Standards and 'Standards'- Where Would Your PC Be Without Them?

摘要

Did you use a USB flash/key/thumb drive today? If so, you probably plugged it into your running computer; saw the new drive letter appear; read from, wrote to, or operated programs from the drive; and then removed it. Maybe you used the "safety" method to remove it; more likely, you didn't. I'm guessing the whole process was painless—certainly more painless for handling 128 MB to 1 GB of storage than, say, formatting and using a 1.2-MB diskette. How about peripherals? Have you replaced a display lately (or moved to a two-display configuration)? Upgraded to an optical or wireless mouse from a different maker than your original mouse? Maybe even a wireless keyboard/mouse combination? Maybe the equipment came with a CD-ROM; maybe you just plugged it in. (The two-display configuration might have been a little tougher.) Oh yes: The USB key drive cost around $100 per gigabyte. The mouse probably cost less than $30. A wireless keyboard/mouse combo might cost $60 to $100. Your new display probably cost less than your previous one and represented a substantial upgrade.