"Jamie" t wrote in message
...
Cydrome Leader wrote:

William Sommerwerck wrote:

USB is completely stupid, from the ground up.

I don't know how long you've been using personal computers, but it seems
you've never had to set up COM ports, which can be a major pain in the
toches. USB largely delivers on its promise of "plug and play". Whatever
problems it might have, they are offset by the fact that USB works with
little or no fussing.


I used a dumb terminal before I had a complete computer, so I'm no
stranger to serial and all the goofy breakout boxes, null modem adapters
and chain of adapters almost foot long to get stuff to work. It was all
pretty stupid, but about as good as it gets for stuff that old.

I used a set of barn door hinges, C-clamped on my table as a straight
keyer for morse code, before all that I have now came along. Beat that
one!

Jamie



My father-in-law was a professional key-man who worked for the UK FO many
years ago, and I remember him telling me that the first squeeze key that he
put together in some god-forsaken outpost, was made from two thin table
knives, taped together at the handles and jammed in a vise, with alligator
clips for the connections ... ! :-)

Arfa