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I don't think that hardware handshaking was universal, but it's ancient enough history that I can't state it categorically. I do know that RS-232 wasn't designed symmetrically so there was some confusion on which lines would do what.

Perhaps not "universal", but every RS232 interface I ever came across, starting in 1979, supported hardware flow-control, though you could also do it in software.

One of the nice things about RS232 is that it was specified that you could scrunch up the individual wires of the cable and it wouldn't damage the interface circuitry (good for crappy solderers like me) and you could hot plug and unplug it. Oh, all right, TWO of the nice things :-)

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