Sign of Things to Come?
-
Many moons ago, to help a friend out with a problem, I had to attach an old peripheral to my PC. My problem was that I couldn't find the COM port for plugging it in. I searched everywhere, but with no success. The absence of COM ports may not be remarkable (especially not today); more remarkable is that the PC was almost 3 years old at the time, and in those 3 years I had never noticed that the COM was missing. So maybe the PC manufacturer was right, concluding that COM is obsolete. (Later, I discovered that the mainboard actually was equipped with a COM header. I even found an old bracket with both COM and LPT sockets and cables/plugs that fit right onto the headers. That was long after we had solved my friend's problem in other ways.) My basement is full of old equipment that I keep as a miniature computer museum. I'd sure like to be able to demonstrate it in operation. But for a lot of it, I no longer have an operational PC with the right interface. Maybe I was using a dedicated interface card, but I have operational PC with a matching bus. In one case (an SPDIF card with both input and output), the manufacturer switched into software-only, low level drivers for other manufacturer's HW - but dropped drivers for their own old HW! So when I updated to WinXP, I lost that card (even though it would still fit on my mainboard). External media is another thing: I've got floppy disks in four sizes (counting different densities makes it 9). Tape cassettes in four formats. A couple removable hard disk formats. I have operational readers for none of them. I've got documents, videos, sound files and digital photos in several dozen different formats that I may or may not have a reader for. It is like the COM port: I really haven't looked for it for a while. Such is life, and it is getting sucher and sucher. CD/DVDs are obsolete; more and more music/movies are unavailable in physical formats. Some of my friends more or less forced me to enable the WiFi in my home - I prefer cabled network, but they couldn't access that from their smartphones and tablets (and, being modern people, they would get mentally sick if they had to abstain from online media for more than a few minutes). Most devices still have USB ports, though. We'll have to cross our fingers that there won't be a 'D' plug for a few year (I've been through 6 different device-side USB plugs prior to the C plug!). You can buy Ethernet interfaces, CD/DVD readers, 3.5" floppy readers (at least you could - I've got one), sound cards, COM and
Quote:
I've got floppy disks in four sizes (counting different densities makes it 9). Tape cassettes in four formats.
Tapes. Impressive. I've got audio tapes, for the C64, filled with games, including (IIRC) River Raid and Boulder Dash. Too bad that neither the computer, nor the power brick it came with, work anymore. Pretty certain the tape driver still works, but impossible to tell.
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
What? Not even a Morse-code interface?:confused:
Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth. To err is human, to arr is pirate.
-
What? Not even a Morse-code interface?:confused:
Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth. To err is human, to arr is pirate.
Happily, even the FCC has finally admitted that there's little reason to require hams to know Morse code. That's the only reason I upgraded my license to Amateur Extra. :-D
Will Rogers never met me.
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
prices are going up ok gut out all possible ports, and shift to a hub also the transition from Ethernet Port, to one with hinge part to allow thin laptop the jump to wireless screens seemed like a fantasy in 2014, now every meeting room has screen share the next cord cut might be wireless USB docking hub
-
Many moons ago, to help a friend out with a problem, I had to attach an old peripheral to my PC. My problem was that I couldn't find the COM port for plugging it in. I searched everywhere, but with no success. The absence of COM ports may not be remarkable (especially not today); more remarkable is that the PC was almost 3 years old at the time, and in those 3 years I had never noticed that the COM was missing. So maybe the PC manufacturer was right, concluding that COM is obsolete. (Later, I discovered that the mainboard actually was equipped with a COM header. I even found an old bracket with both COM and LPT sockets and cables/plugs that fit right onto the headers. That was long after we had solved my friend's problem in other ways.) My basement is full of old equipment that I keep as a miniature computer museum. I'd sure like to be able to demonstrate it in operation. But for a lot of it, I no longer have an operational PC with the right interface. Maybe I was using a dedicated interface card, but I have operational PC with a matching bus. In one case (an SPDIF card with both input and output), the manufacturer switched into software-only, low level drivers for other manufacturer's HW - but dropped drivers for their own old HW! So when I updated to WinXP, I lost that card (even though it would still fit on my mainboard). External media is another thing: I've got floppy disks in four sizes (counting different densities makes it 9). Tape cassettes in four formats. A couple removable hard disk formats. I have operational readers for none of them. I've got documents, videos, sound files and digital photos in several dozen different formats that I may or may not have a reader for. It is like the COM port: I really haven't looked for it for a while. Such is life, and it is getting sucher and sucher. CD/DVDs are obsolete; more and more music/movies are unavailable in physical formats. Some of my friends more or less forced me to enable the WiFi in my home - I prefer cabled network, but they couldn't access that from their smartphones and tablets (and, being modern people, they would get mentally sick if they had to abstain from online media for more than a few minutes). Most devices still have USB ports, though. We'll have to cross our fingers that there won't be a 'D' plug for a few year (I've been through 6 different device-side USB plugs prior to the C plug!). You can buy Ethernet interfaces, CD/DVD readers, 3.5" floppy readers (at least you could - I've got one), sound cards, COM and
trønderen wrote:
Today, it looks as if WiFi is The One and Only Solution.
I've seen software where the manufacturer specifically says not to use wi-fi, only to use wired ethernet, preferably through a built in adapter, so one hopes that the option is still available for some time.
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger, my laptop came with both an Ethernet port and a USB-C connector. The USB-C connects to a hub I bought with HDMI, USB-A(2), and Ethernet support. The hub was <$50. Small giggle: The hub was marked as an Apple product, and it's hooked up to an HP laptop.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
My previous laptop at work had about 11h autonomy, 4x USB A and 1xUSB C and all possible readers and an Ethernet port. My brand new laptop has only two USB A and a USB C with 2,5h autonomy. SO I have to carry around a USB hub with hanging 20cm cables, plus my power supply - this is not a laptop anymore, it is a thin desktop. X| Sure, the laptop is not heavy, but the extra needed hardware is pure nonsense.
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
The new laptop my employer gave me a few months ago has three USB-C ports and what look like a microphone jack, a card reader, and some little rectangle I don't recognize. It also came with a dongle that gives me one USB-A port and one HDMI port. My manager, who loves Apple products, was overjoyed that Windows laptops have finally caught up with Mac laptops. I hate having to drag the dongle and a USB hub everywhere I go. At home, it connects to my WiFi. At my desk at work, the dock has an Ethernet port. Welcome to the future, I guess.
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
Our company supplied laptops have been getting smaller each year. "Too heavy" they whine. Give me a tool - reasonable screen, ports, and "hard disk". This round, the HP laptop has USB C, HDMI, audio, USB A. But it is nice and thin. We were issued a USB C "dock" (4 in ^3) that has 2 Display Port, VGA, audio, RJ45, x USB A & x USB C. Portable docks are available with differing sets of connections. Or you can collect and carry individual dongles for each connection. Yes, they boot very quickly, but the storage is not enough to have a full load of tools and local work.
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
Some of the business-oriented laptops still come with more ports. I recently got a new Dell Precision laptop at work, and it has a pretty nice complement of ports. The Latitude line also has some similar models, and I think Lenovo also still makes some laptops with a variety of ports.
-
Quote:
I've got floppy disks in four sizes (counting different densities makes it 9). Tape cassettes in four formats.
Tapes. Impressive. I've got audio tapes, for the C64, filled with games, including (IIRC) River Raid and Boulder Dash. Too bad that neither the computer, nor the power brick it came with, work anymore. Pretty certain the tape driver still works, but impossible to tell.
Heh, that brought back memories. I have my VIC-20 and tape drive in a box in the attic. The last time I had it out was 2009, but I was a little amazed to find it still worked then! I was able to read at least some of the stuff on those old tapes. I actually sold my first commercial software for the VIC and the C64 back in the early 80s. "Alarmex" it was called, and was kind of a toy alarm system, a combination of software and hardware that plugged into the joystick port, which I hand-assembled in my kitchen. I ultimately sold 1000 copies of it, wholesale through Protecto Enterprises.
-
Oh great; I'm even more out of touch than I already knew! It came with 2x A-type, and 1x C-type USB ports, but I have no idea how you're using that to get all those other functions! What new widgets do I need now?
Will Rogers never met me.
I bought a compatible USB-C hub with power. Actually have two because I have had one fail before. I plug all of the following into the hub - Internet. There is a inline connector for that. - usb keyboard (two plugs since mouse goes in via keyboard.) - usb Headset. - Sometimes a usb camera Computer itself - hub - Two monitors - External hard drive - power (of course)
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
Those things are not included in laptops for years now. Ever that craze started to make them lighter and thinner. But what makes this really bad is that more and more laptops are also reducing the number of USB ports included that you could use to attach USB based optical drives and/or Ethernet adapters to your device. I had to get a USB 3.1 hub to plug in both of those as well as at least one USB memory stick and a USB mouse/keyboard combo... :(
-
Roger, my laptop came with both an Ethernet port and a USB-C connector. The USB-C connects to a hub I bought with HDMI, USB-A(2), and Ethernet support. The hub was <$50. Small giggle: The hub was marked as an Apple product, and it's hooked up to an HP laptop.
Software Zen:
delete this;Well, a USB hub (C or not C, that is not the question) is fine, but also makes the whole thing less "portable"...
-
My previous laptop at work had about 11h autonomy, 4x USB A and 1xUSB C and all possible readers and an Ethernet port. My brand new laptop has only two USB A and a USB C with 2,5h autonomy. SO I have to carry around a USB hub with hanging 20cm cables, plus my power supply - this is not a laptop anymore, it is a thin desktop. X| Sure, the laptop is not heavy, but the extra needed hardware is pure nonsense.
11h runtime on a laptop? You're kidding, right? Or did that thing weigh 15lbs?
-
I just bought a new laptop to replace one that I've had for much too long. I was surprised to find that it not only has no CD/DVD device installed, it also lacks any Ethernet port! It never even occurred to me to look for either in the list of features before buying it; these are ubiquitous parts of any off the shelf computer! Apparently, not anymore. It seems that we are being driven to rely on wireless connectivity rather than anything physically secure! I'm hating this...
Will Rogers never met me.
I don't know how to break this to you, but it's been over ten years since the last laptop I had with an internal DVD drive. It's how laptops are so slim and light. You can buy an external DVD drive for less than $50, for what little use you will have for it. Watching movies on DVD and ripping CDs are also activities that have been relegated to the dustbin of history. I guess people assume that if you have a laptop, you want to move it more than six inches, so you will have wi-fi. For desktop use, you can get a port replicator that has video, ethernet, and usb. Ten years ago these were expensive parts that were customized to the laptop, but USB3 has made inexpensive generic ones available. You are awakening from a technological coma. Check out music and video streaming, and USB monitors, but don't ask who's been president, because the answer isn't pretty.
-
11h runtime on a laptop? You're kidding, right? Or did that thing weigh 15lbs?
Ralf Quint wrote:
You're kidding, right?
Nope... I had a Dell back then that could hold the whole working day in a normal usage. Was like that for two or three years, then I had a problem and the technician came... after that battery life drop 50% or 60%
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
-
Well, a USB hub (C or not C, that is not the question) is fine, but also makes the whole thing less "portable"...
To me, a portable is acceptable only when hooked up to a 28-30" screen, a decent full-size keyboard and a high quality mouse (preferably wireless), memory card reader, memory stick socket (for now: USB A socket; both this and the memory card reader is built into the screen), and with access to "unlimited" disk space. In other words: It must be seated in a docking station. If I am going to take it home from work, it must have one dock at work, one at home. Using it undocked is only in emergency cases. So what's the use of a 'portable', then? I can bring home the stuff I work on using a memory stick. The only job where I got a portable was when the employer offered no choice. The portable was docked permanently at the office; I never took it home (or elsewhere). Today, I have got a private portable and an dock, as a reserve in case the main one fails. I very rarely use it. Even though it is a high quality one, I rarely use it. It is very much like the smartphone: The main reason for having one is that 'the rest of the world' claims that I cannot live without it. I go along, even though I do not really believe in those claims.
-
trønderen wrote:
Smartphones never had them.
Given that smartphones, by design, have wireless connectivity built-in, that's no surprise.
trønderen wrote:
I believe that few, if any, tablets ever had them
You can always hook up a tablet to a dock that has one.
trønderen wrote:
Removing them from laptops is the natural next step.
Which makes total sense. But given I'd still much rather have a cable (for reliability reasons), I don't think I'm ready yet to buy a laptop without an Ethernet port. But then, I hate spending money on laptops, and I've only ever outright purchased one exactly once throughout my career. If a donated freebie doesn't come with one, I won't complain...it just wouldn't be my first choice.
Take a look at Framework laptops.
-
Roger, my laptop came with both an Ethernet port and a USB-C connector. The USB-C connects to a hub I bought with HDMI, USB-A(2), and Ethernet support. The hub was <$50. Small giggle: The hub was marked as an Apple product, and it's hooked up to an HP laptop.
Software Zen:
delete this;I'm happy to report that today I received a USB-A/USB-C to 2.5 Gb Ethernet port, along with a USB-A/USB-C connected CD/DVD Reader/Writer, both for <$50. Problem solved.
Will Rogers never met me.