5 ms·

Certified Thunderbolt 4 called are available and the fastest and most compatible you can get. Expensive but reliable. I don't understand all this hate for USB

Certified Thunderbolt 4 called are available and the fastest and most compatible you can get. Expensive but reliable. I don't understand all this hate for USB. Sure the labeling could be better but having a standard that is basically back compatible all the way to the nineties and now a single multipurpose port for charging/storage/displays/devices is a nice feat.

rektide 4y ago
Exactly. Yes. I'd also just say this is a low information environment. Traditionally, we'd rely on the media as a line of defense. Product reviews would tell us who to trust, what the good deals are. We trusted the media to review & find problems & surface issues in the past. But those institutions have undergone enormous revenue crunch, and there's very few left who can really go in depth & do the deep, thorough, intelligent exploration we ought trust them for. Online marketplaces in the world today are bedlam, and there are few trusted authorities. This is a general world condition, but with tech it's extra bad because when things don't work, we almost ever know why/who to blame, it's all just frustrating wizard-shit that's broken & not going, & we are left bereft utterly impotent in the face of these high tech system's mysterious failures. Honestly, I'd prefer not paying for USB-IF certification on my cables, and I don't care that none of the official logos designating certain compliances are met are embossed on my cables. But I also am a geek who will go spend 3 hours to find Benson (alas no longer active) or Linus's in-depth tech reviews[1], and who doesn't mind trying some cables (buy a couple different ones at a time), finding some not working, & returning those, to save a couple bucks at some hassle. For most people: just buy certified gear. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2vdQZhs0w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2vdQZhs0w https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ1maB_K91AwicWl-I7aBgOn2FrJPqsVuGHTw3LWLesO1r9bgDN8o7O3ynXk0WFO7y5iE0-8xJ1TR1p/pubhtml?lsrp=1# https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ1maB_K91Aw...
- bee_rider 4y ago
  Ok but it is kind of ridiculous that we have to solve the whole "lack of trust in institutions and the media" and also "unreliable global supply chain" problems -- very real things we should be working on, sure -- in order to make sure our laptops charge at full speed reliably, right?
summerlight 4y ago
Thunderbolt adopting USB-C was definitely a clever move for both Thunderbolt and USB. Thunderbolt now effectively becomes a high-end branding for USB while being fully compatible for lower end devices. You're willing to pay more money for simplicity? Go for Thunberbolt. You wanna get an idea for how the next-gen USB will look like? Go for Thunberbolt.
- nuker 4y ago
  > high-end branding for USB while being fully compatible for lower end devices But TB4 will not support USB3.2 2x2?
  - ifsothen 4y ago
    Lmao, is this true? What an absolute joke.
    - nuker 4y ago
      And USB4 neither. Sigh. Just got an 2x2 WD SSD drive.
  - throwaway290 4y ago
    I believe TB4 cables at least are required to be compatible with USB3.2 gen2 x2, but ports aren't (Apple laptops are not compatible apparently).
nuker 4y ago
> having a standard that is basically back compatible all the way to the nineties My brand new 2TB SSD with USB3.2 2x2 (20Gbps) is not supported by anything I have today, and looks like is not supported by USB4 (and TB4).

rektide 4y ago

Exactly. Yes. I'd also just say this is a low information environment. Traditionally, we'd rely on the media as a line of defense. Product reviews would tell us who to trust, what the good deals are. We trusted the media to review & find problems & surface issues in the past. But those institutions have undergone enormous revenue crunch, and there's very few left who can really go in depth & do the deep, thorough, intelligent exploration we ought trust them for. Online marketplaces in the world today are bedlam, and there are few trusted authorities. This is a general world condition, but with tech it's extra bad because when things don't work, we almost ever know why/who to blame, it's all just frustrating wizard-shit that's broken & not going, & we are left bereft utterly impotent in the face of these high tech system's mysterious failures. Honestly, I'd prefer not paying for USB-IF certification on my cables, and I don't care that none of the official logos designating certain compliances are met are embossed on my cables. But I also am a geek who will go spend 3 hours to find Benson (alas no longer active) or Linus's in-depth tech reviews[1], and who doesn't mind trying some cables (buy a couple different ones at a time), finding some not working, & returning those, to save a couple bucks at some hassle. For most people: just buy certified gear. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2vdQZhs0w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2vdQZhs0w https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ1maB_K91AwicWl-I7aBgOn2FrJPqsVuGHTw3LWLesO1r9bgDN8o7O3ynXk0WFO7y5iE0-8xJ1TR1p/pubhtml?lsrp=1# https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ1maB_K91Aw...

bee_rider 4y ago
Ok but it is kind of ridiculous that we have to solve the whole "lack of trust in institutions and the media" and also "unreliable global supply chain" problems -- very real things we should be working on, sure -- in order to make sure our laptops charge at full speed reliably, right?

summerlight 4y ago

Thunderbolt adopting USB-C was definitely a clever move for both Thunderbolt and USB. Thunderbolt now effectively becomes a high-end branding for USB while being fully compatible for lower end devices. You're willing to pay more money for simplicity? Go for Thunberbolt. You wanna get an idea for how the next-gen USB will look like? Go for Thunberbolt.

nuker 4y ago
> high-end branding for USB while being fully compatible for lower end devices But TB4 will not support USB3.2 2x2?
- ifsothen 4y ago
  Lmao, is this true? What an absolute joke.
  - nuker 4y ago
    And USB4 neither. Sigh. Just got an 2x2 WD SSD drive.
- throwaway290 4y ago
  I believe TB4 cables at least are required to be compatible with USB3.2 gen2 x2, but ports aren't (Apple laptops are not compatible apparently).

nuker 4y ago

> having a standard that is basically back compatible all the way to the nineties My brand new 2TB SSD with USB3.2 2x2 (20Gbps) is not supported by anything I have today, and looks like is not supported by USB4 (and TB4).