1	Firewire What is it, and do I NEED it?
2	What is Firewire? Firewire is another versatile port that you can use for connecting many external devices to your PC. It Competes w/the USB Port, but is Faster. It is also known as “I-Link” or as the “IEEEEE-1394 Port”
3	What Does it LOOK Like? At the left, you can see the two ends of a firewire cable. The connector on the far left hooks to your PC, while the connector on the right connects to your firewire supported device HINT: on your digital camcorder, look for the plug-in labeled “DV In/Out”
4	It plugs into WHERE? Not all computers have Firewire ports Firewire ports are usually found on high end computers, or those with enough RAM and speedy processors, so that they can handle the fast transfer rates of Firewire and Editing Digital Video. Sony Vaio and other PC’s by Dell and HP/Compaq do have Firewire options. Not to mention Macintosh!
5	"Mac doesn’t mess around" Mac doesn’t mess around. In fact, Firewire has been a Mac staple for years, just now breaking into mainstream IBM Type machines. Firewire was founded by a company called Zayante, but was purchased by Macintosh in order to promote the use of Firewire with Mac Products. This is another reason why Mac is such a leader in video/movie editing. Mac helped to develop Firewire as the platform that it is today.
6	So...What’s The Big Deal? Okay, without getting overly technical, I will simply state that Firewire uploads data at a rate of TWO TIMES that of USB 2.0- That means you can send more than an entire CD’s worth of data every ten seconds. Because of it’s speed, Firewire often replaces USB Devices that require large amounts of data transferred fast, such as external hard drives, CD-ROM’s, and Video and Audio Devices. The Apple I-Pod, All DV Camcorders, and External Hard Drives often run via Firewire.
7	"Do I need one" Do I need one? Don’t we all need top of the line everything? Well, let’s just say you buy a digital camcorder (I Did) and you want to transfer movies to your PC and edit them, then burn them to DVDs or e-mail them. Companies such as Sony, Canon, JVC, and Kodak have widely adapted to Firewire. Chances are, your digital camera came with a Firewire cable and you didn’t even know what it was! Mine came with Firewire and a SERIAL PORT! Yikes…. I think I will stick to FIREWIRE over a serial port! My new PC was purchased with two Firewire ports in addition to my 8 USB ports. And the price was no different than another PC without Firewire ports. The price difference, if there is one, is so small… you should easily be able to afford firewire ports. But the ultimate decision is up to you!
8	What if I don’t have Firewire, but I want to USE Firewire? There are many options for you! USB Firewire Hubs Firewire Cards that can be installed in your current PC