computer science

Laplink

Laplink is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Laplink rather than just read about it. In short: Laplink (sometimes styled LapLink) is a proprietary software that was developed by Mark Eppley and sold by Traveling Software. First available in 1983, LapLink was used to synchronize, copy, or move, files between two PCs, in an era before local area networks, using the parallel port and a LapLink cable or serial port and a null modem cable or USB and a USB ad hoc network cable.

Key takeaways

Laplink belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Laplink to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Laplink from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Laplink (sometimes styled LapLink) is a proprietary software that was developed by Mark Eppley and sold by Traveling Software. First available in 1983, LapLink was used to synchronize, copy, or move, files between two PCs, in an era before local area networks, using the parallel port and a LapLink cable or serial port and a null modem cable or USB and a USB ad hoc network cable. Traveling Software is now known as LapLink Software, Inc., and their main software is now the PCmover.

Cable LapLink typically shipped with a specialized cable, allowing two PCs computers to be linked together via the parallel port, establishing a direct cable connection. This so-called LapLink cable or null-parallel cable is capable of faster transfer rates than the traditional null modem serial cable. At the time, almost all PCs had a parallel printer port, but neither USB nor modern Ethernet was available. A Laplink cable can be seen as a parallel equivalent to a serial null modem cable. Because of the higher bandwidth of the parallel port versus the serial port, a Laplink cable is able to transfer data more quickly. The Interlnk program on MS-DOS can also use the Laplink cable. With the demise of parallel ports on PCs, Laplink no longer sells the traditional cable.

Wiring The cable used two DB25 male connectors, and was wired as below:

See also Direct cable connection Ethernet cable Interlnk Parallel Line Internet Protocol (PLIP) Serial console

References

External links Pin descriptions at Nullmodem.Com

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Laplink

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Laplink claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Laplink before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Laplink ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Laplink

In research: Laplink appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Laplink in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Laplink is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Backup software, File transfer software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Laplink outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Laplink in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Laplink means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Laplink out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Laplink in simple terms?

Why does Laplink matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Laplink?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Laplink.