“Over the past two years, Microsoft has been working with industry partners on the USB 2.0 project. We are pleased to announce that USB 2.0 drivers will be available for Microsoft WindowsXP through Windows Update early in 2002. USB 2.0 driver support for Windows 2000 is still under development, and will be available later in the first quarter of 2002. Microsoft will not provide USB 2.0 support for the Windows 9x platform or Windows NT 4.0. This article provides details on Microsoft plans for USB 2.0 support. The USB Architecture section describes the structure of the USB 2.0 stack on Windows 2000 and compares it to Windows XP and Windows .NET Server. The last section discusses Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) plans for supporting the testing of USB 2.0 host controllers, devices and hubs.” Read the rest of the article at Microsoft’s Platform Development site.
USB 2.0 and Windows2k/XP
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Why they even mention NT which never had any real usb support I don’t know. But obviously leaving 98 and ME out is too push them to XP. I have to assume that they will try the same plan – push people from W2K to XP.
At some point people upgrade. I don’t think you can expect MS to bring new technology to past tech.
USB 2.0 isn’t really that new. People can’t be expected to shell out the exhorbitant costs that Windos costs every two years.
I, personally, believe that as long as MS is still supporting the OS, then they should make an update for it. MS wasn’t planning on supporting the USB 2.0 from the start, but now they are coming out with updates for WIN XP/2K. If enough people bitch and moan, they might reconsider and come up with an update for win98. A lot of people that I know are still using win98 and see no reason to upgrade regardless of how much hype WIN XP is getting. It might hurt the bottom line of the manufacturers of USB 2.0 devices, though. Why pay more for USB 2.0 devices when your OS doesn’t support it? You can still use USB 2.0 devices because it is backward compatible with USB 1.1, but you won’t get the speed advantage. This is going to piss off some people! If MS wasn’t going to support USB 2.0, I was going to buy all Firewire device…about the same speed and compatible with various operating systems.
I think that ms had some trouble with usb 2.0 software or manufacturers. They decide to play poker and, at last, all went right with the other players. No more, no less.
The real question is : were they in position to not support v2.0 ??