What is the Difference Between a Serial and Parallel Port?

@summertime, I actually ran into a very similar issue with specialized bar scanners that our computers and point of sale systems were using. These scanners simply were to expensive to replace and when we purchased new computers to hook up to them, we realized that no parallel port was included on the new system. At first, I gawked in disbelief. How could such a true and tried system of connection be phased out within a generation of computers. Trying to avoid the high cost that you speak of to transition to new equipment, we found an option that seemed to work best and was quite cheap.

We found that some computer hardware manufacturers learned that consumers still had a need for these older technologies and. The best option for our needs and the constraints of the new computers was the installation of a parallel pci card. This expansion style card that installs into the motherboard directly worked great and had a small cost. Working with drivers for the operating system was the most challenging part but luckily we did our research and found a card that was capable of working on Microsoft's latest version of Windows. I hope others are able to make a costly transition less painful with the use of expansion cards.

The only problem with the phasing out of the rs232 serial port from many home and professional level computer systems is that it will result in a large variety of perfectly working hardware becoming obsolete or unusable. A good example of this is the use of a scrolling LED marque that my business uses to display messages to customers. Traditionally we had programed this message board with a computer that was used specifically for that purpose. Last week when that computer ceased to continue working, we were faced with a major problem. The replacement computer and any computer that we researched did not come with this old style of serial port. While I did find some references to serial to usb converters available on the internet, the two that I ordered and tried simply would not work. I was then told by the manufacturer of the sign that it was not longer possible to update the sign via a computer and would have to be done with the very inefficient remote control.

This was unacceptable and the company offered me a trade in bargain on my ancient technology. Essentially I paid a very little amount to get a better message board and USB connectivity. This is always something to consider when you have to deal with equipment that uses archaic connection standards. Be careful as a business owner as this is the type of situation that can greatly increase costs as you make a transition.

I recently retired my very old ink jet printer and realized that the new printers that are on our market today have a new type of connectivity. While I was expecting the usual and time-tested parallel port print, that was far from what I experienced. It might also speak to just how old the computer I have is. My folks always raised me with the value that you don't replace something until it is beyond repair. Following this philosophy means that I have an ancient computer that has finally become more expensive to repair then purchase a new system.

So after needing a new computer and new printer, I quickly found that I had no idea what half of the new connectors on the back of the tower were for. Luckily computer manufacteres have caught on to the fact that consumers have a much easier time with color codded connectors. My biggest surprise was the use of USB for my new keyboard, mouse and printer. The mouse and keyboard were no brainers but the problem of how to hook up my printer remained. The new printer didn't come with a cable and with that realization, it occurred to me that things haven't changed that much. You still have to pay extra for a cable, no matter the connection type, it's just marketing.

I am so glad that the use of parallel and serial ports have been phased out of the current computer hardware market. Gone are the days of dealing with gender adapters and making sure that you had a very specific cable for a specific application. Also gone are the days of ridiculously slow connection and data transfer rates that could drive a poor computer tech or user insane.

With the advent and the mass introduction to the market of the Universal Serial Bus, we have overcome all the old issues that came along with using a serial port. I just hope that while USB is great for now, that one day it is replaced with faster and more universal standard for accessory connectivity. For most things the current USB 2.0 standard works well for but I can see where certain things can use a faster transfer rate.

A good example of this is the use of external hard drive storage for the editing of video. My personal computer does not have enough internal space to deal with the massive file sizes that come along with video. The problem with using external storage is the computer is constantly battling a slow transfer speed that can't keep up with the modern day processors and editing applications.