The USB-C standard has been long touted as a one port to rule em all solution.
Sure, its universal in the sense of the shape of the port.
But the capabilities of a USB-C port and cable can vary widely.
Last month, I wrote about why its so hard to differentiateone USB-C cable from another.
We can certainly do better.
And software can play a part too.
Thankfully, Googles showing the way forward with a neat new trick.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Benson Leung (@Laughing_Man)May 27, 2022
This addresses the problem of silent failures.
However, theres no way to know if the USB cable is the culprit.
Chrome OSs new feature tells us a bit about what could be wrong.
Apple and Google didnt respond to my queries at the time of writing.
The Linux kernel also has provision forUSB-C class APIsto identify different functionality of compatible devices and cables.
These fields can help the operating system display information about a cables performance and compatibility with other devices.
But there are hardly any such features available at the moment.
Right now, there are big gaps in all OSes around USB-C messaging to the user.
So its hard to know if your spare USB-C cable will support certain data speeds or displays.
This functionality cant come soon enough.
That’s one heck of a mixed bag.
He likes to say “Bleh.
That’s one heck of a mixed bag.
He likes to say “Bleh.”
