However you choose to connect devices to your computer, their potential uses within your business are growing exponentially, according to Matthew Titcombe's Computers In Business.
One of the many joys of owning a computer is the ability to attach lots of different items to it. Of course, no joy in the PC world is earned without duly fought frustration of having to work through choosing and then configuring these peripherals. My goal within the confines of this column is to give you a basic guide to existing methods of attaching all the cool stuff that is being developed. Also, I'll throw in some purchase suggestions and tips for use along the way.
Right now there are six primary ways to attach devices to your computer, based on the type of port you are using to attach the device to a printer. The ports available are serial, parallel, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI, pronounced "scuzzy"), Infra-Red (IR), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and IEEE 1394 (Firewire).