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I'm looking to get a USB to Serial cable for my Mac/Win/Linux preferably small in size and without unnecessary software installations. I've had one a while ago, it would only work with Windows. On my Mac I can just plug any USB printer or scanner and it'd just work without installing anything, so that's what I want in that USB to Serial. can someone suggest me one?

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http://www.amazon.com/Keyspan-Speed-Serial-Adapter-USA-19HS/dp/B0000VYJRY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1249590051&sr=1-2

This is the best one out there when is comes to mac compatibility. It does require some software installation though.

It states on the amazon site linux and windows compatibility.

It is the best for os x because of the driver support and ease of use. Every GPS owner and os x I know has always come back to this adapter for serial support. I'm sure this translates for other uses as well. There are other options out there for os x, but this one has the best support and drivers. Plus, it supports all the major OS's.

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so what makes it best then? and does it work with windows and linux? – alexus Aug 6 '09 at 20:24
+1, bought it about a year ago to access Cisco hardware. It's one of the few that is capable of sending the break command. I can confirm it works with Windows. – hyperslug Aug 6 '09 at 20:41
@alexus I used to wonder why this one was so recommended also. The more I read though, everyone kept pointing back at this one. You would think it would be an easy standard device to create, but sadly, that is not the case. You will probaly save yourself any possible hassle by going with this popular option. – Troggy♦ Sep 2 '09 at 20:58
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For very high performance, low latency support FTDI usb-serial have been verified as solid on OS X. Just do a search to find numerous options. The performance measurements came from the developer of a scientific toolbox for matlab who verified sub-millisecond precision.

Startec also make reliable usb-serial cables with OS X drivers:

http://www.startech.com/item/ICUSB232PRO-USB-to-RS-232-Serial-DB9-Adapter-with-COM-Retention.aspx

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I've used FTDI based USB-to-Serial on Linux several times and not had a problem. In fact, I've had a lot more trouble with on-board serial ports, than with the FTDI ones. – Michael Kohne Aug 21 '09 at 19:45
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