The best way to connect two machines, if you're going to use them "connected" on a regular basis, is still to set up a peer-to-peer LAN. (i.e. a Workgroup) The more or less standard, and most reliable way of doing that, is to use "network ports" (ethernet) on each computer, with a small hub. Adding a network port to a desktop is easy, and cards are pretty cheap. PC cards, or the newer BusCard equivalent, are easy, but not as cheap.

There are numerous "kit" type setups that are more or less equivalent to the ethernet. You can get wireless setups - RF or IR, adapters to piggyback on phone lines, gizmos to use your power lines, etc. For most people, these should only be considered if you have a specific need for what they do.

USB is really just a glorified serial port, and is best used for connecting peripherals to a single computer. It can be used to connect two computers for file transfers, but it's a little limited in what else it does. For connecting two computers, "sneaker net*" works about as well, at least for occasional use.

[*For the real novices, "sneaker net" means copy it to a floppy on one machine, put on your sneakers/tenny-runners and trot the floppy to the other machine, and copy from the floppy. These days you can probably use CDs instead of floppies.]

An advantage of USB over the older serial port is that you can theoretically connect more than one device to a single port, and many new computers come with two or more connectors that often do connect to the same single port. A few actually put a "mini hub" between the connectors, so that you actually have more than one functional port, but it's not too common. If you're connecting more than one or two USB devices, it's often a good idea to add an external USB hub to keep them separate.

There's no end to the bits and pieces you can keep adding; but in most cases, anyone who promises a "quick and easy" solution will get there by leaving out something that the "standard methods" can do - and do better.

John