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Ipac Usb Vs, Ps/2

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RandyT:


--- Quote from: patrickl on September 17, 2014, 03:17:46 pm ---That was pretty much as predicted yes.

--- End quote ---

Except that there are PS/2 ports on many new computers...and 10 years later at that.  The interesting thing is that the industry is somewhat successfully phasing out the entire desktop PC for the average "check your email, surf the web and balance the checkbook" types, so much of this is becoming moot fairly quickly.

But there will always be cheap, older and very capable computers with PS/2 ports for the kinds of things we need them for around here. ;)

DeLuSioNal29:

I bought a top of the line one last year and it still had a PS/2 port on it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131877&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-AMD+Motherboards-_-N82E16813131877&gclid=CLnG1ueX6cACFYMF7Aod1DoA-A

D

patrickl:

No, not "many". Very few in fact and even then pretty much only with "combo" ports.

So sure, old junkers will be available for some time, but that wasn't what was "predicted".

SunnyDU:

I'm just going to throw this out there and say that the predictions from both sides were off the mark a bit.

Arguing that PS/2 is not obsolete by providing links to support you claim and saying that you can still get one is weak.  If that's your argument that must mean VHS is also not obsolete.  (http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-SD-V296-Tunerless-Combo-Player/dp/B001DZFYPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410995510&sr=8-1&keywords=dvd%2F+vhs+player)

PS/2 is definitely obsolete (for the regular consumer market), but there is clearly an extremely strong specialized market for it that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  So any argument saying that you should buy a USB encoder because PS/2 is obsolete is equally as weak. 

Now that that's settled I would really like to know if there are still differing opinions and/or facts on the performance of each given what we know now?  Let's please assume that the system this is running on is a dedicated arcade cabinet with no other USB relevant devices connected.



RandyT:


--- Quote from: SunnyDU on September 17, 2014, 07:46:12 pm ---Arguing that PS/2 is not obsolete by providing links to support you claim and saying that you can still get one is weak.  If that's your argument that must mean VHS is also not obsolete.  (http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-SD-V296-Tunerless-Combo-Player/dp/B001DZFYPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410995510&sr=8-1&keywords=dvd%2F+vhs+player)

--- End quote ---

While the comparison isn't exactly apt, I'll play along.  But first, let's get semantic:


--- Quote ---ob·so·lete

adjective
1.
no longer produced or used; out of date.

--- End quote ---

PS/2 ports and devices are in fact still produced and used, so yes, the fact that you can also purchase newly produced VHS players/recorders does refute the claim of obsolescence in both cases.  Sure, you can purchase a DVD player which does not have a VHS machine in the same box, but that doesn't negate their existence, nor the demand for them.  Just as with PS/2, VHS has been around for a very long time.  Consumers have amassed huge collections of media which they still want access to.  It could be argued that those same consumers could transfer those recordings to more modern media, but doing so is time consuming, and often times not particularly simple to do.  It also requires an investment in the new media, and the hardware to do it well.

The reason both of these still exist is that they are dead simple to use, and because of their age and mass adoption, the technology is inexpensive and nearly "bullet-proof".  In their purest forms, it takes no special knowledge or support  to operate them.  They just work.  In the case of PS/2, this meant that consumers could plug in a keyboard or mouse, without worrying about special drivers for extensions to the standard operation.  USB keyboards have a "Boot Protocol" which is similar, and operation is virtually guaranteed across any device or operating system.  However, with it comes some severe limitations when used for anything but a standard keyboard application.  USB is, however, more open ended, and can circumvent those limitations with modified report structures.  The caveat is that the operating system must allow for and properly handle those modified reports for them to work as intended.  Otherwise, special drivers are required.  PS/2 does not have the limitations of a "Boot Protocol" USB keyboard device, so even the most basic OS support makes them "plug and play".

That's not to say that some extended features of PS/2 keyboards and port hardware are always supported across all devices.  On rare occasions, a PC manufacturer will deviate to support a feature on their own non-standard keyboards, or simplify it to the point that it  can cause some compatibility issues where two-way communication is involved, but you can always count on the basic operation to be solid.


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