USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible
Someday we'll look back and laugh (or cry) at our early USB struggles.
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the decision was made to go with a design that, in theory, would give users a 50/50 chance of plugging it in correctly
How could it be less than that? If it was triangular?
The PS2 (and AT) connectors keyboards and mice were largely using before USB were round…
Arguably still better though because you could just rotate the plug until it went in instead of flipping it back and forth 5 times to get it to go in. And they also had more reliable indication for orientation.
you could just rotate the plug until it went in
That was a good way to twist and bend up all the pins. Don't you remember how fragile they were?
I meant to add a warning saying I may have bent a few pins that way 😅
Twist gently…
😳
They still are widely used. There are certain things that you can't do on some motherboards without a PS2 device.
You know all the jokes about getting usb's orientation right on first try, failing to push it in and trying the other way? Yeah, it was already worse than 50/50.
Honestly that connector always felt like shit. A tiny, easily identifiable mark/notch/whatever on both plug and port would have made it a lot better, even if it was still non-reversible.
Oh god please don't give them ideas...
![[HN] USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible](https://radiation.party/pictrs/image/f307d45c-3fa2-4c83-b245-9ed4d88a4aef.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=196)