This document discusses serial communication using the 8051 microcontroller. It describes the basics of serial vs parallel communication and asynchronous vs synchronous serial communication. It then discusses the specifics of the 8051 serial port, including the use of a UART, duplex modes, start/stop bits, parity bits, and data transfer rates. It also covers the RS-232 standard for serial communication and how to interface the 8051 to RS-232 using a line driver chip like the MAX232.