(Old Thread) RANT: What idiot designed the USB standard?

Page 7 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

RichUK

Lifer
Feb 14, 2005
10,334
677
126
As others have said, in the dark, you have the same dilemma with both USB and firewire - it's 50/50.

EDIT: Lol, I didn't realise this was an old thread that had been resurrected.
 
Last edited:

Fear No Evil

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2008
5,922
0
0
My annoyance with cables is the coax connectors.. You try to screw in a cable and the damn thing never seems to catch unless you have it lined up perfectly.
 

OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
36,413
616
126
well the shape and the fit mean that you can push in at certain angles and it won't go in readily either way, you are unsure of just how much force to use. this was especially bad with some dell desktops with hidden front usb slots under a cover that only lifted up slightly to allow access, literally they were up and inside the bottom front of the case, you had to plug in at an angle..blind.


while this is obviously a necro thread, it is also true that the design was very poor.

i had a building full of those and OMGWTF!! Dell screwed the pooch on that one, except when i walk by a cubicale and see a hot marketing chick on all fours fucking with plugging in the USB.
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,430
3,535
126
Goddamnit - I had my quotes ready to go an made it almost to the end before I noticed this was necro'd

PS: HMDI connectors suck
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
67,907
12,375
126
www.anyf.ca
It would be ideal if USB had been designed in a way where the direction does not matter. Basically, just have redundant pins, so to speak.

Though at least USB is a fairly well implemented standard.

Apple on the other hand makes up crap as they go, with all their stupid specialized adapters and crap. I cringe every time someone brings a mac and wants to connect it to a projector. Half the time they can't because it needs some non standard connector. There's already VGA and DVI, why did mac have to go and make another one?
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
96,181
15,776
126
It would be ideal if USB had been designed in a way where the direction does not matter. Basically, just have redundant pins, so to speak.

Though at least USB is a fairly well implemented standard.

Apple on the other hand makes up crap as they go, with all their stupid specialized adapters and crap. I cringe every time someone brings a mac and wants to connect it to a projector. Half the time they can't because it needs some non standard connector. There's already VGA and DVI, why did mac have to go and make another one?

Alternative lifestyle
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,281
43
91
It would be ideal if USB had been designed in a way where the direction does not matter. Basically, just have redundant pins, so to speak.

Though at least USB is a fairly well implemented standard.

Apple on the other hand makes up crap as they go, with all their stupid specialized adapters and crap. I cringe every time someone brings a mac and wants to connect it to a projector. Half the time they can't because it needs some non standard connector. There's already VGA and DVI, why did mac have to go and make another one?

60% agree. Unless you are referring to thunderbolt what you mean is mini DVI and or mini display port. Both of which are really quite easy to convert to HDMI, DVI or VGA. Usually with a cheap non active adapter. Course they could have and IMHO should have just gone and done the easy thing and put (mini or regular) HDMI on the thing.
 

AznAnarchy99

Lifer
Dec 6, 2004
14,705
117
106
60% agree. Unless you are referring to thunderbolt what you mean is mini DVI and or mini display port. Both of which are really quite easy to convert to HDMI, DVI or VGA. Usually with a cheap non active adapter. Course they could have and IMHO should have just gone and done the easy thing and put (mini or regular) HDMI on the thing.

They do that to charge $50 for an adapter.
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,281
43
91
They do that to charge $50 for an adapter.

Yes I know it's criminal. The same $50 apple adapter CAN be bought for less than $10 if you don't go through apple though. Course what apple fan boy would do that, that would be going against the all mighty Jobs master plan! D:
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
67,907
12,375
126
www.anyf.ca
They do that to charge $50 for an adapter.

Most likely. And of course each model will have a different adapter too, so you have to buy another if you buy a new model.

That's another thing: Docking stations. Why can't there be a standard for this? Every time a company buys new laptops they need all new docking stations as well.
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,281
43
91
They do that to charge $50 for an adapter.

To play devil's advocate for a second there are a few advantages to things like mini displayport. It's more future proof and technically supports higher resolutions (than say HDMI) and can carry audio (which DVI/HDMI can't).

Again see above, I don't really agree with using them. Just playing devil's advocate.

Displayport DOES make sense for multi monitor support on desktop cards though.
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,281
43
91
Most likely. And of course each model will have a different adapter too, so you have to buy another if you buy a new model.

That's another thing: Docking stations. Why can't there be a standard for this? Every time a company buys new laptops they need all new docking stations as well.

Docking stations are basically dead. Aside from a few hold outs not many companies make docking stations for their laptops any more.
 

Rubycon

Madame President
Aug 10, 2005
17,768
485
126
If they make a connector like Apple's mag charger that would be nice, eh?

The worst Dell design were the ones in front near the bottom that went UP at an angle. Those were absolutely ridiculous especially with the PC on the floor where 90% of the users keep it. If the ports were rarely used they were often covered with dust/dirt as well since the case had negative pressure. Good 'ole Dell. :biggrin:
 

Locut0s

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
22,281
43
91
If they make a connector like Apple's mag charger that would be nice, eh?

The worst Dell design were the ones in front near the bottom that went UP at an angle. Those were absolutely ridiculous especially with the PC on the floor where 90% of the users keep it. If the ports were rarely used they were often covered with dust/dirt as well since the case had negative pressure. Good 'ole Dell. :biggrin:

I remember seeing a DELL power conector for a laptop that a customer brought in that made me go WTF. We didn't sell DELL at NCIX and customers rarely brought them in for repair or anything so I didn't get to see them often. Here it is:



I also remember some kind of strange proprietary HP video connector on a laptop.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,450
10,119
126
SRSLY...USB don't fit, flip 180. If you were putting it in sideways, sadly you are probably that guy getting in RAGE over pushing a door that says PULL until that little old lady at the register opens it for you.

Except for those laptops, whose USB ports will allow you to plug in a device EITHER WAY. I was confused why my GPS unit wasn't showing up in Device Manager, nor making the "device attached" sound, until I realized I had the cable plugged in upside-down.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,862
84
91
WTF who puts USB ports there? Oh wait that's a DELL right?

if you've never seen one in person its worse than you realize, the usb sockets are recessed back into the plastic holes so they are even harder to find, the texture free unfinished plastic around it just makes it look even worse, like it was never meant to be there.
 

FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
29,307
2,099
126
if you've never seen one in person its worse than you realize, the usb sockets are recessed back into the plastic holes so they are even harder to find, the texture free unfinished plastic around it just makes it look even worse, like it was never meant to be there.

I had a DELL at work just like that in the mid 00's. I just ripped the cover off. Problem solved.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,312
12
81
I remember seeing a DELL power conector for a laptop that a customer brought in that made me go WTF. We didn't sell DELL at NCIX and customers rarely brought them in for repair or anything so I didn't get to see them often. Here it is:



I also remember some kind of strange proprietary HP video connector on a laptop.

I collect older computers and parts, try to fix them up and give them to families who don't have a computer. I recently was given an older Dell laptop, but no power adapter. Those things are seriously proprietary (not available on any of the "universal" adapters sold at Radio Shack or Best Buy) and really expensive.

I still have the laptop, but I might as well throw it out.

Stupid.

MotionMan
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,312
12
81


AAHHHHGGGG!

I use to support a butt-load of those. Seriously, who thought the location for the USB ports was a good idea.

Setting aside for the moment that they usually sat under a desk, even when on the desk, the USB ports were impossible to find.

MotionMan
 
sale-70-410-exam    | Exam-200-125-pdf    | we-sale-70-410-exam    | hot-sale-70-410-exam    | Latest-exam-700-603-Dumps    | Dumps-98-363-exams-date    | Certs-200-125-date    | Dumps-300-075-exams-date    | hot-sale-book-C8010-726-book    | Hot-Sale-200-310-Exam    | Exam-Description-200-310-dumps?    | hot-sale-book-200-125-book    | Latest-Updated-300-209-Exam    | Dumps-210-260-exams-date    | Download-200-125-Exam-PDF    | Exam-Description-300-101-dumps    | Certs-300-101-date    | Hot-Sale-300-075-Exam    | Latest-exam-200-125-Dumps    | Exam-Description-200-125-dumps    | Latest-Updated-300-075-Exam    | hot-sale-book-210-260-book    | Dumps-200-901-exams-date    | Certs-200-901-date    | Latest-exam-1Z0-062-Dumps    | Hot-Sale-1Z0-062-Exam    | Certs-CSSLP-date    | 100%-Pass-70-383-Exams    | Latest-JN0-360-real-exam-questions    | 100%-Pass-4A0-100-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-300-135-exams-date    | Passed-200-105-Tech-Exams    | Latest-Updated-200-310-Exam    | Download-300-070-Exam-PDF    | Hot-Sale-JN0-360-Exam    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Exams    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-JN0-360-exams-date    | Exam-Description-1Z0-876-dumps    | Latest-exam-1Z0-876-Dumps    | Dumps-HPE0-Y53-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-HPE0-Y53-Exam    | 100%-Pass-HPE0-Y53-Real-Exam-Questions    | Pass-4A0-100-Exam    | Latest-4A0-100-Questions    | Dumps-98-365-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-98-365-Exam    | 100%-Pass-VCS-254-Exams    | 2017-Latest-VCS-273-Exam    | Dumps-200-355-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-300-320-Exam    | Pass-300-101-Exam    | 100%-Pass-300-115-Exams    |
http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    | http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    |