Quesiton on serial interface

[Chris Fowler]

I'm working on a project where I will use 3 Evil Mad Scientist proto
boards (business card size) and ATMega328P's for an event where we need
control of radios. I have an ISP programmer so I plan on using that to
program the chips.

These devices need to interface with our computers via a serial port for
control. I know I can use MAX223 IC's to convert the TTL to serial but
I was thinking there was another method? I'm planning on using some
small aluminum enclosures to shield this circuit from RF. These are
small and space is at a premium.

Also, can I use Optiboot on these chips?

Thanks,
Chris