In this part...
I
n the early days of computing people thought it
was magical when they could connect two machines
(at a pace that seems quite comfortable to a snail) using
a telephone modem. The first PC modems could send
or receive (one direction at a time only, please) at about
150 bits per second. Today’s standard dial-up modems
are about 370 times faster. And a broadband cable or
DSL modem is up there in “Hoowhee!” land, as much as
25,000 faster than where the PC first started talking to bul-
letin boards, nearby machines, and the World Wide Web.In this part you get wired and unwired. I discuss the fastest
growing form of communication for laptops: wireless inter-
connection. You also explore modems, serial ports, parallel
ports (if your machine has held onto this disappearing act),
and current speed champions for communication by wire:
USB and FireWire ports.19_589598 pt04.qxd 9/29/05 2:59 PM Page 196