance to come up yet, or gets confused by the operating system...

It makes the setup more seamless, and once getting the system up and running, then I can introduce the new element of the USB bells and whistles.

Though true, predominantly I use USB keyboards and mice, because that's all my XP running laptop can use. And there are currently more wireless set ups for usb dongles to keyboards and mice. The old serial ones are rarer and harder to find anywhere except possibly the online auction web sites.

But, whenever the availability is there, I'll use the serial keyboard and mouse ports just to free up the USB for all the other *gee whiz bang* peripherals I can plug in. Can't get enough of the "hot swap" multipurpose feature. Can never have "enough" USB ports.

As a side note which I should roll into another article... Has anybody else noted that the overall speed of machines has gotten incredibly faster, yet... the software has become so "feature rich" that it soaks up all those speedy resources, and the net result is we haven't gained any speed whatsoever? I only note this because of the pre-USB system I once had to get Windows 98 installed upon, but first I had to install Windows 3.1 on it... (yes, I'm that old, my email user name predates the internet...) Well, even though Win 3.1 operating system didn't support USB, on an old 90 Mhz Pentium system, it flew...

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