Your Next PC: Legacy Free?

[smahoney]

Question?

Can you use a USB thumb drive to load RAID drivers when installing XP or 2K instead of a floppy - I know you can boot from one, but can you load the drivers during an OS install?

 

[DieHardware]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
"Cutting edge" doesn't mean having to get rid of perfectly functional, non-hindering hardware, just because it's not brand new. What does a serial port do that makes a board not as good? Or a parallel port? IRQ issues can't be blamed on the hardware, it can be blamed on the design of x86 itself. You think board makers are going to drop their prices tremendously just because they save a few cents on a couple of ports?

Like I said, for me personally, it's a matter of being interested in newer technologies. I don't want a parallel port on my motherboard for the same reason that I don't want a 1/4" jack on my sound card. It's old, I don't need it, don't want it, I want it to go the hell away so we can see some more insteresting designs. The mini-itx boards are sorta along the lines that I'm thinking, but some of them even have parallel/serial ports.

edit: I meant 1/4" jack in the context of hooking it up to some 1950's record player or something - not in the context of hooking it up to musical gear.

LOL!

 

[bluemax]

edit: I meant 1/4" jack in the context of hooking it up to some 1950's record player or something - not in the context of hooking it up to musical gear.

I missed it and thought (like most others) that you meant the 1/8" jack all audio cards use - unless you're a pure digital junkie which I thought you might have been aiming for.
The one and only sound card EVER to have a 1/4" jack was the original AdLib. Ahhhh.... I remember the days.....

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: jhu
Like I said, for me personally, it's a matter of being interested in newer technologies. I don't want a parallel port on my motherboard for the same reason that I don't want a 1/4" jack on my sound card. It's old, I don't need it, don't want it, I want it to go the hell away so we can see some more insteresting designs. The mini-itx boards are sorta along the lines that I'm thinking, but some of them even have parallel/serial ports.


get a mac

I can't afford one, and if I could, I don't think I would. As much as I may wish legacy ports were gone, a mac is a much bigger waste of money than legacy ports are. (to me).

 

[jhu]

I can't afford one, and if I could, I don't think I would. As much as I may wish legacy ports were gone, a mac is a much bigger waste of money than legacy ports are. (to me).

well, the option for "non-legacy" computers is there. you just choose to ignore them.

 

[McCarthy]

jhu - guess we haven't run into each other in one of these legacy free or one of the integrated topics before. My ideal motherboard has nothing onboard...just a CPU socket, ram slots and expansion slots. Now since AGP can't be added on that's a tough one, just like an ISA slot can't be added on. But a board without serial, parallel, USB, Firewire, anything but means to add them is just fine by me. That's my ideal, but I'm giving in. Might even use onboard sound one of these days.

Is serial useless? No, not if you have a use for it. I haven't for many years. But it hasn't been until the last year or so that I've joined those thinking it's time to do away with it. The "tipping point" for ISA to go away on the majority of boards was two or three board generations ago. That same point is here for serial, imo, on the majority of boards.

As someone who bought 3 firewire cards last year because I needed them and 1394 wasn't built into my boards I have a hard time understanding the resistance to buying a serial add on card if you need one. It's not like it's the end of the world, it's two trips to McDonalds out of pocket and you're set till PCI goes away. Those needing ISA slots I can sympathize with more in the near future, but as I said before there are still boards with ISA slots currently, it's just a matter of finding them. There are different boards for different markets, the ISA boards still around aren't the highest sellers, but they exist. If serial/parallel go away on the next round of highlighted boards in this community there will still be other models which do retain them. And when even those are gone there are add on cards.

I like IBM Model M keyboards. In my car I like to shift my own gears and roll down my own windows. I still think a Coke out of a tall glass bottle tastes better on an August afternoon, A&W should be in a frosty mug and rootbeer with icecubes is a sin. I have a cassette deck, not a CD player, and when I'm not listening to a tape the radio is on the AM band. I'm as set in my ways as anyone I know and not only resist change, but romanticize old things even while still cursing them. But even I cannot see a reason to retain serial and parallel ports on popular enthusiast/consumer grade boards with the next generation.

bbl, off to protest aluminum cans and FM radio.

--Mc

Edit: Typo

 

[Kwatt]

Quote:
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GOSHARKS

you can have my ps2 IBM model m keyboard when you pry it from my cold dead fingers

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You got that right!!




Quote:
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shuttleteam

Well if they try, you can whack 'em with it! Those keyboards could be lethal weapons on their own. Mine is heavier than a lot of DVD players and VCR's!

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And I will whack'em TOO


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McCarthy

gosharks - my man! Just bought 5 more Model M's. I'm not giving up

But now that I've seen PS/2 to USB converters for a few bucks I'm relenting. Though I don't see any reason to remove PS/2 until the rest of the ISA bus is gone, and that traces back to the floppy.

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My local computer recycler just got a truckload in. I'll be going through them this weekend


Quote
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sandorski

The only "legacy" device I use is my PS2 keyboard, don't want no friggin Windows keys!

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NO #$%@&* WINDOWS KEYS!

It's us against them. Save the model 'M'




As to the PCI serial and parallel cards. If all you are using is Windows that might be OK. I still use DOS for a lot of things and I like to know what IRQ's are used where.
When hardware companies quit writing installation software that hijacks IRQ's without so much as asking whether it is being used.
I may consider them. Until then I'll use the jumpers on my ISA cards to set the IRQ's and then reserve them in the BIOS.




Kwatt

 

[sharkeeper]

People on the receiving end of a "M" won't get up! :Q

-DAK-

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: jhu
I can't afford one, and if I could, I don't think I would. As much as I may wish legacy ports were gone, a mac is a much bigger waste of money than legacy ports are. (to me).

well, the option for "non-legacy" computers is there. you just choose to ignore them.

Riiight. I'm ignoring them.

 

[charlie21]

Originally posted by: McCarthy

I like IBM Model M keyboards. In my car I like to shift my own gears and roll down my own windows. I still think a Coke out of a tall glass bottle tastes better on an August afternoon, A&W should be in a frosty mug and rootbeer with icecubes is a sin. I have a cassette deck, not a CD player, and when I'm not listening to a tape the radio is on the AM band. I'm as set in my ways as anyone I know and not only resist change, but romanticize old things even while still cursing them. But even I cannot see a reason to retain serial and parallel ports on popular enthusiast/consumer grade boards with the next generation.

Off Topic: Did this remind anyone else of the Kevin Costner rant from Bull Durham or was it just me?