i know i'll probably get a lot of flak for asking such a question, but i think it's valid...why isn't there a complete standardization of interfaces at this point in time? examples:

1.) hard drives are moving over to SATA...but why not eliminate IDE altogether and convert optical drives to SATA as well? smaller interface, smaller cables, faster theoretical throughput...seems like an obvious step to me...i haven't taken apart a laptop that has a SATA drive in it yet, so maybe those are the same connectors as you get on desktops, i don't know

2.) why do computers still have those large, flat USB interfaces, when you could use the mini USB interface without a loss in performance? smaller connectors, same data rate - you could have a bank of 6 or 8 USB ports where they normally put 4 or fewer

3.) power plugs - why have 10 different connectors, other than to make sure that people can't simply go out and buy a replacement adapter if the brick dies or something? the only reason i can think of (and this probably is the biggest reason) is so that the manufacturer can continue to make money on accessories after the initial purpose, but with companies like kensington offering smaller, lighter, and more versatile power adapters cheaper than a replacement OEM one, what's the point?

i'm sure there are many many many other examples...and i'm sure there are a number of responses to this that will make sense that i simply haven't thought of...the only one that sticks out in my mind is that smaller connectors can appear more easy to break (though in actuality, might not be)

any useful feedback is appreciated

11/21/2006 2:26:28 PM

don't think we don't see through your propaganda, commie

11/21/2006 2:37:22 PM

Quote :

"2.) why do computers still have those large, flat USB interfaces, when you could use the mini USB interface without a loss in performance? smaller connectors, same data rate - you could have a bank of 6 or 8 USB ports where they normally put 4 or fewer"

the plugs are designed so that hubs are type a and devices are type b

11/21/2006 2:39:05 PM

1) The deciding factor is probably cost. The same reason not everyone has an LCD or DLP TV... sure, much more desirable, but not everyone is willing to take the hit on cost.

3) I totally agree with this one, but I'm sure the manufacturers make a nice little profit on those replacement parts by making it so you can only come to them. Bastards.

11/21/2006 2:43:06 PM

Quote :

"hard drives are moving over to SATA...but why not eliminate IDE altogether and convert optical drives to SATA as well? smaller interface, smaller cables, faster theoretical throughput...seems like an obvious step to me...i haven't taken apart a laptop that has a SATA drive in it yet, so maybe those are the same connectors as you get on desktops, i don't know"

Laptop hard drives are exactly the same SATA as desktop hard drives. Optical drives have unique interfaces, each specially designed by it's own respective company (of course, we all know why -> $$$).

Quote :

"2.) why do computers still have those large, flat USB interfaces, when you could use the mini USB interface without a loss in performance? smaller connectors, same data rate - you could have a bank of 6 or 8 USB ports where they normally put 4 or fewer"

Hardware longevity... thingy... waiting until faster better interface comes out and it's easier to plug in a 1 inch plug than a 5mm plug???

Quote :

"3.) power plugs - why have 10 different connectors, other than to make sure that people can't simply go out and buy a replacement adapter if the brick dies or something? the only reason i can think of (and this probably is the biggest reason) is so that the manufacturer can continue to make money on accessories after the initial purpose, but with companies like kensington offering smaller, lighter, and more versatile power adapters cheaper than a replacement OEM one, what's the point?"

You hit it right on the noggin' ... that very fact right there makes it all worth while to have 10 different connectors.

11/21/2006 2:45:24 PM

You're hitting on the delicate balance that is stupid user compatible and legacy support.

1) Sounds good on paper... think about instituting that. Cost, time, who's going to do it? Why fix something that isn't broken.
2) How stupid proof do you want your hardware to be? The tiny ones you're talking about are easy to break. the flat USB as you call it is more durable than the tiny one.
3) This is the sony premise. About the only thing the companies involved could agree on because of patents, technology availability etc... was that is should use DC instead of AC. In some situations it's a marketing technique. Nintendo is notorius for this.

So in a perfect world you're right, but that's why.

11/21/2006 2:48:02 PM

Quote :

"hard drives are moving over to SATA...but why not eliminate IDE altogether and convert optical drives to SATA as well? smaller interface, smaller cables, faster theoretical throughput...seems like an obvious step to me..."

eliminate them? it isn't an overnight thing. there are warehouses full of ide boards and ide accessories, and i'm sure they still produce ide parts for budget setups, so it will take some time.
and as far as optical drives go, it doesn't matter what interface you use to hook them up...the bottleneck is pulling data off of the optical disc (much like it is with hard drives with their platters). you can increase the size of the pipe going to the drive all you want, it isn't going to affect anything tho.

Quote :

"why do computers still have those large, flat USB interfaces, when you could use the mini USB interface without a loss in performance? smaller connectors, same data rate - you could have a bank of 6 or 8 USB ports where they normally put 4 or fewer "

legacy. i dont know about you, but if i got a new pc that came with only took mini USB I would be pissed, as would most users who couldn't hook up their devices (are mini to mini cables even standard?). ntm i think theres some mechanical issues involved. i'd venture a guess that the the standard plugs are much more reliable than the mini connectors for long-term everyday use.

Quote :

"power plugs - why have 10 different connectors, other than to make sure that people can't simply go out and buy a replacement adapter if the brick dies or something? the only reason i can think of (and this probably is the biggest reason) is so that the manufacturer can continue to make money on accessories after the initial purpose, but with companies like kensington offering smaller, lighter, and more versatile power adapters cheaper than a replacement OEM one, what's the point?"

why don't they have standard ink cartridges for hp and lexmark printers? Why aren't transmissions interchangeable between form and gm cars? of course the #1 is each company wants to supply the replacement parts. maybe #2 is different products have different technical requirements and its probably rare that a one size fits all approach will fit.

11/21/2006 3:08:05 PM

Quote :

"3.) power plugs - why have 10 different connectors, other than to make sure that people can't simply go out and buy a replacement adapter if the brick dies or something? the only reason i can think of (and this probably is the biggest reason) is so that the manufacturer can continue to make money on accessories after the initial purpose, but with companies like kensington offering smaller, lighter, and more versatile power adapters cheaper than a replacement OEM one, what's the point?"

On one hand this would be nifty, but the reality is most products don't have the same power requirements. Could you imagine if they were all the same size? People would be blowing stuff up left and right. I'm sure the failure rate on the power bricks is much smaller (in general) than the device it powers. I highly doubt any company is really banking on you needing to buy a new $20 brick at some point.

11/21/2006 6:16:01 PM

^finally someone with some sense.

Power bricks are standardized. Each plug type is for a specific voltage/amperage combo, to ensure people don't blow shit up. As for the cost, the damn things are only like 30-40 bucks, hardly ridiculously expensive. A universal power brick runs about 60 bucks and comes with ALL the plugs.

Quote :

"Optical drives have unique interfaces, each specially designed by it's own respective company (of course, we all know why -> $$$)."

Completely wrong. All laptop / slim cdrom drives use the same standard ATAPI interface. It's one of the longest lasting interfaces in computing.

11/22/2006 1:00:46 AM

1. Plextor makes a SATA DVD burner - http://www.plextor.com/english/products/755SA.htm

you forgot about
4. Why do computer still have parallel ports, IDE support, serial ports, or PS/2 ports for keyboards and mice? Hell why do we even have floppy drives any more? The only function they serve now is to install SATA RAID drivers in Windows, and you can use a USB floppy for that.


Motherboard manufacturers need to do away with legacy support, at least for some of their product offerings.

11/22/2006 9:52:47 AM

the same reason why you have really old computers still in the office, some software critical to your business only runs on it, and only interfaces with some old interface with some other device.

11/22/2006 10:26:51 AM

^^there are quite a few legacy free boards out there.

You guys need to realize the difference between things existing and things being commonplace.

Hell I had a legacy free motherboard almost three years ago, ABit's Max line.

11/22/2006 11:06:33 AM