MOTM

How long will all these technologies last?

USB: Been around only since 1999. Two jack styles, and one speed 
change. On every computer at the moment, but for how long? And how 
many of your old device drivers still work, given that operating 
systems change so rapidly?

Ethernet: has been here for, what, 10 years? I don't mean in the lab, 
I mean in general use. Built-in on Macs since 1993, but the first Mac 
to have an RJ-45 style jack was 1996ish. (We still had some leftover 
token ring going on in my office as recently as four years ago.) 
Anyway, in 10 years, there have been three major changes to ethernet 
speed (10Base-t, 100Base-t, 1000Base-t). They're all compatible with 
each other, but the faster ones need high-speed cables. Plus, it's 
being replaced by various types of fiber.

MIDI: Since 1982, unchanged, exists on almost every synthesizer in 
existence for 25 years, and there are MIDI interfaces for every 
computer ever made (plus, the MIDI interface makers will be 
responsible for device drivers for new computers, not Paul). It's 
popular now to say how the old MIDI stinks and we need something new 
and better, but we all still use it every day, for everything. A 
handful of synths now support USB, but -every- synth supports MIDI. 
In music, MIDI is universal.

I vote for MIDI. It's the most likely to be still in existence in 5 
or 10 years, and if by some miracle there's ever a MIDI 2, it will 
most likely be compatible with the current MIDI. Long term, I would 
think the best chance for continued use would be with MIDI.


           Seth