Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] OT: USB 2.0 vs. FireWire (was: Opinions requested: Latest and greatest in scanners) )and related software
From: Eric Welch <eric@jphotog.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 07:14:25 -0700

on 07/13/03 10:00 PM, Martin Howard at mvhoward@mac.com wrote:

> Eric Welch wrote:
> 
>> USB2 might be good, but it's not as good as Firewire.
> 
> I've only used FireWire (400) and was under the impression that USB 2.0
> was as fast (or perhaps even faster) than that -- which led to the
> development of FireWire 800.  Since you appear to have used both, could
> you elaborate on why you consider FireWire superior?

Firewire is better because it's a streaming technology. USB 2.0 is
packet-based. With firewire, it doesn't require a computer between
peripherals to operate. With USB 2.0 you must have a computer running
things. For scanning that's no big deal. Firewire can power peripherals, so
no external Power Source is required. USB 2.0 can do that on a limited
basis, but it cannot supply the amount of power that Firewire can.

Last of all, it's become the defacto standard in digital video, audio,
automotive, and for a lot of other applications. Stereos, cars, cameras,
video equipment have been using Firewire. USB 2.0 is playing catch-up. And
now has been surpassed by Firewire 800 - a standard that can actually scale
up to 3200 with not much effort. Nobody knows where USB 2.0 is going.

You can daisy-chain Firewire devices together up to, I believe, 75 or more
devices. USB 2.0 has to be put on a hub. And Firewire can be used as an
Ethernet connection between computers. I have used it to share my desktop
Internet connection at work with my laptop. Pretty darn cool. Don't try that
with Windows, it's a nightmare to set up in comparison to a Mac. :-)

Eric Welch
Carlsbad, CA
http://www.jphotog.com

"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of
five."
                                                           -Groucho Marx

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