As long as you're using a real serial programmer, that has a processor on board, most (if not all) adaptors should work - because you're simply transferring serial data.
The *programmer* is not a problem. I have both pickit2 and easyPic4 USB programmers and I also have 2 self made parallel port programmers.
The issue is, I have no idea what might I have to use in some (undetermined) point of time and I decided to move all my elco dev on one windoze laptop as this linux/osx/windoze combo is just not doing it well, I have documents, projects, sources spread over 5 different computers and it is just @$%_$*_*@%$&#$
hence I decided to move *all* elco dev to the laptop (nice 17" asus w2c without anything but usb and fw io).... At the moment everything works (everything *is* USB attm, and the ftdi serial adapter I made works perfectly, especially that it is without level shifter so it goes directly to uC) but I kinda hate being caught with my pants down so want to get me a "real" usb -> serial that will even allow that
JDM type programmers, that connect to the serial handshake lines
to work
Of course - if possible
I do not have a need for that USB->RS232 adapter now, but I'm pretty sure that the moment I throw all the boxes from the house that have "real" rs232 I will need it, so, like to be prepared (especially if I need to order it from .us for example and that can sometimes take time, lot of time)
So, to summarize, I do not have "device" that I need to connect to RS232 that does not work and that I could "change", I just want to be ready, if I ever need to attach such device, I'd have an "adapter" ready