Universal Serial Bus (USB) became a phenomena in the late 1990s and is still the platform if communication of choice for most hardware manufacturers. Explain in brief the history of USB, the versions of USB. How can we use USB for Input/Output?

The history of USB

The USB was developed in 1999 by seven companies which are Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC and Nortel. The goal was to make it fundamentally easier to connect external devices to PCs by replacing the multitude of connectors at the back of PCs, addressing the usability issues of existing interfaces, and simplifying software configuration of all devices connected to USB, as well as permitting greater data rates for external devices. The first silicon for USB was made by Intel in 1995.

The versions of USB

Prereleases:

• USB 0.7: Released in November 1994.
• USB 0.8: Released in December 1994.
• USB 0.9: Released in April 1995.
• USB 0.99: Released in August 1995.
• USB 1.0 Release Candidate: Released in November 1995.

USB 2.0

• High speed USB

USB 3.0

• Super speed USB

Others:

• Wireless USB

• USB On-The-Go

• High Speed USB On-The-Go

How can we use USB for Input/Output?

Basically we can use any USB device as an input or output device.

Example,

Input:

• USB mouse
• USB keyboard

Output:

• USB Printer
• USB Speaker