Alice Averlong🏳️‍⚧️Feb 27, 2024

Here's what I want the EU to do about cables:
Before you can sell a device that comes with a cable of any kind, you have to answer the question "what does the user have to do if they lose this cable?"

"they're screwed" and "they'll have to buy another from us" are not acceptable answers, and those products can't be sold. Get a better answer or use a different cable.

Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧Feb 27, 2024
@foone that will result in SO MUCH more misuse of USB and HDMI; I am opposed for that reason I think
Show threadAlice Averlong🏳️‍⚧️Feb 27, 2024
@whitequark good point. maybe there also needs to be something like "and are you using this cable for what it's for?"
Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧Feb 27, 2024
@foone but what do you do if you need a custom cable for an actual reason? like, I dunno, "I need four microfluidic channels in it aside from USB"
Show threadAlice Averlong🏳️‍⚧️Feb 27, 2024
@whitequark then you make sure that the cable can be purchased from people other than you when you make the device. Like, you publish a standard/docs on how to make it, so it has a second source.
Show threads0 Is Not A Sysadmin
@foone @whitequark but we also just need more standardisation on general purpose connectors. Why are there 800 nearly identical molex and JST pin ends.
There have been standards like DIN and registered Jack and D-sub. We need more of this shit so bad. It shouldn’t be a matter of “whatever’s in Molex’s 8 million page catalogue”
Feb 27, 2024 at 7:09amWeb