Firewire VS USB

[madking153]

Hi,

Currently i am doing a project regarding why firewire is not as popular as USB. Any comment is welcome ! even better if u can show the link of debates



thanks!

 

[Kharn]

I would love to use file wire more but no device I have supports it other than my printer, it has a filewire input on the lead but the end that connects to my PC is standard USB.

 

[atomic tofu]

it's a simple thing...

firewire is a somewhat failure. It sprouted from a smug background...created and assumed to be used by all, thanks to it's parent originator...but never fully promoted or supported.

USB - created with functionality in mind, promoted and supported. USB did not just stop at it's first step, but went from USB 07, to 2 and now to wireless usb.
USB.org - Certified Wireless USB

good neutral info is wikipedia...
Universal Serial Bus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

within the above usb data file is an "uncertain" usb vs firewire comparison.

Oddly enough, the afore mentioned smug parent contributed to its child's competition. In essence, orphaning it's neglected child. Strange metaphor eh?

 

[SirMille]

USB is an industry standard, Firewire400/800 are proprietary to $ony

USB2 is quicker than the quickest Firewire, and
USB2 also has a high sustained transfer rate.

 

[madking153]

no true , the firewire 800 is faster than USB 2

 

[Qiranworms]

USB is an industry standard, Firewire400/800 are proprietary to $ony

USB2 is quicker than the quickest Firewire, and
USB2 also has a high sustained transfer rate.

False, false, and I'm not sure about the last point, so I can't comment there.

FireWire, first thing, is a standard. It's technical name is IEEE1394, and it wasn't a Sony creation, it was originally (I believe) an Apple creation. FireWire is the name Apple gave it, Sony used to call it something else actually, can't remember what that was or if they still use it. "FireWire" seems to have stuck.

Almost any digital video recorder has FireWire, but the only big-brand computers that seem to have it are Apple, Dell, and yes, Sony. In the digital video world, atomic tofu, FireWire is NOT at all a failure. In the external drive world, it's pretty split, and for things like printers, mice, keyboards, and still-cameras, USB clearly dominates. In other words, people use both. Usually for different purposes.


USB2 is also NOT faster than FireWire 800. It isn't actually faster (in practice) than FireWire 400 either, judging by comparisons I've read and from my own experiences.

 

[atomic tofu]

I said somewhat failure, hehe...I'am correct!!!!

But is is a failure because it is created but not fostered. It would be like someone creating CDs and not doing anything with them...of course such is not the case. CDs were made, implemented, marketed, promoted and supported. Technically it is good right? But besides bad marketing, there was an element of greed (check the royalties issue within the wiki usb article)

Now, of course, they may change their game with the new iteration of of Firewire, but it may be unlikely. Why? Well, sure a new standard comes out to try and defeat USB 2.0...but then another interface emerges as a surprise...what is it? eSATA...sure it may not be used for all things, but for external drives, it supplants FW800. So....USB 2.0 will be used for all other devices, USB wireless as well...and eSATA will be used for the new gen ext drives. It is poor timing for FW800...and only because they let it stagnate. Key word being "used". Firewire ports may be on many mobos now, but USB is USED on all of them. (at least newer ones, sans serial/parallel usage)

Apple started the idea, but only had a "hand" in developing it, much like the concept of 3do. "Firewire" is Apple's coin for IEEE 1394, iLink is Sony's name for it. From another source othe contributors of IEEE 1394 were "Texas Instruments, Sony, Digital Equipment Corporation, IBM, and INMOS/SGS Thomson (now STMicroelectronics)."

 

[roumieh2000]

Firwire is not known and thats what is not helping it out where as USB is COMPATIBLE and works wherever!!!!

 

[zmatt]

USB is an industry standard, Firewire400/800 are proprietary to $ony

USB2 is quicker than the quickest Firewire, and
USB2 also has a high sustained transfer rate.

lol fireiwre is the apple name for IEEE 1394 its also an industry standard, just one that nobody uses. sony called it iLink.

and the fastest USB falls behind firewire. usb2 is 480mbit or 60mbs while firewire is 800mbits or 100mbs.

firewire is better, it was just never marketed like usb, so it never caught on. pity, i like firewire.

 

[Kubel]

There's more of a difference than just what's on paper. Even if you compare a 480Mb USB connection to a 400Mb FireWire connection, FireWire still wins. Architecture has a lot to do with it. Firewire uses a peer-to-peer architecture, whereas USB uses master-slave. In laymans terms, FireWire has a lot less hoops to jump through than USB does, so it's faster, but FireWire devices are smarter so they are more expensive.

Here's a chart that might be useful:

CHOICE - FireWire vs Hi-Speed USB