Serial ports are obsolete. So trying to sync the PalmIII to a modern desktop becomes a pain when you need to convert the serial port to a USB. The use of an adapter is to unwieldy to carry about, so the hunt for a PalmIII serial to USB cable begins…. and it ends rather quickly. It is very hard to find, and very expensive. So comes the consideration to make one yourself. Keep in mind that what I wanted to do was to create a cheap Palm to USB serial connector so that I could have PalmOS talk to a linux… for the purpose of… whatever.