>On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 10:29:29 +0100, Paul wrote: > >> How can I connect my camera, my Palm Pilot and my Webcam to my PC without >> using USB? I'm just as confused about USB as Randy is, if not more, but >> do we have another choice?
>Steven B wrote: >No. There is no other choice. USB had to kill all potential competitors >to secure its spot on the market and jealously guards it using patents and >marketplace position. Before there was USB there were other >conceptualizations of a multi-device system. One such idea used a scsi >subsystem with various connectors available. No need for an entirely new >bus spec. >USB was initially marketed as a bus to end all buses. Soon everything >would be usb. The entire world would experience happiness and >functionality never before dreamed because usb was going to solve all the >hassles. IEEE 1394 aka Firewire (TM)* is an excellent alternative to USB, but you would need a camera, palm pilot and webcam with an IEEE 1394/Firewire interface. One huge advantage of Firewire over USB is USB can support only one bus master (your PC) and Firewire can support multiple bus masters concurrently. A second advantage of Firewire is its software/bus protocol has less overhead than USB. This overhead difference is so great that the old 400 MB/sec Firewire speed is actually faster in real data throughput than USB 2.0's new 480 MB/sec. speed. Firewire now has a 800 MB/sec. speed and always had multiple masters so if you have a _choice_, Firewire (IEEE 1394) is the way to go. The only compelling reason to use USB is if your device is available only with a USB interface; not available in Firewire/1394, SCSI, PS/2, etc. Steven B may have been refering to Firewire/1394 when he refered to "a SCSI subsystem", since SCSI commands can be encapsulated in the Firewire protocol plus Firewire supports multiple masters like SCSI as well. * Apple owns the Firewire (TM) name. To avoid paying Apple, third parties will call the 1394/Firewire devices as "IEEE 1394" or simply 1394 optionally followed by letter to designate the version of the 1394 standard their product supports. Sincerely, Ken Fuchs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- http://linuxfromscratch.org/mailman/listinfo/lfs-support FAQ: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/faq.html Unsubscribe: See the above information page
