IBM should ditch the parallel, what should go there instead?

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LinuxGuy75 · #1 Post by **LinuxGuy75** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 12:43 pm

How about:

DVI, USB, and Firewire

Jeez, even a serial port fot console connections to networking gear would be more useful than a parallel port.

dclee012 · #2 Post by **dclee012** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 1:06 pm

how about in the off topic section

Daniel · #3 Post by **Daniel** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 1:33 pm

Perhaps Firewire, DVI, and USB.. They should toss in a USB-Serial port adapter in the box.

ryan · #4 Post by **ryan** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 3:19 pm

how many DVI and USB do you need? i have a 4 year old printer that i still use, so the parallel is great.

Nabeel · #5 Post by **Nabeel** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 5:57 pm

yeah, the parallel is nice for older apps. my dad used my laptop to connect to a peice of equipment in his lab the other day, it's pretty neat. they also have a t40 at my work thats hooked up via parallel port to some equipment.

trodriguez · #6 Post by **trodriguez** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 12:10 am

I think they left the parallel port for older cad apps that need dongles.

phat_mats · #7 Post by **phat_mats** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 1:41 am

is there anyway to replace the parralell yourself with say firewire? Taht would be way better than buying a PCMIA card

hausman · #8 Post by **hausman** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 7:34 am

I'd like to see a proprietary legacy connector on the back or bottom of new Thinkpads. This would be a single consolidated interface to parallel, serial, old-style keyboard and mouse, etc. much like the connector that mates with port replicators and docking stations. IBM would supply an "octopus" cable that mates with this connector as well as add this connector to their replicators and docks. That way the interfaces remain for those who need them without using up so much real estate at the back of the box.

#9 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 8:06 am

I find the parallel port useful. Old laser printers that I sometimes have to use (like the HP LaserJet 4L) have parallel port connections.

I like hausman's legacy connector idea though.

ian · #10 Post by **ian** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 8:57 am

This effectively exists already in the form of the port replicator...

hausman · #11 Post by **hausman** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 9:43 am

ian wrote:This effectively exists already in the form of the port replicator...

Not quite. Yes, the port replicators and docking stations do this, but many of the legacy connectors continue to take up space and weight on the back of ThinkPads. Port replicators and docking stations are good solutions at the desk, but are hardly portable. A "dongle" or "octopus" cable would solve these limitations and still allow some measure of portability.

ian · #12 Post by **ian** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 10:11 am

Hausman - don't get me wrong, I really like your idea. However, I just can't imagine, with these type of solutions existing already, that IBM would put any weight behind designing a 'dongle' system.

The idea of a smallish oblong strip (1 x 2 x 10 cms) containing the legacy ports, a short cable and a port replicator type connector for the port underneath the Thinkpad is really neat. There'd be bags of room for USB, parallel, serie ports - just about everything...

IBM should ditch the parallel, what should go there instead?

IBM should ditch the parallel, what should go there instead?

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