[KLUG Members] Re: Ext USB HD compatibility -- yeah, go FireWire (or get devices that do both)

[Bryan J. Smith]

Quoting Tim Gray <tgray@adacplastics.com>:
> That's something I didn't know.  It looks like that's the way I'll be
> going.  Very convenient!

Yes, pay the extra $10 -- get both!

> It's like people heard the "you can do anything over USB" and some
> didn't stop to think if they really SHOULD do what they wanted to.

Exactomundo!!!  Especially in the case of USB and DSL modems.  Do you _know_ how
many USB and DSL modems _only_ work with Windows 98/SE _specifically_?!?!?!

All the meanwhile, Apple and storage and video manufacturers were defining
standards for FireWire.

Intel was supposed to include FireWire support in the PIIX4 chip (southbridge to
the i430VX, i440LX/BX) back in 1998, but they renig'd.  The result was USB 2.0.
 A bastard serial bus gone bad.

Works great in Windows, because it's popular.  Assuming, of course, you don't
put much on it.  Otherwise vendor device drivers start conflicting with
themselves, because the USB host has _no_authority_.

Again, USB v. FireWire kinda like ATA v. SCSI.  In ATA, the "master" device
controls the bus.  In SCSI, the host adapter does.  Right down to the fact that
ATA/USB does _not_ allow device-to-device transfers whereas SCSI/FireWire does.

Which is why FireWire is better for video capture, multiple disks, etc...

> USB being more or less ubiquitous, as opposed to firewire, is probably
> the reason for so many devices having USB support shoehorned into them.

No.  It has to do with the fact that Intel renig'd on supporting FireWire, which
resulted in FireWire being limited to pre-install on Macs and select non-Intel
chipsets (virtual all new ones coming out now ;-).  Intel didn't want to deal
with Apple, despite the IEEE standardization and "fair" licensing.

USB was _never_ supposed to do FireWire speeds.  USB and FireWire were supposed
to _complement_ each other.  Anyone remember the "Device Bay" standard that was
going to revolutionize PCs???  Compaq, Digital, HP and others are owed about
$10B for Intel killing that due to their non-support of FireWire.

Also note that only 1-2 ports on a 4-6 port USB 2.0 card will do faster than
12Mbps (1.5MBps).  You _must_ make sure you put a USB 2.0 device on an EHCI port.

-- 
Bryan J. Smith, E.I. (BSECE)       Contact Info:  http://thebs.org
[ http://thebs.org/files/resume/BryanJonSmith_certifications.pdf ]
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