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Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

engadget.com

11–20 of 27 posts

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#12
post #9
post #2

One standard to rule them all? Make it keyed like Firewire and it sounds like a real winner.

Oh god no, Firewire is a particularly bad example of a keyed port. When implemented cheaply using a split flanged socket, the plug can easily be pushed in backwards, spreading the flanges. Apple learned pretty quickly what a terrible idea that was, and switched to a design where there's a hard ABS ring inset in the aluminum exterior case. Unfortunately every other manufacturer continued with the shitty design. On top…

Would you say that the GameBoy connector (on which the FireWire one is based) is a better design in that respect?

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#13
post #11

Isn't it premature to call it a Standard? Apple may have pushed Intel to work on it but getting it adopted as a standard is gonna take time.

You are referring to the wrong definition of "standard". The article is referring to a "technical standard", not an "industry standard".

edit: unless you just mean that the approval process for the standard will take time.

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#14
post #2

One standard to rule them all? Make it keyed like Firewire and it sounds like a real winner.

If its optical, and a single "conductor", it probably doesn't matter what orientation you have the cable. Make it round, like a headphone jack.

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh god no, Firewire is a particularly bad example of a keyed port. When implemented cheaply using a split flanged socket, the plug can easily be pushed in backwards, spreading the flanges. Apple learned pretty quickly what a terrible idea that was, and switched to a design where there's a hard ABS ring inset in the aluminum exterior case. Unfortunately every other manufacturer continued with the shitty design. On top…

Would you say that the GameBoy connector (on which the FireWire one is based) is a better design in that respect?

The gameboy connector is rhomboid along the long edge and with a longer bevel, making it much harder to insert incorrectly.

It's usage is also a very special case -- the variance is in the cables, not the sockets. Only Nintendo had any reason to manufacture devices, and they always implemented it correctly with fascia preventing forced insertion.

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#17
post #13
post #11

Isn't it premature to call it a Standard? Apple may have pushed Intel to work on it but getting it adopted as a standard is gonna take time.

You are referring to the wrong definition of "standard". The article is referring to a "technical standard", not an "industry standard". edit: unless you just mean that the approval process for the standard will take time.

That's what I meant. Unless it gets approved as a standard it's not going to be widespread.

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#18
Sometimes a change in scale is a change in nature as well; what this type of data bus means is that you can synchronize the entire state of the device with other devices on the same physical bus in fractions of a second. This opens up new opportunities of all sorts.

Given the proliferation of virtualization, even for mobile devices; it should be possible to carry around on your phone a workspace of fairly sizable dimensions and in human terms seamlessly copy the entire state of that workspace to an external host, manipulate it there (think Surface or Minority Report style interfaces, or VR, or specialist transforms that require vast amounts of computing power) and then sync the device with the updated state (and either purge or archive the copy).

No more progress bars!

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#19
post #17
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are referring to the wrong definition of "standard". The article is referring to a "technical standard", not an "industry standard". edit: unless you just mean that the approval process for the standard will take time.

That's what I meant. Unless it gets approved as a standard it's not going to be widespread.

Hmmm, when did that ever stop Apple before? 3.5" floppies and FireWire come to mind. :) At this point though, if Apple uses it, it is a standard. Touch screen smarphones come to mind! :)

Re: Apple behind Intel's new 10Gbps Optical Connector Standard

#20
post #9
post #2

One standard to rule them all? Make it keyed like Firewire and it sounds like a real winner.

Oh god no, Firewire is a particularly bad example of a keyed port. When implemented cheaply using a split flanged socket, the plug can easily be pushed in backwards, spreading the flanges. Apple learned pretty quickly what a terrible idea that was, and switched to a design where there's a hard ABS ring inset in the aluminum exterior case. Unfortunately every other manufacturer continued with the shitty design. On top…

That just reminded me of this piece, written by Michael Johas Teener - one of the people who was heavily involved in Firewire development.

http://www.teener.com/firewire_FAQ.html#Why_the_4-pin_connec...

(No word on what he thinks of the FW800 connector.)

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