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Proof that FireWire isn't going anywhere...
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adk said:Firewire cable is about 2 meters, USB cable is about 1 meter. I first tried with firewire, then with USB2. This was by no means a scientific experiment, it was just to settle a dispute between my dad and me over which one was faster. I won
Speed is relative to length, your firewire cable is 2 metres, USB is 1. Therefor, the speed ratio is more likely to be 4:1 as opposed to 2:1.
funkychunkz said:
Really? Are you sure about that?
Are you saying that a 12' FW cable will transfer data at half the speed of a 6' one?
Just wanting to clarify your argument...
funkychunkz said:
Wow, it makes sense to me, but realistically I don't think a 1 meter Firewire cable would transfer at 398 Mbps, but I bet it would increase speed. Now I need to find a shorter firewire cable and unleash the speed!
I don't think a lack of Firewire support in Ipods is a huge deal. It cuts down on size and cost, both a major plus for me. And even though USB is slower, most people are rarely transferring large amounts of data (1GB+) besides the initial loading of the songs. other than that, its just updating an album or two, or changing playlists.
The last post hit on the key. Most people won't want to (or don't realize they want to) start up using an external Firewire disk. Most people are happy with the transfer speeds of USB 2.0. Most people don't need to network through Firewire.
What a great technology with so much potential. Now that 2 GB pen drives are reasonably priced, I wish someone would make a Firewire interface for one so I could carry around an OS on it.
Anyway, Apple realizes that FW isn't being used to its full potential and is going with the money-maker. Betamax was better than VHS, but it didn't win the war. Kind of like SCSI. I wish Apple would keep it since it's so versatile, but they have to go with what the market demands. I see them keeping it on Pro machines and dropping it on the consumer line. That makes me sad.
What a great technology with so much potential. Now that 2 GB pen drives are reasonably priced, I wish someone would make a Firewire interface for one so I could carry around an OS on it.
Anyway, Apple realizes that FW isn't being used to its full potential and is going with the money-maker. Betamax was better than VHS, but it didn't win the war. Kind of like SCSI. I wish Apple would keep it since it's so versatile, but they have to go with what the market demands. I see them keeping it on Pro machines and dropping it on the consumer line. That makes me sad.
UDP over FW a possibility?
I chuckled as I read this. I don't think this is the case. I think you'd need a far longer cable for data speeds to decrease. Best look it up on the IEEE webpage. As for a 5m cable - 99% sure the speeds would be the same for FW400 or FW800 connections.
This will only hold IF the newer Macs loose the FW port. Why would Apple fund a USB version if the Intel Macs have FW? New iMacs shouldn't be judged from. I personally wouldnt buy a new iMac - I can close the iris on my iSight!
Now that my Bro's win2k box is back - I might play around with the FW network connection for myself. Read somewhere (don't quote me on this) that TCP/IP is quite computationally expensive for the data rate, so using 400/800 Mb/s would scale with an ethernet connection. A shame I think. Anyone heard of UDP over FW?! Still, worth a go eh?!
FireArse
funkychunkz said:
I chuckled as I read this. I don't think this is the case. I think you'd need a far longer cable for data speeds to decrease. Best look it up on the IEEE webpage. As for a 5m cable - 99% sure the speeds would be the same for FW400 or FW800 connections.
weckart said:
This will only hold IF the newer Macs loose the FW port. Why would Apple fund a USB version if the Intel Macs have FW? New iMacs shouldn't be judged from. I personally wouldnt buy a new iMac - I can close the iris on my iSight!
Now that my Bro's win2k box is back - I might play around with the FW network connection for myself. Read somewhere (don't quote me on this) that TCP/IP is quite computationally expensive for the data rate, so using 400/800 Mb/s would scale with an ethernet connection. A shame I think. Anyone heard of UDP over FW?! Still, worth a go eh?!
FireArse
funkychunkz said:
For anyone who was wondering, this question is completely irrelevant, and probably just trollbait.
Each type of cable spec (Firewire 400, 800, USB2, whatever) has a MAX cable length, but as long as you're operating underneath that max (for Firewire 400 it's 4.5 m, almost 15 ft) the speeds are the same regardless of cable length. Added to this, comparing lengths BETWEEN two cable types is useless, as the max lengths are different.
I get the feeling funkychunkz would be right at home working at Circuit City, trying to tell you the $70 optical audio cable from Monster will give you much better sound than the $12 cable you can buy online.
tveric said:
We have this here in the UK too - its called the Dixons Store Group. They own Dixons, Currys, PC World and The Link. Complete @rsr holes. I used to work for the Customer Services in the main Curry's Store for the Hemel Hempstead Branch (where DSG is based) and that place is a complete rip-off. Worse yet, the staff are poorly trained, and the stuff they think they know is from mates or guess work. I was often left picking up the pieces and correcting advice previously given by staff.
It pays to do your homework. If you find a good deal - great, just stay away from the Extended Service Plan (AKA MasterCare).
Sorry to go off topic - as long as you get a quality cable thats below the requirements set by the IEEE1394 standard - you'll get the advertised data rates.
FireArse