• auzy1@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      My Mac studio m2 was the only computer I ever had that had compatibility issues with some USB cables

      People talk about Apple hardware like it’s incredible, but honestly, no pc manufacturer would make that mistake

    • taiyang@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      What’s rather ironic is my Linux FOSS setup is more compatible than ever because it can open my students .notes and .pages files, while MS Word couldn’t.

      And naturally, I’m proud of using FOSS so I guess I’m proud to be compatible with everything.

    • piccolo@sh.itjust.works
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      1 hour ago

      In apple’s defense, they wanted a reversible high speed connector, but the USB committee in their infinite wisdom was like “what if we added a tumor to the micro USB instead?”

    • Footer1998@crazypeople.online
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      7 hours ago

      fuck apple but you’re kinda mistaken here, if you’re talking about just iphone, maybe you’re right - but they had usb c (actually thunderbolt) on macbook and ipad before any legal rulings, macbooks before there was even any hint of legislation iirc.

      • tetris11@feddit.uk
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        7 hours ago

        usb c (actually thunderbolt)

        aren’t these different tech stacks and connectors?

        • Footer1998@crazypeople.online
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          7 hours ago

          used to be, not anymore though, thunderbolt uses the same ports as USB C and is compatible with USB C, you can think of thunderbolt as enhanced USB C

          • tetris11@feddit.uk
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            7 hours ago

            is it thunderbolt emulated through software on the USB pin stack? or is it really thunderbolt pins offering a USB conmector, emultating USB protocols on the thunderbolt stack?

            • autriyo@feddit.org
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              7 hours ago

              Its capable of some pretty high bandwidths, there’s some extra hardware required to make the ports work for thunderbolt. But I think it just runs through the normal USB-C pins.

              Its more like an internal switch, rather than emulation. At least the Wikipedia page mentions different pin configurations per usage mode…

              • tetris11@feddit.uk
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                7 hours ago

                I asked a slop machine and it said that Thunderbolt is implemented in the PCIe/Displayport hardware mode of the USB. I then checked the wikipedia and it more or less aligned with that interpretation

    • kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 hours ago

      iPhones only have USB-C because they were forced to, but MacBooks were some of the very early adopters of the connector, and iPads also picked it up well before the requirement.

  • MutantTailThing@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    Hey remember that tried and true universal plug-in that literally works on everything and everybody loves? Lets not have that anymore.

    • red_bull_of_juarez@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      10 hours ago

      I know Apple is terrible with usability, but I also think USB-C is now the one that works everywhere. All my last USB stick purchases had USB-A and C, just so that I don’t have to run away in tears. I can even use them with smartphones and those never had USB-A.

      • Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de
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        5 hours ago

        Both USB-C and USB-A have their pros and cons.

        • USB-C has a lot more bandwidth and power draw.

        • USB-A is sturdier and cheaper.

        For things like a mouse or keyboard, having more bandwidth or power draw are useless, but being cheaper and sturdier are not.

        One can not replace the other entirely. Apple just wants to milk everyone by forcing them to buy all their peripherals again.

      • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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        7 hours ago

        It’s the new standard, but there should always be at least one USB-A. It’s still incredibly common.

          • RamenJunkie@midwest.social
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            3 hours ago

            People do not replace accessories and specialized external hardware nearly as often as companies think they do.

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            6 hours ago

            And? Is there something newer that’s a standard? If not, it’s the new one.

            Also, it’s only recently become the de facto standard. Yes, it’s older than that, but it didn’t become the standard until maybe five years ago. So much was still being made for USB-A, and some things still are. Anything older than ~5 years ago has good odds of being A.

            • fartsparkles@lemmy.world
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              4 hours ago

              Anything older than 5 years ago has the odds of being A, B, Mini A, Mini B, Micro A, Micro B, etc.

              C is the standard. If you need legacy support, there’s hubs and adapters. No need to perpetuate legacy ports. I’d love a serial and a parallel connector - there’s plenty of modern industrial gear still using them. But we do that with C -> Serial adapters.

              A device has a limited number of ports. Would one rather two USB-C, or one A and one C?

              That A port will have diminishing value if one intends to use the device for 5 to 10 years and increases the probability someone discards the device early given the limited number of modern, high value ports.

              • LwL@lemmy.world
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                3 hours ago

                I don’t have a single peripheral that uses USB-C. I have a lot of USB-A and some micro-USB.

                My phone is USB-C and that’s about it. Given that my 2 year old PC case has 8 USB-A connectors and 1 USB-C connector, I’d also wager keyboards and mice won’t stop being USB-A anytime soon. There’s just no reason for them to be anything else.

                • fartsparkles@lemmy.world
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                  3 hours ago

                  Weirdly my 5 year old computer has more C than anything, and my mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, and audio interface are all C. I guess it’s possible a regional thing too.

            • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              3 hours ago

              Furthermore I shouldn’t have to get rid of an old A device that still works just because they remove the ports. I don’t care how old it is let me use my external CD drive with the USB-A to Mini-USB (yes mini lmao.) Wish I still had an attached optical disk drive tbh.

            • iegod@lemmy.zip
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              3 hours ago

              For progress to happen you have to move on eventually. Hubs are a decent compromise.

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        7 hours ago

        my home computer has no USB-C and I can’t afford to upgrade because gestures broadly.

          • Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            3 hours ago

            First day of the COVID confinement I plugged in a cheap usb c/a dongle into my work laptop to use my mouse and instantly fried the mobo.

            Just saying eh 😁

          • farmgineer@nord.pub
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            6 hours ago

            I have a USB-C hub with USB-A ports that plugs into my work PC. I had a hard time trying to find the opposite, though I haven’t looked in ages; it honestly has come up exactly once in the last few years when I needed to borrow my wife’s sd card reader (or dig my old laptop out of the closet and play the updates game).

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        9 hours ago

        And I have about 20 USB-A flash drives, up to 128GB, that I should just toss in the trash because…why exactly? Because they are “old”?

        • Turret3857@infosec.pub
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          9 hours ago

          “all my recent flash drives have had both ports so I can use them with usb a or usb c!”

          “WHAT SO I SHOULD JUST TOSS ALL MY OLD HARDWARE?”

          no one said that. youre just saying shit. you can still use your usb-a flash drives.

        • Juviz@lemmy.zip
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          8 hours ago

          Bro, just get an A-C Adapter. They are like 20cents und always useful, especially if you have old hardware

          • Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de
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            5 hours ago

            So now we need to buy dongles for something that should be standard on a computer?

            Next thing we’ll need a dongle for the power button, because Apple decided that shouting “POWER ON APPLE” is the better way to turn on a laptop.

            • ddplf@szmer.info
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              4 hours ago

              Stop whining so much, no one’s telling you to use a dongle, there’s nothing wrong with USB-C slowly replacing USB-A and becoming a new standard.

              We’d never be rid of VGA if we were listening to the ever nagging old dorks that can’t get themselves an adapter.

              • Juviz@lemmy.zip
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                2 hours ago

                Thank you, I was just about to write a lengthy paragraph about serial ports being the only standard ever needed 😅

        • Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 hours ago

          No - but you can get a A to C adapter if you expect that you’ll bring it to someone who might only have USB C.

          And from my perspective: if I expect other to being me data id expect from myself to bring such an adapter. That way I’d both parties try to remember chances are one of them have. :)

              • Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de
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                5 hours ago

                USB-A is still widely used, even more than USB-C, serial is not.

                Apple is forcing standards when there is no need, … again

                • Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  4 hours ago

                  For mobile devices I don’t share that experience. I do not expect others to have USB A anymore. MacBooks alone are so widespread that they were enough to get sna adapter.

                  It’s the same for displays: if I have to give a presentation I’m making sure I can do next to everything down to and including VGA.

                  Yes it’s the venues job to take care of that but I’ve been in one place that literally went like “can’t you just connect?” to their apple bullshit.

                  That Apple is rotten to the core in many topics is nothing I feel needs discussing - this includes specifically their hostile stand and compatibility.

                  I honestly don’t even see an issue with the adapters though: it’s 5gram, 2(ish) Euro and sometimes I can even be the compability savior and people are forced to listen to me bitching about Apple!

        • BorgDrone@feddit.nl
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          6 hours ago

          Who the hell still uses flash drives in 2026? Especially a slow-ass USB-A one. I can’t think of a single use-case for them.

          • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 hours ago

            Me. Linux distros (either install media or straight live boot disks like Tails), moving files larger than like fucking 2gb without relying on spyware or self hosting a cloud service, redundant backups of your most important files, rescue disks, and MORE! Only $16.99 for a limited time while supplies last see comment for details.

            • BorgDrone@feddit.nl
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              2 hours ago

              Linux distros (either install media or straight live boot disks like Tails)

              What’s the advantage of using a slow USB drive instead of just network-booting the install media or mounting it through IPMI?

              moving files larger than like fucking 2gb without relying on spyware or self hosting a cloud service

              Just send the data between machines using SCP, much easier and faster.

              redundant backups of your most important files

              Backups you do either to a NAS or to a Thunderbolt-connected SSD, not a USB-A drive. Again, much too slow to use a USB drive.

              • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works
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                28 minutes ago

                What’s the advantage of using a slow USB drive instead of just network-booting the install media or mounting it through IPMI?

                Why spend 30 minutes setting up the networking when I could just plug in the USB and go do something else for 5 minutes?

        • Jessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          9 hours ago

          USB-A to USB-C adapter. They’re inexpensive, and you don’t have to get one for each of the 30 flash drives you have.

        • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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          9 hours ago

          If it’s just for documents I may still have single digit GB memory sticks somewhere that are more than enough space.

    • EfreetSK@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Where did we go wrong? We might never know … but it for sure isn’t because of cult-like loyalty to a single company notorious for doing this. It’s a mystery

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      They make A AND C flash drives:

      I have one on my keyring.

      I have another that also takes SD cards, so it makes it super simple to file transfer between all my things

      • thebestaquaman@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        Because after, what, …40? years of internet, the most convenient way to move a large file between two computers on the same network is, usually, to put it on a physical drive and move it. That, or upload it to cloud storage, then have the other person download it.

        It’s unfathomable to me that we still don’t have a universally accepted and implemented protocol/utility for “send this file over wifi to this other machine on the same network”. I’m aware that there are plenty of ways to do this, but the fact that it’s typically easier to upload a 10 GB file to cloud storage for the person next to you to download it (or move it via a flash drive) is easier than just sending it directly. It boggles my mind that sending files over the local network isn’t some extremely simple cross-platform feature that any machine can access through a utility as accessible as connecting to the wifi-network.

        Just to reiterate: I’m very aware that this is easily possible for anyone with a little tech-backround. My point is that it isn’t the go-to method for most people, and I just can’t understand why…

        • Zorsith@piefed.blahaj.zone
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          There are security concerns with bending a device over and spreading it wide open to wireless signal.

          The wired ethernet methods do exist but are locked down to trigger vendor lock in and make bank for hp/lexmark/etc in support contracts

      • Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de
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        5 hours ago

        Yeah, they come in very handy.

        You can even transfer files from a desktop to a phone with these.

        And if one port breaks, the other still functions.

        • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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          9 hours ago

          What do they run now, is it just non Google android or is it not android at all? First would be based, second then I would be kinda curious what they do

          • Phoenix3875@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            It’s complicated.

            Now there’s the “pure” HarmonyOS (previously known as HarmonyOS NEXT) that most recent Huawei phones now have preinstalled (at least as an option for foreign markets). It doesn’t have AOSP or Linux kernel and thus no compatibility. It just runs native apps (HAP).

            Then, historically there’s also a commercial version based on AOSP but removed Google services. You could buy it in a store back then, and it’s compatible with Android apps that doesn’t require Google services (up to a certain version?) Most Chinese apps don’t rely on Google services in the first place.

            There’s also the open source version OpenHarmony. It was never commercially available. It uses the Linux kernel without AOSP. I believe part of it was used for the pure HarmonyOS development. It’s said that the micro-kernel architecture was preserved for the pure HarmonyOS, which is quite interesting.