4 ms·

> Why don't they give NAMES to these different types of cables? The whole catchy idea behind USB-C (unfortunately perpetuated here by people who should know be

by jwr 7y ago

> Why don't they give NAMES to these different types of cables? The whole catchy idea behind USB-C (unfortunately perpetuated here by people who should know better) is that there is ONE SOCKET, ONE PLUG and ONE CABLE. Oh, the dream of using a single connector. Unfortunately, this is far from reality and the result is a complete mess, which is why I'm not a big fan of the whole USB-C thing. Especially given that I'm a hostage, because a certain computer company whose computers generally suck the least, decided to show courage by moving to USB-C even though the ecosystem is nowhere near mature — let's put pressure on the manufacturers by getting hostages (oops, "users") on board. I wish USB-C mandated some sort of connector marking: color strips, or whatever, that would let me figure out what would work.

rxhernandez 7y ago
> Especially given that I'm a hostage, because a certain computer company whose computers generally suck the least, decided to show courage by moving to USB-C Since when was USB-C such a major issue on Thinkpads?
rangibaby 7y ago
> Unfortunately, this is far from reality and the result is a complete mess, which is why I'm not a big fan of the whole USB-C thing. Especially given that I'm a hostage, because a certain computer company whose computers generally suck the least, decided to show courage by moving to USB-C even though the ecosystem is nowhere near mature — let's put pressure on the manufacturers by getting hostages (oops, "users") on board. I still remember when the iMac came out with two USB ports, a CD drive, and nothing else. It was a couple of years too early, or did it prove that you could make a successful computer without vital things like a parallel port and a floppy drive?
TeMPOraL 7y ago
I wish USB-C mandated one cable. Just one. If you cut anything out of it, if you did anything out of spec, it's not a valid USB-C cable anymore. You either have all features, or no features. There's nothing benefiting customers from this cable mess. It only enables dishonest businesses, as customers can't tell cables apart until they plug them in and try to use them.
- Xelbair 7y ago
  You would get usb-C bootleg cables with missing features. Instead of having USB-C branding on them, they'll have generic 'works with any modern phone!' etc. I mean cable with all the features is damn expensive if you compare it to the usual(shitty quality) USB2.0 cables. Most folks would buy cheaper one because difference in prices between USB2.0 and USB-C with all features would be too high. It would feel like a rip-off to them.
- ben-schaaf 7y ago
  That would certainly mean cutting features. Thunderbolt limits the length of the cable to ~50cm, but that's way too short for a power cord.
  - chaosite 7y ago
    Thunderbolt 3 cables can definitely be different from fully featured USB-C cables though. They're also labelled differently, with the Thunderbolt lightning bolt mark.
    - forty 7y ago
      I read somewhere that they are going to merge Thunderbolt in the USB 4 spec, so they won't be so different soon :)
- jwr 7y ago
  You'd still get the problem of devices either supporting various modes or features or not. The whole idea of "one connector that does everything" is flawed, unless you standardize what "everything" means and give users visual clues. Such as, oh, a different type of connector, like we used to have. I get precisely ZERO benefit from using a USB-C connector for my monitor, I only get a large amount of pain.
  - TeMPOraL 7y ago
    You're right. The line I'm trying to stride here is, on the one hand, avoiding what USB-C ended up being, but on the other hand not returning back to the days of feature phones, where you had as many physically and electrically distinct charger and data ports as there were phone models. There must be a sane state somewhere in the middle.

by jwr 7y ago

rxhernandez 7y ago

> Especially given that I'm a hostage, because a certain computer company whose computers generally suck the least, decided to show courage by moving to USB-C Since when was USB-C such a major issue on Thinkpads?

rangibaby 7y ago

> Unfortunately, this is far from reality and the result is a complete mess, which is why I'm not a big fan of the whole USB-C thing. Especially given that I'm a hostage, because a certain computer company whose computers generally suck the least, decided to show courage by moving to USB-C even though the ecosystem is nowhere near mature — let's put pressure on the manufacturers by getting hostages (oops, "users") on board. I still remember when the iMac came out with two USB ports, a CD drive, and nothing else. It was a couple of years too early, or did it prove that you could make a successful computer without vital things like a parallel port and a floppy drive?

TeMPOraL 7y ago

I wish USB-C mandated one cable. Just one. If you cut anything out of it, if you did anything out of spec, it's not a valid USB-C cable anymore. You either have all features, or no features. There's nothing benefiting customers from this cable mess. It only enables dishonest businesses, as customers can't tell cables apart until they plug them in and try to use them.

Xelbair 7y ago
You would get usb-C bootleg cables with missing features. Instead of having USB-C branding on them, they'll have generic 'works with any modern phone!' etc. I mean cable with all the features is damn expensive if you compare it to the usual(shitty quality) USB2.0 cables. Most folks would buy cheaper one because difference in prices between USB2.0 and USB-C with all features would be too high. It would feel like a rip-off to them.
ben-schaaf 7y ago
That would certainly mean cutting features. Thunderbolt limits the length of the cable to ~50cm, but that's way too short for a power cord.
- chaosite 7y ago
  Thunderbolt 3 cables can definitely be different from fully featured USB-C cables though. They're also labelled differently, with the Thunderbolt lightning bolt mark.
  - forty 7y ago
    I read somewhere that they are going to merge Thunderbolt in the USB 4 spec, so they won't be so different soon :)
jwr 7y ago
You'd still get the problem of devices either supporting various modes or features or not. The whole idea of "one connector that does everything" is flawed, unless you standardize what "everything" means and give users visual clues. Such as, oh, a different type of connector, like we used to have. I get precisely ZERO benefit from using a USB-C connector for my monitor, I only get a large amount of pain.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  You're right. The line I'm trying to stride here is, on the one hand, avoiding what USB-C ended up being, but on the other hand not returning back to the days of feature phones, where you had as many physically and electrically distinct charger and data ports as there were phone models. There must be a sane state somewhere in the middle.