InformationWeek

November 10, 1997

Peripherals Readied For Easier Connections

Vendors add Universal Serial Bus ports, but phaseout of older ports worries users

he Universal Serial Bus, a heavily hyped technology that's supposed to make hooking up desktop peripherals a breeze, may finally be set to take off.

More than 50 vendors at next week's Comdex/Fall trade show in Las Vegas will unveil USB-connected monitors, keyboards, and other devices supported by a newly available beta version of Windows 98. Many more USB products are expected to emerge next year.

The key advantage of USB, designed by PC industry heavyweights as a replacement for the PC serial port, is the ease of connecting devices. Vendors say users will be able to simply link multiple serial devices in a daisy-chain arrangement to a single PC, adding them to the chain even while the PC is running.

Intel, Microsoft, and others have promoted USB for more than two years, and some 40 million PCs with USB ports have been sold. But to date, few peripherals have been availab le that could connect to those ports. The adoption of USB "has been a little slower than we would have liked," says Stephen Whalley, Intel's manager of connectivity initiatives.

A key reason for the slow takeup has been lack of support for USB in Microsoft's operating systems. Though a Windows 95 update offered limited support at the end of last year, full support isn't expected until Windows 98 and NT 5.0 arrive. "Windows 98 will have comprehensive support," including a much easier way for vendors to write software that drives USB devices, says Stacey Breyfogle, Microsoft's product manager for Windows desktops.

As USB peripherals become mainstream, PC makers will gradually phase out older serial ports-and some users are concerned. "If the serial port is history down the road, then you'll have some problems," says Steve Koss, IS director for the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. "If I buy a PC without the serial port and I want to keep my old printer, will I have to buy a $495 adapter to make it work? "

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