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What absolutely absurd suggestions that truly would hamper innovation. You want the government to mandate what a “standard” interface is for complex electronic

What absolutely absurd suggestions that truly would hamper innovation. You want the government to mandate what a “standard” interface is for complex electronic devices? So if anyone wants to do something new or better, they’d need to pay an innovation… tax? I have very little faith that government bureaucracy around this would lead to better products for consumers. Also, new developments don’t come in a giant wave. It’s small incremental changes at this point for most things, so punishing someone for incrementally improving their product year after year (that may break compatibility, admittedly) with a tax seems like a way to stifle innovation.

fragmede 3y ago
It would be really nice if there were a battery standard for power tools. The companies don't have any incentive to work that out, so, xkcd 927, every power tool company has their own standard. Most companies even have multiple standards as they move to newer battery chemistries. If there was an evolving standard that tool and battery manufacturers had to adhere to, yeah, I believe we'd be better off. On the other hand, USB managed to come about with a lot of committee with, without needing government regulation to force it, so it's not like the free market is incapable of it, the incentives just has to be aligned for it to happen, so it often doesn't.
- RecycledEle 3y ago
  > It would be really nice if there were a battery standard for power tools. I agree! There should be a standard for rechargable lithium battery packs at 1s, 2s 3s, etc. The US Congress does have the power to regulate interstate commerce.
maximus-decimus 3y ago
That's why the EU mandating usb-c makes me uneasy too. I guess we're never getting better than usb-c?
- acdha 3y ago
  No. It means that nobody is unilaterally introducing USB-D on a whim but they explicitly recognize that need with delegated authority to have experts periodically review and suggest changes. I’d expect various backwards compatible tweaks to go through routinely but if there’s a limitation of USB-C significant enough to warrant a major change I’d expect that to be no more set in stone than, say, cellular network technology – coordinated between companies, with a phased rollout to avoid breaking existing users, etc. This kind of language is very common when governments basically want to delegate their authority to technical experts rather than have to put details which will become obsolete directly into legislation: > In order to address any future developments in charging technology and to ensure the minimum common interoperability between radio equipment and the charging devices for such radio equipment, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission to amend the categories or classes of radio equipment and the specifications regarding the charging interfaces and charging communication protocols, as well as the details on the information in relation to charging.

fragmede 3y ago

It would be really nice if there were a battery standard for power tools. The companies don't have any incentive to work that out, so, xkcd 927, every power tool company has their own standard. Most companies even have multiple standards as they move to newer battery chemistries. If there was an evolving standard that tool and battery manufacturers had to adhere to, yeah, I believe we'd be better off. On the other hand, USB managed to come about with a lot of committee with, without needing government regulation to force it, so it's not like the free market is incapable of it, the incentives just has to be aligned for it to happen, so it often doesn't.

RecycledEle 3y ago
> It would be really nice if there were a battery standard for power tools. I agree! There should be a standard for rechargable lithium battery packs at 1s, 2s 3s, etc. The US Congress does have the power to regulate interstate commerce.

maximus-decimus 3y ago

That's why the EU mandating usb-c makes me uneasy too. I guess we're never getting better than usb-c?

acdha 3y ago
No. It means that nobody is unilaterally introducing USB-D on a whim but they explicitly recognize that need with delegated authority to have experts periodically review and suggest changes. I’d expect various backwards compatible tweaks to go through routinely but if there’s a limitation of USB-C significant enough to warrant a major change I’d expect that to be no more set in stone than, say, cellular network technology – coordinated between companies, with a phased rollout to avoid breaking existing users, etc. This kind of language is very common when governments basically want to delegate their authority to technical experts rather than have to put details which will become obsolete directly into legislation: > In order to address any future developments in charging technology and to ensure the minimum common interoperability between radio equipment and the charging devices for such radio equipment, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission to amend the categories or classes of radio equipment and the specifications regarding the charging interfaces and charging communication protocols, as well as the details on the information in relation to charging.