i came across this on a freebsd mailling list...I assume it i mostly
relevant for i386 ppl (if they haven't already received it).

In some mail from Julian Elischer, sie said:
> From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Jan 12 05:57:46 EDT 1998
> Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 10:19:14 -0800 (PST)
> From: Julian Elischer <julian@whistle.com>
> To: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?I=F1aky_P=E9rez_Gonz=E1lez?= <inaky@peloncho.fis.ucm.es>
> Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
> Subject: Re: Development of a UNIX-wide USB standard API
> In-Reply-To: <199801100000.BAA06526@jovian>
> Message-Id: <Pine.BSF.3.95.980111101658.579B-100000@current1.whistle.com>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
> X-Mime-Autoconverted: from QUOTED-PRINTABLE to 8bit by hub.freebsd.org id KAA22864
> Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
> Precedence: bulk
> 
> Thankyou for dropping in...
> 
> BTW I've redirected this to 'hackers@freebsd.org
> as that's where development occurs (and in 'current')
> 
> On Sat, 10 Jan 1998, [ISO-8859-1] Iñaky Pérez González wrote:
> 
> > 
> >         Hi
> > 
> >         I'm the developer of the Linux USB Driver Stack. I wanted to
> > let you know there's some interest at the USB Implementors Forum in
> > the creation of a UNIX-wide USB API standard, and we'd like all
> > flavours of Unix to attend.
> > 
> >         For the case you don't know what USB is (if you do, please
> > skip this paragraph): USB is the Universal Serial Bus, developed by a
> > consortim of vendors (all the "fatcats"). If features plug'n'play, hot
> > pluggin, tree structure, synchronous and asynchronous operation with
> > guaranteed bandwidth and two speeds, with a maximum of 127 devices per
> > physical bus. You can find more detailed info at http://www.usb.org.
> > 
> >         Initially I was developing a Linux-only driver, however I
> > started to try to make it portable to other free OSes. Anyhow, one day
> > the suggestion of a UNIX USB compatible API raised and we are trying
> > to get something done. Initially we are just calling people to join
> > and give ideas (actually interested parties have something done). As a
> > start, there's interest for this from Solaris, Digital Unix and from
> > me, for the Linux side (please mind that the commercial vendors still
> > don't have an `official' position on this as it is still on it's very
> > first discussions).
> > 
> >         If you are somehow interested, please drop me a mail.
> > 
> >         Thanks for your time
> > 
> > P.S.: Please, could you forward this mail to the OpenBSD people and any
> >       other interested parties from BSD?
> > 
> > -- 
> > 
> >           Linux-USB! http://peloncho.fis.ucm.es/~inaky/USB.html -
> >                                                                 -
> >                 Inaky Perez Gonzalez --  PGP pubkey fingerprint -
> >            inaky@peloncho.fis.ucm.es -- 8E 34 3A 62 64 99 E2 44 -
> >    http://peloncho.fis.ucm.es/~inaky -- AD 7B 30 D9 DD FF 3E 4C -
> >    --------------------------------- -- ----------------------- -
> >    The loneliness of the long distance runner .....
> > 
> 
>