Why I Love USB

I’ve been using computers for more than 25 years, so I’ve seen lots of innovations in that period of time. I’ve worked with a host of computer connection technologies – everything from networks to SCSI. But when USB (Universal Serial Bus) came out in the mid-1990′s, the game began to change. USB has to be one of the easiest connection methods for both PC and Mac users. There’s nothing better than plug n play!

I look back over the last few months at some of the items that I’ve added here in my home office and I reflect on the various degrees of installation. I bought a Brother HL-2170W laser printer about six months ago. This is a printer that connects to my wireless network and doesn’t require a huge warm-up time like my big HP Color LaserJet 8550N. I wanted this particular laser printer because I could place it anywhere in the house and print from any of my computers. Great convenience, great price. The problem was properly setting it up for my network (which ironically required the use of a USB cable). It took me what seemed like forever to get the printer setup on my network. The problem was that even though the HL-2170W was designed as a wireless printer, the manufacturer really didn’t provide a set of clear instructions on how to actually configure all of the settings. After a great deal of research on the internet, I was able to figure out what I needed to do and it was actually pretty simple.

In contrast, I just recently purchased an HP Deskjet F2480 all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier and the installation was much easier – which I completely attribute to the ease of USB. And this got me thinking – USB has to be one of the nicest pieces of technology out there that actually works. Looking around here at my desk, I see a host of USB devices: an external hard drive, a drawing tablet, a wireless keyboard and mouse (connected via USB), a flash drive, a flash card reader, and the aforementioned printers. All of these items connect to my computer system through the wonder that is USB. By this time, you have be thinking, “Bob, you’re a nerd.” That may be a very accurate statement since I’m sitting here typing out the praises of USB, but you have to admit that it really has simplified things over the last 15 years.

Even though there are external connection technologies that have emerged that are faster (such as FireWire), for some reason USB continues to remain the most popular. Perhaps people just hate to change, but maybe its because the big technology companies actually got something right. There are billions of USB devices sold annually and I don’t see that number going down anytime soon. USB is easy enough for just about anybody to understand – you just plug it in and it works. It’s nothing like the SCSI chains I can remember building years ago.

I think USB will continue to evolve as it already has and it will be a mainstay for computer users for years to come. Call me a nerd if you want, but I love USB!

Bob Barcus

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Bob Barcus is a website design and computer repair guru with more than 15 years of hands-on experience. He lives and works in Argos, Indiana and is the founder of Apheus Solutions, LLC.