An RS-232 port was once a standard feature of a personal computer for connections to modems, printers, mice, data storage, un-interruptible power supplies, and other peripheral devices.
The 232 doesn't stand or come from anywhere. It's just a reference number. RS-232 = Recommended Standard 232
Recommended Standard 232
onion
A good alternative for a RS 232 would be modern USB ports. The RS 232 is a serial binary single ended data port. This port is common on computers; however, recently this port has been replaced by USB ports.
From BIT Final yr students
EIA/TIA RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232)
RS-232 is a Recommeded Standard (RS) for serial communications. It can be both input and output, or just one or the other. There are RS-232 devices called DCE (for Data Communications Equipment) like a printer, modem, mouse, joystick, monitor. There are RS-232 devices called DTE (for Data Terminal Equipment) like a notebook computer or tower. Two computers may talk to each other over an RS-232 link. The "boss" computer would be the DTE; the "slave" computer would be the DCE. {In practice, nobody really uses RS-232 for intra-computer linking in home or office, but it might be used for fairly long connections on, say, an antenna farm if fiber optics is unaffordable.}
RS-232
Yes
RS-232
serial port
It's standard number 232 of the Radio Sector of the Electronic Industries Association.