5 ms·
It didn't really need to go in either way. It just needed to not be rotationally symmetrical while only going in one way. Firewire only went in one way but it
by donatj 3y ago
It didn't really need to go in either way. It just needed to not be rotationally symmetrical while only going in one way.
Firewire only went in one way but it was never an issue because it's shape conveyed a clear orientation.
- jawns 3y agoI agree that there was more that could have been done to signal correct orientation. But an additional wrinkle is that the orientation of the port itself was not static. On laptops and desktops, it was horizontal. On certain other devices, it was vertical. Often these ports were in hard-to-reach or hard-to-see places, and having to reconcile the orientation in each case probably added to the frustration.
- stavros 3y agoNot really, HDMI ports are in weird orientation and mounted in hard-to-reach places as well, but the shape makes it very obvious (even by feel) which way it should (or can't) go. This is much harder with the rectangular USB plug.
- SAI_Peregrinus 3y agoThe "by feel" part is critical. Lots of ports on various devices are deliberately in the back of the device, or otherwise hidden, so that the wiring can be kept neatly out of the way.
- putlake 3y agoHDMI is better than USB but it's still hard to do plug it in in dark, hard to reach places.
- c22 3y agoI have definitely been frustrated by an hdmi port I couldn't see. I almost always have to gain visibility on the port to get the cable inserted correctly. If I happen to already know the orientation of the port on a device I can do it by feel, but I could also do this with the microusb-b to my old cell phone.
- pnpnp 3y agoIt’s still better than nothing at all! If you can physically see the connector, that’s a huge help. For USB-A, you often had to look into the cable to figure out which way it went. I agree that HDMI can be heads or tails based on if it’s tucked behind a TV, but sometimes I can feel enough to get it right. That was never so with the original USB.
- loeg 3y agoHDMI can be a real pain to plug in blind / by feel.
- qup 3y agoI think it's worse than USB. It's so damn narrow and has a requirement for precision. It's hard to know if you've got it upside-down or you're just not well-aligned.
- saratogacx 3y agoI'll often use my phone and get a picture of the plugs on the device before I dive in with the cable. This is especially useful when working with gear I'd rather not have t0 move.
- josefx 3y ago> or hard-to-see places Which brings up the idea of not making it size compatible with the network port.
- lxgr 3y agoAs somebody who keeps inserting the USB-C charger cable into the SD card slot of the new MBP, I couldn't agree more.
- lloeki 3y agoUSB-A too: fat part bottom, connectors up, logo up. This also doesn't explain why three-state and five-state also apply to resp. mini+micro USB-A and USB-B. Oh wait, people don't look at the port front and center and fail to memorize the port direction, irrespective of shape, that's why.
- slikrick 3y agoThat doesn't help vertical orientation of USB-As
- gsich 3y agoLogo up is no help when you try to do it in the dark.
- northwest65 3y agoYou can feel it with the pad of your thumb.
- lxgr 3y agoI just looked at my nearest USB-A plug: There's no logo on either side. I'm also almost certain I had connectors with a different logo on either side.
- shiroiuma 3y agoNo, you can't. I have a Microsoft USB mouse right here, and there's no logo anywhere on the USB plug.
- gsich 3y agoOn some. But that doesn't help always as you don't know the orientation on the target device, especially when it'a sideways.
- MayeulC 3y agoFemale (host) USB-A orientation is not always consistent, thought, which adds to the confusion. Thought the orientation you de scribe is the most common zone, I can recall at l'East two devices (laptop and desktop) where it was reversed.
- jjoonathan 3y agoHey, they could have made it not rotationally symmetrical but mandated an orientation opposite of the one that makes the socket look like a cute little surprised face, thus ensuring a long, drawn out, losing battle between the correct orientation and the looks-like-a-little-face orientation.
- jonah 3y agoBut is "that way" actually "Correct" or not...? Technology Connections dig in to this in "Power outlets are topsy turvy - but does it matter?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNj75gJVxcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNj75gJVxcE
- lolinder 3y agoThe tl;dw is that there is no standard and never has been, so the idea that there's a "correct" orientation for these outlets that's been warring for dominance with the cute one is a myth. The rest of the video digs into the claimed benefits of turning them upside down, and finds that they're quite small and probably outweighed by the inconvenience of the sheer number of devices that assume that you're using the cute orientation.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- gsich 3y agoFirewire ports can be inserted the wrong way, if the material cheapens out you are in bad luck. Wrong polarity will most likely kill the other device.
- RajT88 3y agoIt's amazing that it can take you 3 tries to plug in a USB cable which only has 2 correct ways it can be oriented.
- agumonkey 3y agoThe funniest part is that it still takes 3 tries even when you know what you just said.
- bravetraveler 3y agoI've found a trick but have trouble explaining it to people - especially if they haven't build a computer before. The plastic bit inside of the plug usually goes on the side facing whatever board it's interfacing with. For example, looking straight on from the back of an ATX case, it's usually on the left side - where the motherboard mounts Front panel connectors are anarchy... but at least they're usually visible
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- airstrike 3y agoThe fact that the inventor doesn't see this obvious fact honestly boggles the mind.
- lxgr 3y agoLow-level (electrical/logical) protocol design and connector design seem like pretty different skills!
- shiroiuma 3y agoDid they not get a mechanical engineer to design the thing? And if not, why not? I wouldn't expect a mechanical engineer to know anything about electrical protocol design, so I wouldn't expect an electrical engineer or software engineer to know anything about designing a mechanical assembly (like a connector housing). Some part of the design process here was managed very badly.
- latexr 3y agoMaking the initial mistake is one thing, but failing to see why it is bad after decades of complaints is on a whole different level.
- hellotheretoday 3y agoCounterpoint: I knew a few people awhile back that wrecked FireWire audio gear because they forced the connecter in backward and powered it on Even now i do a small repair shop as a side business. Broken hdmi connectors because someone forced the connector in upside down isn’t exactly common but it’s not exactly rare either. Some people think stuff really needs to be forced together, apparently
- notyourwork 3y ago> isn’t exactly common but it’s not exactly rare either. Using electronics needs a drivers license like equivalent. Some people shouldn't have access to them if getting an HDMI connector wrong is an issue.
- lxgr 3y agoI have yet to see people die (and/or kill bystanders) by not being able to plug in an HDMI cable to their home entertainment system correctly.
- notyourwork 3y agoI suppose the joke went over your head, sorry about that. I found it comical given the HDMI connector shape and how it would be nearly impossible to get wrong without being oblivious.
- lxgr 3y agoI mean, there already is an integrated element of punishment – if you don't manage to plug in the HDMI connector correctly, you don't get to watch any TV :)
- LoganDark 3y ago> Using electronics needs a drivers license like equivalent. I bet everyone seriously wishes there were a "seriously honestly just not a fucking idiot" license. The fact that we know which way a connector goes puts us in a whole different league from the rest of the population; most people are so braindead stupid that they can't even fathom being smarter. Sometimes I wonder if being neurodivergent is even worth it. Do I even want the privilege of knowing enough of the bare minimum to outclass half the Earth, if it means that I'm constantly depressed by how stupid everyone else is? BTW I wouldn't pass a graduation exam if my life depended on it, because my brain is not a textbook database of things that I don't care about. But that just means my ADHD has gotten the better of me.
- bsimpson 3y agoWhen I was a teenager, I had a Windows machine I used for 3D animation and an iPod. I needed to charge the iPod and my mom was calling "dinner!" so I plugged it in quickly and ran off to eat. When I came back, I realized the Windows machine had a cheap Firewire socket that didn't enforce the orientation. I had plugged in my iPod upsidedown. I don't remember what it fried. I don't remember the iPod dying, so I'm guessing that socket never worked again.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]