Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments
NOTE: use Perl; is on undef hiatus. You can read content, but you can't post it. More info will be forthcoming forthcomingly.

All the Perl that's Practical to Extract and Report

use Perl Log In

Log In

[ Create a new account ]

TorgoX (1933)

TorgoX
  sburkeNO@SPAMcpan.org
http://search.cpan.org/~sburke/
"Il est beau comme la retractilité des serres des oiseaux rapaces [...] et surtout, comme la rencontre fortuite sur une table de dissection d'une machine à coudre et d'un parapluie !" -- Lautréamont

Journal of TorgoX (1933)

Thursday February 28, 2002
04:52 PM

Data transfer

[ #3200 ]
Dear Log,

So is there an actually good reason for the fact that I can't plug a USB cable into my laptop and into my PC and have them both magically notice the other's existence, and do something useful like allow file-swapping? I can plug a mouse into my PC's USB port and have it magically start working, so why not another computer?


List all Journal entries
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

Data transfer 3 Comments More | Login | Reply /

 Full
 Abbreviated
 Hidden
More | Login | Reply
Loading... please wait.

  • So is there an actually good reason for the fact that I can't plug a USB cable into my laptop and into my PC and have them both magically notice the other's existence, and do something useful like allow file-swapping?

    Yes. File swapping is wrong [napster.com].

    Seriously, though, I think the other end of the USB cable is supposed to be a slave device (printer, mouse, HD). What you're trying to do is get two master devices talking to each other, which is beyond the scope of the problems USB is trying to solve. It's

    • Perhaps a modem is a good analogy as well? My computer works fine calling out with a modem but it's not really set to do anything with incoming modem calls?
      --

      -- 
      Esli epei eto cumprenan, shris soa Sfaha.
      Aettot ibrec epesecoth, spakhea scrifeteis.

    • Remember, the S is for "serial." When you want to plug two computers together with a serial port, you can't just use a serial cable, you need a null-modem cable. In the same way, I think you need a crossover USB cable to handle this. Not to mention some special software. (I hope you're using an open OS, or you're probably out of luck! :) )

      I've heard that people have burned their USB controllers trying this. Wouldn't know personally; the only USB controller I ever burned was hooked up to sonars and a

      --
      J. David works really hard, has a passion for writing good software, and knows many of the world's best Perl programmers
Stories, comments, journals, and other submissions on use Perl; are Copyright 1998-2006, their respective owners.