Asciinema CLI 3.0 rewritten in Rust, adds live streaming, upgrades file format (blog.asciinema.org)

This is the mindset that will keep USB-A ports around forever. Somebody has to be the one to move the world forward, and it's usually Apple who's most willing to retire old ports.

USB-A had a long life. It's time to move on.

tracker1 · 25m ago

Every time I find myself wanting to just quickly use a thumb drive by I'm on my M1 Air laptop... sigh Don't have a dongle with me, so guess it'll have to wait.

I'd be fine with 2 of each even accepting 1 of the two USB-C ports will probably be for charging.

bombcar · 22m ago

I refuse to buy anything but those thumb drives with both connectors, but of course you’re always using someone else’s …

tracker1 · 8m ago

Not always someone else's but I do have over a dozen 16-256gb drives already. The couple of nvme adapters I have already have both.

1970-01-01 · 1h ago

Same thing was said about floppy drive, DVD, serial ports, and VGA. We're allowed to sunset things.

hollerith · 1h ago

Serial ports are still used a fair amount, particularly to interface with stuff that you cannot buy at a local retailer.

So, how do you know that USB A won't have a lifetime of 63 years (the age of the RS-232 standard for serial ports)?

1970-01-01 · 1h ago

It doesn't make sense to extrapolate tech lifetime linearly. Once we hit the physical limits of physical connections, then we can revisit the I/O timelines.

maxerickson · 1h ago

This is not responsive to the context (which is about what ports ship on mass market devices).

1970-01-01 · 1h ago

That's even worse. Name a well selling smartphone that has USB-A ports.

tracker1 · 27m ago

Name one that ever did... A is usually the host side, and the phones that did were via adapter.

hollerith · 1h ago

Fair point.

But a computer I bought new 22 months ago (on which I am writing these words) has 7 USB A ports, 1 serial port and 0 USB C ports.

stefan_ · 41m ago

Ok, then follow through please?

Having two ports with one taken up for charging (so one usable) is inadequate. But I suppose the problem with adding more is now you need to offer all the things that could be connected on all of them. But you are not willing to provision the hardware to do that. Thats not sunsetting, thats being cheap.

bombcar · 21m ago

Since you can buy adapters that let you charge and use the data on the same MacBook port, they should build that into the charger.

The charger could have a USB C or A port on it easily.

ToDougie · 57m ago

Here I am with my stupid USB-C ports that have an ugly, unwieldy dongle attached to them so that I can use my USB-A devices. If this is the future, I don't like it.

chrsw · 2h ago

I’m willing to live with not having a USB-A port on a Mac. Not so much on a PC.

I have a Razer Blade. One USB-A and one USB-C on each side of the machine. It just makes so much sense.

goosedragons · 16m ago

Why exactly? Are you just using the USB A port for a mouse on the PC but not Mac? That's the only sensible thing I can think of.

Personally I'd rather use a USB C hub anyways. I don't want to plug in more than a cable if I don't have to.

izacus · 1h ago

I dunno, I also have a Razer Blade and a MacBook and the lack of that one A port pisses me off regularly. Meanwhile the Razer team managed to fit it next to Thunderbolt and other ports.

It's just such a pointlesslly user hostile move for some Californian dude to make a point about progress.

andrewmcwatters · 20m ago

VGA isn’t going anywhere so stop removing it. DVI isn’t going anywhere so stop removing it.

What a dumb comment. USB-C has been available for over a decade now. Just drop type A and force everyone to use adapters for their remaining type A devices since we’re all forced at this point to use them anyway.

Just kill it off already.

kirito1337 · 2h ago

Tbh USB-A is still a part of my daily life.

FireBeyond · 27m ago

> Apple phased out USB-A years ago

Weird. The latest Mac Pro has USB A ports.

So does the Mac Studio.

tracker1 · 25m ago

Yeah, my M1 air doesn't.

DiabloD3 · 1h ago

I honestly don't give a shit anymore.

I have female-A-to-male-C cables, I have male-A-to-female-C cables. Some of them have the USB 3 pins (which has kind of been a niche case for C in my life), all of them are safe up to 5A power.

All my computers that didn't have C now have at least one, and all of my C-only computers have an A they can use if they need one.

duxup · 2h ago

That was a long read to get to this:

> It seems pointless to spend money upgrading hardware, like mice and keyboards, to a new port when the benefits are questionable, and you probably won't notice a performance difference.

Not a very strong or convincing argument.

taylodl · 2h ago

Right? If manufacturers stopped permanently attaching USB cables to mice and keyboards, then the problem is solved. That way you can get the cable you need, or maybe you decide to go cordless. It's up to you.

tracker1 · 23m ago

Half the keyboards I've used in the past few years are detachable on the keyboard end. :-) Though, they mostly have 2 A ports for N-key rollover support.

eqvinox · 1h ago

Sadly, the port is [a few cents] more expensive than the captive cable, especially with USB >= 3.0* on USB-C where a port must handle connector reversal. (And if course if you look at "final price" with including a cable in the box :/)

* e.g. keyboard with USB3 hub

(FWIW my mouse actually has a USB-C port, it's a dual wired/wireless Keychron M6. Really nice way of doing it IMHO.)

Btw, "port must handle reversal" is why USB-C -> USB-C + optional C-to-A adapter have the adapter fixed on so you can't rotate it. It's not just good UX, the adapter would also otherwise need to handle reversal.

taylodl · 1h ago

I wouldn't include the cable in the box and I certainly wouldn't worry about USB >= 3.0 for a mouse or keyboard.

JumpCrisscross · 1h ago

Particularly when the problem is sidestepped with a dongle.

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USB-A isn't going anywhere, so stop removing the port

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