This is something that has been bugging me for quite some time, for years motherboard manufacturers have been continuing to add legacy interfaces to their new hardware. But the question is, are they really needed?
- As far as input devices are concerned, HID-enabled hardware has been available for years via USB. So there goes PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors, we just made room for 3 or 4 USB ports on the back I/O pannel for the keyboard, mouse, and some arbitrary devices.
- As far as PATA goes, SATA optical drives have been available for over 2 years, hard drives for much longer. That can go, we just made room for 6 SATA ports.
- Floppy, my God, my pet peeve. This interface has been dragged on, beaten to death, and obliterated for so long it makes Duke Nuke 'em Forever look like it isn't vapourware. When was the last time any of us honestly used the floppy drive when we had other choices? For me, that was over 6 years ago since I pulled out and dusted off a floppy drive. Even with loading RAID/ACHI drivers for Windows XP, I'd sooner install XP on a single disk, slipstream the drivers, and reinstall with the native drivers. In that time, I've also been using writable CDs and USB sticks for BIOS updates, all board manufacturers could offer the same ability. Lets get rid of that and make room for another 4 or 6 SATA connectors.
- DSub 15-pin VGA, specifically on mATX boards with intergrated GPUs, just go away already, nobody in their right mind buys VGA monitors anymore, haven't for years, and more importantly DVI->VGA dongles (which we could swim around in from the bundled ones in GPU purchases we've made since 6 years ago) can service those of us who still have VGA monitors.
- RS232 (Serial port), yes, unbelievabley I *still* see these on motherboards being sold *today*. The last time I even saw a serial port modem in use, I was still losing and growing new teeth. Good grief.
- Parallel port, I still see these cropping up from time to time. Everyone has either usb printers or some decent laser printer with an ethernet port. Bye bye.
As far as I can see, there's no value to the user for any of these ports to be added onto mainstream motherboards, sure they may be useful to some who still has legacy kit, but I dare say they'd be a nieche group, and would mostly use their older computers to interface with these devices. And with all that legacy junk purged, motherboard manufacturers can make room for some truely innovative new technologies. Some years ago, Abit took the bull by the horns and released a board without legacy connectors, but I can only gather that it didn't take off so well, as they haven't attempted since, but are things different now?.. should they take the innitative again? So what say you, fellow hexites?.. Legacy begone?