[embedding-shape]

> HDMI and display port are in a similar boat. Putting the spec on the connector would be so much help.

What if we just have different connectors for different specs? Then you'd know what supports what by what fits into the connection in the first place.

[kalleboo]

I have a box full of old SCSI cables that adapt between the various SCSI standards, it's pure hell. USB-C is a dream.

[ssl-3]

I used to have a box of SCSI cables and adapters, too. I could identify their function by sight, or even by feel if the sun got blotted out and the Earth was cooling and the only way to fix those problems was forming a correct-and-functional SCSI chain in the infinite darkness.

These days, ye olde parallel SCSI bus is gone. We have USB C, which is similar to SCSI in that the number of ways it can work is way more than 1. But because the connectors are all the same and the defacto labeling is awful, I can't necessarily identify the functions by sight or feel. If I have needs that extend very far beyond charging a phone and/or USB 2, then I don't know if any of the USB C cables that I find in a box will support those needs without testing them.

[embedding-shape]

I don't think you even have to go that far back, just USB vs USB-Micro vs USB-Mini is sufficient and maybe more commonly annoyed by people, still today :)

[lynnesbian]

There's no good reason to prevent anyone from using (say) a 1080p HDMI cable to connect a 1080p device to a 4K television, or using a 4K cable to connect a 4K device to a 1080p television.

[throawayonthe]

that sounds terrible; HDMI/DP are backwards-compatible on purpose, you can use your fancy-shmancy modern output with a now-ancient display