this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2024
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.cringecollective.io/post/75583

why isn't it ok? why????

Meme "the number of people who think this is an abomination" over a photo of a USB-A to USB-A cable, "but think this is perfectly acceptable" over a photo of a USB-C to USB-C cable, "makes me sick."

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I'm not sure what the point is here. C is symmetrical and has absolutely no downsides, so yes, it's objectively better.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I read the Wikipedia a little and apparently A to A cables can damage your devices, and the ones that do exist are for specific purposes and should only be used in those specific scenarios, and often they are more than just cables and have some computational stuff inside them

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I actually found an A to A cable in my Big Box of Cables I Might Need One Day™ when trying to flash my Gotek floppy emulator with FlashFloppy firmware.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

It is a fact that USB-C is superior. Right off the bat, no more guessing if the end of the cable is facing correctly to be inserted into a port. My patience would quickly wear thin when I'd have to flip it around 3-4 times to finally insert it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

The joke is that A to A doesn't make sense.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

The joke is that USB-A shouldn’t be paired with another USB-A. It should be using a USB-B on the other end. USB-A to USB-A could potentially be damaging, as both devices will expect to be providing power. USB-B denotes that a device is “receiving” USB, not “sending” it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Huh, I'm not sure they are comparable.

Didn't USB A and USB B use a master-slave relationship in which the male would (generally) always be the slave, whereas USB C uses agreement and discussion to decide the master and slave roles regardless of connector gender.

Please do correct me if I'm wrong. Also, do we say "agent" now instead of "slave", or what is the new term?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I believe the common terms now are "domme" and "sub"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I can't tell if this is real life or sarcasm....

Did I really miss the memo on this one?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

master/slave could be primary/secondary, primary/subordinate or principle/agent, so you're correct on that replacement.

I personally am a big fan of "Mantrap" becoming an "Access Control Vestibule" mostly because it's fun to say.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I like controller/peripheral, which is the most descriptive in my opinion. That's what's commonly used for SPI.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think the biggest problem I see with A to A is: who's delivering power, and who's receiving it? Maybe if you use it only with the device it came with then it'll be fine, but if anyone tries to just hook up that cable to two random computers, it might actually cause a short circuit and fry something.

Whereas Type-C was explicitly made to handle such situations.

Or a shorter reason: Type-C cable is allowed by the spec while Type-A is not.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hrm. I have a keyboard that requires an A to A cable and I think it works with the cable any way around...

Might be wrong.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

It makes sense, if I remember correctly the older USB cable (i.e. everything before Type-C) are passive, so as long as the pins are wired symmetrically it wouldn't matter which side is which. But whoever made your keyboard really blundered, there is no reason in the world why anyone would do this. There's so many options: the B connector, mini USB, micro USB. All would make sense to put in the keyboard. A just doesn't.

Let me guess: you got it from an ultra cheap online store? AliExpress/Wish/Temu?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

USB-A male to USB-A male is not in any USB standard (not entirely true, but compliant cables are very rare and don’t connect voltage), and if you plug it into a device it’s not meant for, the behavior is entirely unspecified. It will probably do nothing. But it might fry your USB controller that is not expecting to receive voltage.

USB-C to USB-C is in the spec, and if you plug in two host devices, they won’t hurt each other. You can actually charge a host device over USB-C, unlike USB-A.

That’s why it isn’t ok. It’s not the same thing, it’s not in the standard, and it can even be dangerous (to the device).

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I actually have several USB-A to USB-A cables.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

For the glory of Satan, of course!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What's a common thing that would require the use of USB A on both ends?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago

nothing worthwhile, as it's not allowed (for a good reason)