[Oberon] oberonstation questions, ps/2?

[enso]

PS/2 devices communicate using a simple serial protocol, much like an 
SPI port, and require not much more than a shift register on the FPGA.  
USB devices require a working computer and a few kilobytes of memory in 
order to enumerate and interrogate them.  As any anarchist will tell 
you, USB is a corporate device designed to keep people away from owning 
and controlling your hardware.

I haven't seen 'ps/2 converters'.  Some PCs had special usb ports that 
accepted non-usb serial data from the usb port, and some keyboards came 
with a little adapter that converted ps/2 to what looks like but isn't 
USB.  The two could then talk serial over the usb port.  It is not a 
ps/2-usb converter, really, and would not help here.

Similarly, a VGA port requires a few resistors and a few output lines 
for red, green, blue, and sync.  DVI is a complicated protocol that 
requires dedicated serializers and proprieatary IP from Xilinx.

The Oberon RISC project wisely keeps away proprietary standards and 
implementations to make sure it is possible to replicate in the future.

On 02/01/2016 07:36 PM, Lars wrote:
> Was wondering why PS/2 was chosen for the oberon keyboard and mouse ports
> when all the keyboards being sold in stores these days are USB. Was ps/2
> much simpler to program without complexities of USB ?  Drivers easier to
> write?
>
> Do people use USB keyboards with a ps/2 converter? If so, do almost all
> USB keyboards have the ability to use ps/2 with a converter, or are some
> USB keyboards USB only, no conversion possible.
>
> Also, no HDMI video, DVI? too complex? the svga port is a little bit
> outdated. Any plans to release an OberonStation version 2.0 or something?
>
> Note: I am completely ignorant of the OberonStation. If these questions
> have already been answered in a book, or on a website (non existant "Wirth
> Blog" or "Wirth Wiki" or "Spinach Planet") then let me know where to read
> info.
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