USB-IF criticizes Type-C as the standard for charging devices in the EU [pdf] | Hacker News Reader

USB-IF criticizes Type-C as the standard for charging devices in the EU [pdf]

ec.europa.eu

2 pointskozak4 comments

inaccurate title in extreme. the write up is very pro usb & type-c. it warns against a variety of issues & problems with how the eu is proposing standardization.

it notes for example that the current eun tandards cites very particular versions of usb. yet usb changes over time. the concern is that we might still be stuck on a proverbial usb2 charging via usb-mini. 0.5A 5V. the actual example given in the odf is that high voltage 100-240w charging is not covered in the eu standard.

the usb-if president also cites concerns that the eu standard insists on type-c, but not usb-pd. hoe compatible is defined is indeterminate, byt it sure seems like one could make their own difficult, complex charge protocol that required special chargers to power. which seems to defeat the whole of usb-if standardization. the president goes to length to describe the impossibility of creating a "compatible" system, without that standard itself being usb-if's.

there's a number of other issues the president raises here. to say this pdf criticizes type-c, i feel, is wholly inaccurate in extreme.

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I have seen well intended standardization efforts that piggy back on another standard and just make a complete mess of things. Basically making them superficially compatible, but in practice actually ad more confusion than if they didn't ride on someone else's coat tails.

still i think any company not doing usb-pd over usb-c is basically actively hostile & malignant. it shouldnt be necessary that companies need regulation to use it. companies should just play nice & do it.

it is slightly irksome that usb-if certification is an arbitrary regulator & gate; i like in principle the eu's attempt to usurp control & allow "compatible" alternatives, allow them to not certify. byt in practice companys will take liberty & we'll end up with a bunch of almost compliant Switches, proprietary inaccessible hacks like QuickCharge, or worse just deliberately obstructionist nonsense.

i also think there's a certain brilliance though. simply insisting the connector fit, be the same, brings expectations. disobeying the expectation- usb charging not working, usb peripherals not working- invites in erath of consumers. who dares put type-c on a device but fails to become usb-c compliant? we will not forgive this. nintendo loses a lot of face for messing up. rpi barely squeaked a pass when they messed up.

oh, and... we're right on the cusp. usb3 is a legacy product, a legacy idea. usb4 is technically way way way better, far more sensible a consumer experience. but it's not really here yet. it's only available in high end/luxury compute right now. if usb4 had arrived in force if device chips were starting to be usb4, if usb4 werent an expensive & good new nervous system but something fully available, i'd be far more of a believer in a standardizable, regulated world.

if usb-c & usb-pd are not your company's plan today, it should be in the future & you should declare yourself for it, say how long we have to wait before you do the right thing.

usb, remarkably, really is universal. anyone pretending otherwise pretends to be a god of their own universe.

https://youtu.be/Sy7yPwj2fsg?t=355

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