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The death of parallel and serial ports?

T

TechnoPro

Golden Member
I'm starting to see some systems (especially laptops) not include either one.

Myself, I own no devices requiring either connection.

Any predictions as to if/when they might start being phased out on a grander scale? Are they obsolete technolgies?

 
Sooner than later, hopefully. The I/O bracket on my case would look better without them, and maybe some extra USB, Firewire, etc. connectors.
 
Yes, down with these old interfaces. I'm tired of having them in the way. 25 USBs and 10 firewire suit me to the T 😀

EDIT: Not that I would use that many, but at least they would be faster than serial or parallel.
 
I hope the serials stick around for a while, I've still got some old gadgets like a gps and palm cradle that are still used which connect to the serial port.
 
It's amazing how many devices still use these interfaces. For example, half of GPS units still use serial ports.

-Scott
 
I kinda hope they stick around just because i like having them there for all thoses strange times when they seem to come in handy.
-Ryan
 
I use a parallel port midi box. Would you beleive that in the world of midi you don't want usb devices as much as parallel? You want stability and is other things are access the usb ports then your timing could drop and thats a big no no. There are some newer midi devices that use usb very well but there are lots of non usb midi devices out there.
 
The next logical question is should these ports be removed from the motherboard and sold as optional add-on cards?
 
To much going for the parallel and serial ports to end now...
DOS support, DMA plus non sharing IRQ assigned abilities...
I use some 10 USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices, 4 Firewire400 + 2 Firewire800 but still have 2 Serial and my PP is intact and used as well
 
I'd be happy with just USB and Firewire on the motherboard - no parallel, serial, PS2, integrated video/sound. I did use a serial port a few months ago, but that was to connect a really ancient piece of equipment that had no right still to be alive.
 
I still use serial and parallel, as well as ps/2. I can understand how a laptop would be phasing these out for space concerns but a desktop has no need to eliminate them.
 
You can buy a USB device that converts to several serial ports. I'm not sure how well they work regarding compatibility though.

I really see no reason to phase them out. Perhaps, remove them from the ATX backplate but still leave headers on the motherboard to install them if you really want them.

Why should we be asking for less features?
 
We will have to be modem-free before we can become serial port free. The best type of 56k modem is still external serial. It is understandable why laptops are among the first to do away with them for space reasons. There are no space constraints for ports on desktop systems and the ports cost almost nothing to include. So why worry about it. If you don't use them, just disable them in your BIOS setup to free up a few IRQ lines.
.bh.
 
Parallel ports will disappear long before serial ports, if you want my opinion. Already, you have to pay a premium to get a printer with a parallel connection as opposed to a USB connection.

As for serial, being an electrican who programs PLCs for a living, serial is still very widely used. And it is especially handy to have it on laptops becuse most of the time thats what required to do the programming.
 
I can see them leaving on laptops and SFF computers where space is a premium. But there is no good reason (other than saving ~10 cents per computer) to want them off of desktops. A dedicated port is in many cases superior to a multifunctional port. Since it does no harm to those who don't use them, why should those of us who do be forced to downgrade?

Many printers are still faster with parallel version than USB version (Assuming the printer has ECP capabilities). USB has power problems and timing issues. Serial devices are everywhere and are still in use. I just don't see a reason to get rid of them.

I agree with sparky853 though, parallel will die a lot sooner than serial. This is because most parallel port devices are cheap and easilly replacable when serial port devices aren't.
 
POS systems and other retail systems still use the serial and parallel ports for receipt printers and modems to name one current use. I know because I use one. I think they have some life yet but I feel the death rattle beginning to shake rattle and roll over the horizon for them.

On a related topic, when will the floppy also go the way of the dinosaur. I mean we have to have a floppy for Raid/miscellaneous drivers and nothing else it seems. Jeesh. I know you can work around the floppy but I was speaking as the average consumer.
 
Originally posted by: nukexbi
It's amazing how many devices still use these interfaces. For example, half of GPS units still use serial ports.

-Scott
Click to expand...

I think serial lingers because, from what I've seen of it, it's fairly easy to interface with. Schematics are readily available for making circuitboards that will let you use a PC to control a variety of devices or appliances. I don't know that USB can be used in a similar fashion.

The next logical question is should these ports be removed from the motherboard and sold as optional add-on cards?
Click to expand...

That might work too. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Zepper
We will have to be modem-free before we can become serial port free. The best type of 56k modem is still external serial. It is understandable why laptops are among the first to do away with them for space reasons. There are no space constraints for ports on desktop systems and the ports cost almost nothing to include. So why worry about it. If you don't use them, just disable them in your BIOS setup to free up a few IRQ lines.
.bh.
Click to expand...

Good tip. I am already doing this. Ironically, I've come across PCs that have various components disabled in BIOS and the forgetful owner wonders why said part is non-functional and non-existant in Windows.
 
Originally posted by: Jeff7
Originally posted by: nukexbi
It's amazing how many devices still use these interfaces. For example, half of GPS units still use serial ports.

-Scott
Click to expand...

I think serial lingers because, from what I've seen of it, it's fairly easy to interface with. Schematics are readily available for making circuitboards that will let you use a PC to control a variety of devices or appliances. I don't know that USB can be used in a similar fashion.

The next logical question is should these ports be removed from the motherboard and sold as optional add-on cards?
Click to expand...

That might work too. 🙂
Click to expand...

Haha! I know that they are sold as add-ons. Hell, I still buy the occasional serial port card for businesses. I am seeing more and more devices migrate to USB, though. It's the home users that I rarely encounter serial.
 
I think Intel has already phased these ports out of their standards.

Unfortunately there are lots of applications for both parallel and serial ports that will be harder to do with USB. For instance, lots of hobbyists use parallel ports to control things since they effectively give you 8 user-programmable outputs. You can use these to control relays, etc.

Serial ports (ie. rs232) are often used by debuggers for doing kernel debugging or debugging a standalone device. Why? Because rs232 is trivial to implement in hardware. USB is quite a lot more complicated and expensive to implement (and will likely be beyond the abilities of most tinkerers). Another benefit of rs232 serial is that you can transmit the signals over a largish distance using twisted pair cable. I've personally transmitted data over a 400 foot cable. Try doing that with USB.



 
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