For most of us, even computer professionals, adding a new joystick, a set of multimedia speakers or any other peripheral to a personal computer can be a time-consuming and frustrating chore. Most of us quickly discover that the inside of a PC can be a very intimidating environment. Anyone who has ever added a new peripheral has confronted a complex maze of dip switches, jumper cables, software drivers, DMA channels, and I/O addresses. Getting it all to work often involves a process of trial and error. To make matters worse, changing such settings can dramatically increase the odds of a system crash. How USB changes everything With USB, installing new peripherals (and removing old ones) becomes much easier and simpler for users. It makes PCs more productive at work, and more fun to use at home. Here are some of the important ways USB makes a difference: One standard connector type. USB employs a "one-fits-all" connector, eliminating some of the guesswork about which cable or expansion port to choose when adding a peripheral. "Hot insertion and removal." Users can attach and detach peripherals while their system stays up and running. Chain them together. USB allows some peripherals to incorporate "hubs" to serve as connection points for other devices (up to 127 devices can be connected this way). Hub peripherals may include printers, monitors and keyboards, and stand-alone hubs will also be available. USB allows PC users to dispense with much of the "spaghetti" of serial cables behind their machines, since there's no longer a need to plug everything in to the back of the PC. "Outside the box." When a peripheral is connected, the PC's USB host controller automatically senses what driver software and bus resources are needed. There's no need to open the computer. The controller also provides appropriate power to connected devices. Anyone who uses a PC, from average users to computer professionals, will be happy to know that USB can make adding a peripheral to your PC about as hassle-free as plugging in a toaster.

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