Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!gatech!emcard!dscatl!wa4mei!nanovx!msa3b!kevin
From: kevin@msa3b.UUCP (Kevin P. Kleinfelter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: differences between mice types?
Summary: One difference
Keywords: bus mouse serial mice
Message-ID: <327@msa3b.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jul 89 14:50:14 GMT
References: <2254@trantor.harris-atd.com> <1147@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu>
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: Management Science America, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Lines: 20

In article <1147@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu>, jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (Jim Wright) writes:
> In article <2254@trantor.harris-atd.com> wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com (Curtiss WC 67625) writes:
> | Besides the obvious physical differences (i.e., an added card, different
> | connectors), how do a serial mouse and a bus mouse differ?  I am interested
> | in the differences from a programmers point.
> 
> *please* speak up.

One difference is in the serial port hardware.  I have found that not all 
"compatibles" have identical serial port hardware at the assembler IN/OUT
level.  I had a serial mouse that worked fine on an XT at work, but failed
on a PS/2 (both of these machines were "true Blue".) I have found the bus
mouse to be more portable than the serial mouse because the PC bus MUST be
followed exactly in designing a clone or no cards will work.  There is lots
of room for "most-of-the-capability" on a serial port.


-- 
Kevin Kleinfelter @ Management Science America, Inc (404) 239-2347
gatech!nanovx!msa3b!kevin