Editing GPIB (section)

== Comparison with other interface standards ==
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Electrically, IEEE 488 used a hardware interface that could be implemented with some discrete logic or with a microcontroller. The hardware interface enabled devices made by different manufacturers to communicate with a single host. Since each device generated the asynchronous handshaking signals required by the bus protocol, slow and fast devices could be mixed on one bus. The data transfer is relatively slow, so [[transmission line]] issues such as impedance matching and line termination are ignored. There was no requirement for [[galvanic isolation]] between the bus and devices, which created the possibility of [[Ground loop (electricity)|ground loops]] causing extra noise and loss of data.

Physically, the IEEE 488 connectors and cabling were rugged and held in place by screws. While physically large and sturdy connectors were an advantage in industrial or laboratory set ups, the size and cost of the connectors was a liability in applications such as personal computers.

Although the electrical and physical interfaces were well defined, there was not an initial standard command set. Devices from different manufacturers might use different commands for the same function.<ref>Early devices might respond to an <code>ID</code> command with an identification string; later standards had devices respond to the <code>*ID</code> command.</ref> Some aspects of the command protocol standards were not standardized until [[Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments]] (SCPI) in 1990. Implementation options (e.g. end of transmission handling) can complicate interoperability in pre-IEEE 488.2 devices.

More recent standards such as [[USB]], [[FireWire]], and [[Ethernet]] take advantage of declining costs of interface electronics to implement more complex standards providing higher bandwidth. The multi-conductor (parallel data) connectors and shielded cable were inherently more costly than the connectors and cabling that could be used with serial data transfer standards such as [[RS-232]], [[RS-485]], USB, FireWire or Ethernet. Very few mass-market personal computers or peripherals (such as printers or scanners) implemented IEEE 488.