USB gizmos

[Patricia M Godfrey pmgodfrey@xxxxxxxx]

Jordan wrote: "If one uses a USB to Parallel converter, does that
sidestep the issue of being able to have DOS app.s (like XyDOS) find LPT1
or LPT2 ?"
I'm not sure, because I've never tried it, but from all I've read it
wouldn't work. Not that way, anyway, because the converters are only to
be used to print through a USB port to a parallel printer, not vice
versa. But Xy and other DOS apps are looking for a parallel PORT. Now the
BIOS of my system does have an option "use USB with DOS" but whether it
works or not I haven't been able to test. One would need an otherwise
DOS-compatible printer (i.e., Postscript, HP PCL, or Epson ESC/P printer
language one), connected to the PC through the USB port, and try to print
to that from DOS. What might work is mapping the parallel port to the USB
port using the "capture printer port" function; but I get the impression
that only works if you're in a network. Anyone know different?
Patricia