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The article addresses the reason it was made non-reversible (cost) but does not address why the plug was made rectangular, which gives it no visual or tactile f

The article addresses the reason it was made non-reversible (cost) but does not address why the plug was made rectangular, which gives it no visual or tactile feedback for orientation. HDMI for example is non-reversible but it's obvious (more or less) which way to insert it. The only reference in the article is, > The Intel team led by Bhatt anticipated the user frustration and opted for a rectangular design and a 50-50 chance to plug it in correctly, versus a round connector with less room for error. Which sounds like a post-hoc rationalisation for a bad design to me. I find it hard to believe they did this intentionally.

Ohn0 7y ago
It's npr, what can you expect but a click-bait letdown sigh
jandrese 7y ago
That sounds more like "Well, it's not as bad as PS2 connector at least." The worst part is that they already had a good example of a connector you couldn't plug in backwards, was sturdy, hot-pluggable, and could easily accommodate the number of pins they needed: The Gameboy Link Cable.
- vinay427 7y ago
  PS/2 seems entirely rotationally ambiguous without looking at the pins, or at least seemed so to the younger version of me. It still stands out as the most painful part of computing during my childhood.
  - berbec 7y ago
    I broke countless keyboards and mice (and not a few motherboards) due to PS2 rotation
  - mynegation 7y ago
    PS/2 male connectors have a set of grooves and rotationally asymmetrical rim. I had always been able to plug them in blind on the first try.
    - reaperducer 7y ago
      And the "top" is usually flat so you can put your thumb on it and push in.
  - theandrewbailey 7y ago
    PS/2 ports were the most painful? I guess you never used dial-up.
- compiler-guy 7y ago
  25-pin din parallel port connectors were D-shaped and invented in the 1970s. And there were directional connectors that long predated that. USB's rectangular is simply a horrible oversight. Comparing it to PS2 is pretty lame. What about comparing it to nearly every other connector out there?
  - bdamm 7y ago
    I'm guessing they didn't want to enlarge the serial port to one almost large enough to stick a deck of cards into.
    - deepspace 7y ago
      They wouldn't have to. The point is that the D shape was a proven design at the time, and it (or something similar like the HDMI shape) could have been scaled down to USB-A size.
- Macha 7y ago
  iirc, the Gameboy Link Cable was physically (though not electrically) compatible with Firewire, USB's main rival, so I can imagine wanting to distance themselves from that.
- gohbgl 7y ago
  The PS2 plug on my keyboard has a flat surface at the 12 o'clock position which makes it very easy so plug in without looking at the pins.
  - de_watcher 7y ago
    I needed that info three decades ago...
- ssl-3 7y ago
  The Gameboy Link Cable is a fine design, but it just reminds me of all if the other fairly decent connectors that Nintendo has developed, implemented, and sold millions of. I guess the real LPT is to always ask the oldest remaining provider of digital home electronics for advice on these matters.
  - TFortunato 7y ago
    Heh, you do have to hand it to them for making stuff where your use cases include "Robust and Intuitive enough for a six year old at the playground"
- cma 7y ago
  USB type-B never gave me the same problems as type a, maybe they could have used that everywhere.
redisman 7y ago
I really don't have any better luck with HDMI than USB. The connectors are usually at an awkward angle due to being on the GPU/back of a TV. Gotta say I enjoy the Lightning and USB-C connectors that have no "right-side" from a dumb users point of view the most.
- ssl-3 7y ago
  HDMI is a lot easier: It's easier to see which way it goes, it's easier to feel which way it goes, and it's easier to know when it's being inserted backwards since it offers immediate mechanical feedback. HDMI isn't so bad. S-Video connectors were terrible. Worse than USB in every way possible, if you can imagine that.
  - wlesieutre 7y ago
    For an example of closer vintage to USB-A, FireWire 400 had a great connector shape. You could tell what side you were looking at from any angle.
  - tjoff 7y ago
    Svideo wasn't bad, better than HDMI for me. Though I wouldn't have believed that myself if it weren't for all the nightmare situations I've had with HDMI. At least it have given me some use for the selfie camera on my phone... HDMI and Displayport are just hard to come in from an angle. DVI and VGA are much simpler in that regard. Svideo was often quite simple, just find the whole and you are halfway done. Then carefully twist it and you can feel when it is correct. Even when you have no idea where the slot even is to start. With HDMI and DP being so similar it is easy to mix them up.
  - cogman10 7y ago
    The problem is the seeing part. If you have to see in order to plug in a cable then it is inherently harder to work with. You don't, for example, hear the same complaints about DVI, VGA, Serial, or Parallel ports. Why? Because you can feel the right orientation when you plug things in. If you can't feel the right orientation, then the next best thing is to make the orientation not matter. This is why S-Video sucks. Because you MUST see to work with it. Of course, the main reason people have a problem with USB is because they are constantly interacting with it, plugging and unplugging things.
ghaff 7y ago
I used to know a guy at Intel who was the leader or one of the leaders of the industry standardization part of the USB initiative. He told me once that reversability (or at least a better scheme for easily orienting) is the one thing he wished they had done differently with the original USB.
riffraff 7y ago
Also micro USB and mini USB were asymmetric, right? I think the "wrong all the time" angle just didn't register when they developed the rectangular one. And I don't blame them, I wouldn't have thought of it, and probably user testing was inconclusive.
pathartl 7y ago
I actually hate HDMI as a connector. It has to do with the way the spade is directly in the middle. I'm more technically minded than the average consumer I guess, but with USB A the general rule is to insert the cable with the open side "up". HDMI only keys based on the metal shielding. If you're trying to insert this without looking, it's almost impossible. I've seen that HDMI ports don't really conform to a specific orientation and very frequently get soldered on the underside of boards instead of on top.

Ohn0 7y ago

It's npr, what can you expect but a click-bait letdown sigh

jandrese 7y ago

That sounds more like "Well, it's not as bad as PS2 connector at least." The worst part is that they already had a good example of a connector you couldn't plug in backwards, was sturdy, hot-pluggable, and could easily accommodate the number of pins they needed: The Gameboy Link Cable.

vinay427 7y ago
PS/2 seems entirely rotationally ambiguous without looking at the pins, or at least seemed so to the younger version of me. It still stands out as the most painful part of computing during my childhood.
- berbec 7y ago
  I broke countless keyboards and mice (and not a few motherboards) due to PS2 rotation
- mynegation 7y ago
  PS/2 male connectors have a set of grooves and rotationally asymmetrical rim. I had always been able to plug them in blind on the first try.
  - reaperducer 7y ago
    And the "top" is usually flat so you can put your thumb on it and push in.
- theandrewbailey 7y ago
  PS/2 ports were the most painful? I guess you never used dial-up.
compiler-guy 7y ago
25-pin din parallel port connectors were D-shaped and invented in the 1970s. And there were directional connectors that long predated that. USB's rectangular is simply a horrible oversight. Comparing it to PS2 is pretty lame. What about comparing it to nearly every other connector out there?
- bdamm 7y ago
  I'm guessing they didn't want to enlarge the serial port to one almost large enough to stick a deck of cards into.
  - deepspace 7y ago
    They wouldn't have to. The point is that the D shape was a proven design at the time, and it (or something similar like the HDMI shape) could have been scaled down to USB-A size.
Macha 7y ago
iirc, the Gameboy Link Cable was physically (though not electrically) compatible with Firewire, USB's main rival, so I can imagine wanting to distance themselves from that.
gohbgl 7y ago
The PS2 plug on my keyboard has a flat surface at the 12 o'clock position which makes it very easy so plug in without looking at the pins.
- de_watcher 7y ago
  I needed that info three decades ago...
ssl-3 7y ago
The Gameboy Link Cable is a fine design, but it just reminds me of all if the other fairly decent connectors that Nintendo has developed, implemented, and sold millions of. I guess the real LPT is to always ask the oldest remaining provider of digital home electronics for advice on these matters.
- TFortunato 7y ago
  Heh, you do have to hand it to them for making stuff where your use cases include "Robust and Intuitive enough for a six year old at the playground"
cma 7y ago
USB type-B never gave me the same problems as type a, maybe they could have used that everywhere.

redisman 7y ago

I really don't have any better luck with HDMI than USB. The connectors are usually at an awkward angle due to being on the GPU/back of a TV. Gotta say I enjoy the Lightning and USB-C connectors that have no "right-side" from a dumb users point of view the most.

ssl-3 7y ago
HDMI is a lot easier: It's easier to see which way it goes, it's easier to feel which way it goes, and it's easier to know when it's being inserted backwards since it offers immediate mechanical feedback. HDMI isn't so bad. S-Video connectors were terrible. Worse than USB in every way possible, if you can imagine that.
- wlesieutre 7y ago
  For an example of closer vintage to USB-A, FireWire 400 had a great connector shape. You could tell what side you were looking at from any angle.
- tjoff 7y ago
  Svideo wasn't bad, better than HDMI for me. Though I wouldn't have believed that myself if it weren't for all the nightmare situations I've had with HDMI. At least it have given me some use for the selfie camera on my phone... HDMI and Displayport are just hard to come in from an angle. DVI and VGA are much simpler in that regard. Svideo was often quite simple, just find the whole and you are halfway done. Then carefully twist it and you can feel when it is correct. Even when you have no idea where the slot even is to start. With HDMI and DP being so similar it is easy to mix them up.
- cogman10 7y ago
  The problem is the seeing part. If you have to see in order to plug in a cable then it is inherently harder to work with. You don't, for example, hear the same complaints about DVI, VGA, Serial, or Parallel ports. Why? Because you can feel the right orientation when you plug things in. If you can't feel the right orientation, then the next best thing is to make the orientation not matter. This is why S-Video sucks. Because you MUST see to work with it. Of course, the main reason people have a problem with USB is because they are constantly interacting with it, plugging and unplugging things.

ghaff 7y ago

I used to know a guy at Intel who was the leader or one of the leaders of the industry standardization part of the USB initiative. He told me once that reversability (or at least a better scheme for easily orienting) is the one thing he wished they had done differently with the original USB.

riffraff 7y ago

Also micro USB and mini USB were asymmetric, right? I think the "wrong all the time" angle just didn't register when they developed the rectangular one. And I don't blame them, I wouldn't have thought of it, and probably user testing was inconclusive.

pathartl 7y ago

I actually hate HDMI as a connector. It has to do with the way the spade is directly in the middle. I'm more technically minded than the average consumer I guess, but with USB A the general rule is to insert the cable with the open side "up". HDMI only keys based on the metal shielding. If you're trying to insert this without looking, it's almost impossible. I've seen that HDMI ports don't really conform to a specific orientation and very frequently get soldered on the underside of boards instead of on top.