Seems this either a typo, or a contradiction:
"The USB 3.0 sockets are backward-compatible with older ... cables"
would mean I can use the old cables for 3.0, but then
"but older USB cables are not forward-compatible with USB 3.0"
says I can NOT use the old cables.
I have no 3.0, but some day I probably will, so I'd like to know what
exactly you mean.

kind regards

michael

-- 
Michael Scherer
Univ.klinik f. Psychiatrie
email: michael.scherer@...
phone: +43 6991 941 22 54

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Knecht" <markknecht@...>
To: <gentoo-amd64@g.o>
Sent: Monday, 07 May, 2012 17:43
Subject: Re: [gentoo-amd64] Drivers For USB HDD


> On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 8:21 AM, Paul Hartman
> <paul.hartman+gentoo@...> wrote:
>> On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 10:00 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@...> wrote:
>>> here are 3 or now I
>>> think 4 different USB specs - EHCI, OHCI, UHCI, and then whatever USB
>>> 3.0 is using
>>
>> XHCI
>>
>> Furthermore, USB 3.0 has 9-pin ports and cables (for type-A) versus
>> the 4-pin of USB 1/2. The USB 3.0 sockets are backward-compatible with
>> older USB devices and cables, but older USB cables are not
>> forward-compatible with USB 3.0.
>>
> 
> Good point. None of my USB 2.0 drives work in my USB 3.0 port. I do
> have a USB 3.0 drivers, supposedly, and one drive that claims to be
> eSata/USB 3.0 compatible, but I've not tried to get it working using
> USB 3.0.
> 
> - Mark
> 
>