On 8 Feb 2003, at 22:15, Ian Kennedy wrote:

> Hello - can anybody explain the difference between CARDBUS and PCMCIA
> interfaces - will one work in the other - are they compatible with each
> other

  PCMCIA (People Can't reMember Computer Industry Acronyms) is the older
standard, providing only an 8-bit data path, and fairly slow.  PCCard /
CARDBUS uses the same physical connector, but provides a data path that is
both wider and faster.

  PCMCIA devices are supported by PCCard / CARDBUS slots, which recognize
and honour their limitations.  But some of the devices available for PCCard
/ CARDBUS require bandwidth that PCMCIA simply can't deliver -- 100 Mbps
network adapters, for instance.

  If you have old PCMCIA devices, you can continue to use them.  You should
not be buying machines, though, that support only PCMCIA and not also PCCard
/ CARDBUS.

David Gillett

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