Hi again Ron and Nigel,
I agree with both of your views too. Interesting though, how does this sound:
6 Gbps SATA,
USB 3.0,
8 core AMD FX CPU ready
Sounds like a modern MoBo right? With USB 3.0 it must have come after 2008 some time.
Yet, it has a parallel port and a serial port.
Made by ASUS.
Also interesting, the MoBo manufacturers seem to be forcing the floppy drive out of existence totally, because not one modern one seems to include a 25 sent floppy controller chip anymore! Pretty amazing. That really does suggest the end of life has come for the floppy drive.
I wont miss it too much, but it seems like a loss of some kind for computer history.
Also, some people who still use XP and raid systems can not load their raid drivers without a floppy or else resort to having to slipstream them in. Not all USB floppies are supported by the original XP install disk so that's an interesting problem too.
I guess some people will have issues with this kind of thing, and it's hard to tell them that they have to go out and buy new stuff. It sounded like the OP didnt have that option for one reason or another. I have a meter i paid over 100 dollars for that has a computer interface RS232. If they discontinued all support for that (as they did for the floppy when it comes to booting up or loading drivers with XP) i'd have to buy a new meter if i wanted to continue to have that functionality. I have another meter worth some 350 US dollars, which also has RS232. I'd hate to loose that functionality even though i dont use it that much anymore. Lucky it's not parallel port
So in the end it seems that if it is a matter of going out and buying another 20 dollar item probably many people would do it, but if it comes down to needing another 200 dollar device that hits a little harder. The more the expense, the less we want to have to buy something again just to meet up with the standards. If we get old and die first, we get out of having to buy that new piece of hardware a second time
In a corporate setting it could mean going out and buying twenty five new 200 dollar items to replace the old ones.
Im glad i dont have to do this.