As you know, your computer system is made of a bunch of devices working together to get perform a certain function. Well, it makes sense that these devices all need some way to communicate with each other in order to function together. The cables we will describe in this section serve the purpose of connecting peripherals and other components of a computer system to each other, to the computer's memory, and to the computer's CPU.
Serial and parallel ports are both devices that are used to connect peripherals, like a modem, scanner, printer, or even mice.
SCSI, an acronym for Small Computer System Interface, is also a device that can connect many peripherals to your computer.
Universal serial buses have become a major competitor of serial and parallel ports. They, too, are used to connect peripherals. USBs can connect as many as 127 devices!
FireWire is yet another device that can be used to connect peripherals to your computer system. While it is much faster than USB, FireWire can connect fewer devices.
IDE, or Integrated Drive Electronics, is a device that connects storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs to your computer system! As storage devices are a very important part of your computer system, so too, are IDEs!
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