Quote:
Originally Posted by j.p.s
I'm sure at least some of you remember the pre PS/2 (which introduced the DB-9 connector) serial port good old days, where "all" you had to know were the bit rate, number of data bits, number of start bits, number of stop bits, hardware or software flow control, and whether you needed to use a straight through or null-modem cable and which type cable a given cable was.
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But, since you already had to know what you were doing and had all the necessary equipment, it was no big deal to use a device as either a peripheral or a host, something it took a long time for USB to sorta kinda get right.
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Companies are STILL designing chips for RS232. I remember the 25 way version with the secondary port implemented. The point is that USB has only replaced it for many applications, not all, and those are not going to be USB-C any time soon. It's gone on consumer laptops, but still needed so USB to RS232 DB9 are still sold. With a USB-A Host connector.
USB still is not peer to peer like Firewire could be. USB-C still doesn't really fix the issue and the USB2Go on phones/tablets was a stupidly implemented kludge as almost none could be charged while in Host mode on the same port, even with a Y cable. USB-C true Hosts and Peripherals are still really two classes of gear.
A recent brand new tablet sensibly has a separate coax power socket to charge. It can charge via its micro USB / USB2Go connector. Unfortunately unlike most phones and tablets (though a phone we have does this), by default the USB port is in charging mode ONLY and the tablet doesn't appear as a USB device on a laptop.You've to go into a menu EVERY time, so stupid. Perhaps it's a security feature.
So apart from the standards of the connectors the software stack and functionality of existing microUSB/USB2Go vary and USB-C is even worse in terms of variable functions because there are more modes and interface on the one connector.
It may become more popular, but it won't be used on every new thing with USB peripheral or host sockets. It's a marketing design that actually fails to solve actual USB issues, instead adding more things to get wrong such as charging up to 20V and 100W, more connecting modes, secondary serial data for power negotiation and a digital video port already less capable than HDMI. There is a micro HDMI port, in use over six years, but a lot of phones and tablets changed to RF "casting" instead, which is much poorer often slows WiFi and most TVs with HDMI don't have it. Also only works on some applications on some phones.