Microsoft still in denial phase over W8.. possible "relaunch" in February

1 hour ago, cheong wrote

Actually I think USB is not a full replacement for serial port access even if someone say so

And the majority (all?) of USB/Serial adapters, are too unreliable for many applications.

@elmer: Not "all?". When finding a USB/Serial adapter it is important to see what chipset it uses and if it handles both hardware and software handshaking.  Once you find one that meets those criteria then you have found a rock solid adapter.  USBG-232 has been rock solid for years.  http://www.usbgear.com/usbg-232.html

The support and development folks have been at odds for several years now over this.  Support still encourages users to install the converter instead of using USB/(Activesync/WMDM) because it is an instant usable connection and simplifies user life.

@evildictaitor:  I appreciate your help with all of this, especially requesting that the question be forwarded to the teams at MS.

3 hours ago, davewill wrote

@elmer: Not "all?". When finding a USB/Serial adapter it is important to see what chipset it uses and if it handles both hardware and software handshaking.  Once you find one that meets those criteria then you have found a rock solid adapter.  USBG-232 has been rock solid for years.  http://www.usbgear.com/usbg-232.html

The support and development folks have been at odds for several years now over this.  Support still encourages users to install the converter instead of using USB/(Activesync/WMDM) because it is an instant usable connection and simplifies user life.

Even with perfectly good USB/Serial adapters, there's still the chance that the thing may fail spectacularly. I've seen some devices (no names here, to protect the guilty) that draw small amounts of current off the control signals; no big deal with a real serial port, but enough to make the chip in the adapter go bananas. For extra fun, make sure that the device doesn't draw current continuously and that the peak is borderline.

44 minutes ago, bondsbw wrote

@evildictaitor:  I appreciate your help with all of this, especially requesting that the question be forwarded to the teams at MS.

No problem. Can you give an example of a specific product that doesn't work so they can triage it?

@evildictaitor: Our devices use the FTDI VCP drivers (http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm ).   The most common device we target is the E-Seek M250 (http://www.e-seek.com/product_m250.asp ).

MS Response:

Te main issue you are going to have is the lack of Windows RT drivers - as only a select few vendors are allowed to write them.  If the hardware is usable via an in-box keyboard driver (a HID driver), you'll be OK, otherwise, you'll be out of luck.

@evildictaitor:  We are not targeting ARM devices.  We are targeting Intel (which as we understand it is the only way to do what I mentioned before, which is to write a desktop app to proxy communications to the device).  So that's not an issue.  Just talking to a virtual serial port on an Intel device.

@bondsbw: http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/The-Defrag-Show/Defrag-Notifications-Scanners-Showing-Paths

Jan 30, 2013 at 12:43 AM, RLO wrote

...  No longer are you limited by your processor, your ram, your storage or your bandwidth, you will only be limited by your datacenter.

... and the unlit "online" light on your modem.