If anyone knows (by experience) about connecting an IEEE 1394 port to MIDI, please let me (and other users) know. My new laptop has that port, but not a joystick port. Although I have an old parallel-port adapter, the driver doesn't like XP (where have we heard that before!).
I assume that any solution you try will cost you money. Since this is the case, I would recommend going with a newer port technology, where longer term driver support is more likely. Almost all new machines include USB ports. This would be a better interface to utilize for MIDI on newer machines, since it is likely to be supported better. I have seen USB MIDI Interfaces for about $70 US.
There are parallel port MIDI interfaces, if you really want to go this route. An example is the MIDIMAN Portman (http://www.midiman.net/products/midiman/stdmidi.php) series.
MIDI interface?
See https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=2592 (you may start around Reply 7)
Thanks. Silly me! My laptop certainly has USB ports (four of them, and I do use them for other things). But it didn't occur to me that there would be MIDI adapters for USB. Sure, around $70 sounds right.
Why didn't I think that MIDI would go through the USB ports? Well, you see, MIDI is round. USB is flat. I would hate to squash the music.