Vanity and motherboards; LPT and COM ports

[Strid]

Hi, let me share my personal feelings!

When I buy motherboards, I completely avoid anything that has parallel and serial ports on the back, only because it is sooooo last century. I recently bought a G41 ASUS µATX P5QPL-VM EPU motherboard for ~$100 - it was the cheapest of the small µATX motherboards I could find and have a look that suits me, at the same time.

But the truth is, that I could have gotten an equally good motherboard for far less money, if I had settled for one which had parallel and serial ports. But apparently I am too high-fashioned for those kind of '90-style gizmos.

Am I being a girl? I mean, I genuinely have the fear, that someone will visit me, see my PC and ask "Hey, is that a parallel port on the back of your computer in that corner, under that desk??!" and then LAUGH AT ME!

Why the Hell are we that into how our cases look on the inside. For once, it's what's on the outside that counts!


Share your $.02 or similar story.
Strid

[frenchie]

Hi Strid,
I know an industrial circuit board design and simulation software that needs a parallel port to work : that's where you plug in the hardware key that unlocks the software.
So I guess some people need those things but I agree with you : for most of us, USB is good enough for almost everyhting now

[wouterr5]

Wow, i actually took a motherboard that was less modern and energy-efficient (Gigabyte p35-ds3l instead op ep35-ds3l) just to have serial and parallel ports, so i could program microcontrollers and use an old plotter if needed

[Strid]

Haha, that's cool. Running home-made circuits off of COM and LPT ports is something I can appreciate. Also, where do you guys park your Flintstones cars?

By the way, most newer motherboards have a connector/header for a PCI-bracket with serial/parallel ports.

[Monkeh16]

Serial ports especially are still extremely common and useful..

[aristide1]

Since these ports are of no importance I pay no attention to them. Why waste resources on such matters?

[scdr]

I am in the opposite camp from the original poster.

I prefer a board with parallel and serial ports (more than one for preference).

I also would prefer one with a game port (if I could find it).

I have a lot of hardware around that still works and does what I want.
(parallel Inkjet printers, parallel laser printers, Palm Vx PDA,
modem (for when broadband goes down), gameport joystick, midi adapter,
etc....)

Keeping this equipment in use is a lot greener than sending it off to recycle,
(and keeps more green in the sock under the mattress).

I think it unfortunate and a bother that most of the i3, etc. boards don't have parallel or serial ports anymore.

"If it works, it is out of date."
-Stafford Beer

Unfortunately most of the parallel/serial port cards I have are ISA. Thank goodness for my collection of USB docking stations, usb to ... port converters, print servers, etc. (Though that means more cables, takes more power, more clutter, more drivers, ....)

[Vicotnik]

I can do without the parallel and serial ports on the backplate. If I should need to use one of these old interfaces with some ancient piece of hardware, I would probably build a dedicated system for that, using old trusted parts. Am I the only one with an old loved Asus P3B-F still at hand?

[scdr]

I can do without the parallel and serial ports on the backplate. If I should need to use one of these old interfaces with some ancient piece of hardware, I would probably build a dedicated system for that, using old trusted parts. Am I the only one with an old loved Asus P3B-F still at hand?

Oooh neat a P3B! The machine I am writing this with has an Asus P2B (been in service since I got it new - gotta upgrade one of these days.)

I would like my new machine to have a parallel port, so I can use WordPerfect 6.1 for DOS (still the best word processor for writing) to print without having to mess with windows drivers, etc. Having more than one computer works - but having all those boxes and cables and KVM switch, etc. stacked around does not appeal. So much neater if they would just put all the ports one would want inside the box and provide a neat connector block on the back.

I mean, I genuinely have the fear, that someone will visit me, see my PC and ask "Hey, is that a parallel port on the back of your computer in that corner, under that desk??!" and then LAUGH AT ME!

Hang a few dongles and a microcontroller programmer off the parallel port to help establish your machismo. (Or string together a parallel port scanner, parallel port network/file sharing adapter, a parallel zip drive and a printer - and really get some geek cred. if you can make them all work together; for extra credit, get them working under Windows Vista.)

But who sees the back of the box, so who is to know if you have a parallel port back there or not.

[Vicotnik]

Ah, Asus P2B. I've had a few of those. Great boards.

To bad they are so large. I would love to put together an old nostalgia system, but with full ATX etc it requires a large case. I want something attached to the back of my TFT.

[Luke M]

I like "legacy" interfaces. There's something cool about being able to use a new peripheral with an old computer, or vice versa. I like the fact that the PC world doesn't have a Steve Jobs type dictator who can impose his idea of progress by stamping out anything old or inelegant.

[m0002a]

I am still using a parallel port to connect my laser printer, even though the printer accepts, parallel, USB, and Ethernet (network) connections. The printer was previously hooked to a older computer via parallel port, so I just kept it that way on my newer computer (which is not that new anymore). Saves me a USB port.

[CA_Steve]

I had to buy a PCI based COM port to connect my very old (but still functional ) Palm V.

[tim851]

Well, I have an IBM Model M keyboard, which is pure delight to type on, and it has a PS/2 connector. Yes, I could buy a PS/2->USB adapter or I could spring for new Model M clones from UniComp that have USB, but PS/2 also let's me power on the PC with the press of a button.

PS: Yes, the Model M is outlandishly loud, but while I don't tolerate any noise from the tower, I couldn't care less about typing noise, because I make it. I don't understand how people could use them in shared offices though.

[scdr]

I have an IBM Model M keyboard, which is pure delight to type on, and it has a PS/2 connector.

I have model M (which I like quite well) on one of my lesser setups, but my fave is my Northgate Omnikey Ultra - function keys on the left, where they belong. As you say, not quiet, but the best keyboard yet. However it has an AT style connector. So far I just have AT to PS/2 adapter, but I got a USB to PS/2 adapter (for when they finally phase out PS/2 connectors).

I imagine someday in the future, when they have phased out USB for something else, and then it gets superceded - I might end up with a whole string of adapters (rather that than give up my Northgate). I expect the keyboard will probably outlast me. (Though I do have a spare.)

[colm]

Strid is obviously a newb.


last century is alot of things. Take a look around.. there is less in everything demanding more money. The only thng with more money is the fake marketing carrying it.

I paid 130 for a workstation mobo to take a prescott..this past december.
my LPT printer plugs right in.

so this like this century like dude.

[truckman]

I don't have any use for printer ports on motherboards, but I find that serial ports are useful.

I've got one machine serving as a stratum 1 NTP server that has a GPS receiver connected to one of its serial ports with one of the control lines serving as a PPS interrupt input. Timing jitter is typically in the low microsecond range. Trying to do this over USB would add too much latency and jitter.

Serial ports are also useful for *BSD kernel debugging. This can also be done over firewire, but that requires two machines with available firewire ports, and I've only had mixed success when I've tried it.