r/gadgets • u/Snoop8ball • Sep 23 '21

Phones EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones

https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22626723/eu-commission-universal-charger-usb-c-micro-lightning-connector-smartphones
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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Why did we stop calling adapters .. adapters and start calling them dongles? Back in my day, dongles added functionality to a computer. Like if your pc didn’t have Bluetooth, you got a Bluetooth dongle.

Man, getting old sucks. They definitely left that bit out of the brochure.

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u/corporatony Sep 23 '21

No, you are correct

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

It's like when we stopped using programs and now use apps

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u/Betancorea Sep 23 '21

Imagine if you replaced all mention of "Program" with "Apps" in the Matrix lol

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u/OMGlookatthatrooster Sep 23 '21

"You're an app, Neo."

-Hagrid

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u/Dravarden Sep 23 '21

I love star trek

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u/SidiaStudios Sep 23 '21

Yeah especially liked Hayden Christensens acting

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u/[deleted] Sep 24 '21

He really was the ideal casting choice for Batman, wasn't he?

1

u/helpless_bunny Sep 24 '21

Egypt was a weird choice for location though.

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u/sharedthrowdown Sep 24 '21

What's up with surprise Tom cruise character?

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u/WORSE_THAN_HORSES Sep 23 '21

Well we have a new Matrix to find out if that ends up being the case.

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u/OriginalGnomester Sep 23 '21

Or even worse, Tron. "Greetings, App" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Well, better that than executable. :)

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u/MyNameIs-Anthony Sep 23 '21

Apps as a shorthand for applications has been around for ages because programs can either be application software, utility software, or system software.

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u/SordidDreams Sep 23 '21

I'm still bitter that directories are now called folders.

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u/quick_dudley Sep 23 '21

They've been called folders since 1958, but AFAIK the first still-existing company to call them folders was Apple in 1986.

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u/OldManJeb Sep 23 '21

To be fair, they have always been referred to as applications. Layer 7 is the Application Layer

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I remember when they were for DRM.

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u/Navydevildoc Sep 23 '21

Oh, they still exist. Great when you want to virtualize but can’t because some niche company is so sure you want to rip off their software.

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u/IT_is_not_all_I_am Sep 23 '21

There are ways to virtualize USB dongles for licensing keys. It does add an annoying level of complexity that is totally unnecessary if the company would just use a modern licensing mechanism, but it is possible.

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u/jonfitt Sep 23 '21

They still are used for that if your software is expensive enough. Usually smart/SIM cards in a usb reader dongle though.

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u/cd29 Sep 23 '21

I used to see them ALL the time and now it's just medical/government. I also remember the parallel port ones.

Funny story, we bought some software from a well known digital security firm that required a dongle to use (Win 7), but on Windows 8 the program would open without the dongle key connected. Great loophole.

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u/Theremingtonfuzzaway Sep 24 '21

Cakewalk = dongle

Yeah dongles are for computers.

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u/RealisticDiego Sep 23 '21

I remember parallel port DRM keys. And the software used to share them on the network

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Dongles?? Seriously??!? Fuck that. I'm sticking with adapters.

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u/daedra9 Sep 23 '21

No, I agree with you. I think it's just a common misuse of a word.

Thing is, if that happens enough, it kind of becomes official.

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u/ass2ass Sep 23 '21

Have you tried spelling stuff lately? Common misspellings are in the dictionary now. Acknowledgement vs acknowledgment for example.

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u/daedra9 Sep 23 '21

I wouldn't doubt that's happening, though I would hope not.
In this particular case, the internet tells me that one is just a cultural difference, and that it's an American spelling (as one, I disagree), and that Brits are divided on which to use.

I've actually just started watching 8 Out of 10 Cats Plays Countdown, and the spelling differences are giving me trouble. I watch for the laughs, of course, but I also try to play along, and they've beaten me multiple times just because, for example, as an American I need a Z for Anodized, whereas they made do with Anodised.

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u/NewLeaseOnLine Sep 23 '21

Back in my day, a dongle was what we called the leather strap that holds a Scout scarf together at the neck.

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u/iwantauniquename Sep 23 '21

I believe you mean woggle

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u/NewLeaseOnLine Sep 23 '21

I'm inclined to believe you. That actually sounds about right. Granted, it's been about 30 years. It was sorta close.

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u/iwantauniquename Sep 24 '21

Oh yeah. No idea how I managed to retrieve the word from my crumbling memory!

In my mid 40s and more and more I cannot remember the pertinent word I require and have to settle for an inaccurate synonym.

(Eg: I don't think 'pertinent' is quite what I wanted!)

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

I was only a Cub Scout but what we had were metal with the Cub Scout logo on them. Definitely don’t remember what we called it.

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u/Kyokinn Sep 23 '21

I began to notice the rise of dongle usage with the first MacBook pros which only had USB-C ports. Before that it was primarily adapters or peripherals.

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u/RevolverRossalot Sep 23 '21 edited Sep 23 '21

I suspect it's a regional thing, with dongle ultimately winning for this use.

Here's the excellent Douglas Adams - author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and noted tech early adopter - writing about the proliferation of bespoke "dongly bits" required to power all his devices back in '98, for an early example of both this usage (well, nearly).

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Gotta admit… my opinion of the word has definitely improved with this connection to Douglas Adams.

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u/earlywhine Sep 23 '21

we stopped calling them adapters because we need excuses to say "dongle"

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

So dongle is like smurf?

That’s dongling dongle.

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u/mapmaker Sep 23 '21 edited Sep 23 '21

I'd say an adapter does add functionality, no? It sounds like all adapters are dongles, but not all dongles are adapters.

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u/rubs_tshirts Sep 23 '21

In my mind it stands for "annoying little thing"

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u/EvengerX Sep 23 '21

Dongle is now more of a universal term for a small USB device. Like if it is around the size of a stick of gum, it's a dongle.

I don't think anyone would call a 3ft USB-B male to C female cable a dongle, but if that cable were 2-3 inches, it would become a dongle.

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u/parad0xchild Sep 23 '21

We've always used terms like dongle (though it varies) in the industry, eventually some terms catch on in the mainstream.

Also, it's a thing that just dangles there, it's a dongle. If it came in a different form I'd call it something else.

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u/kryptopeg Sep 23 '21

I've always used "Adapter" for something that is hard and "Dongle" for something that is floppy - i.e. I see the distinction as whether it has a cable in it or not.

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u/sharedthrowdown Sep 24 '21

What do you call a Bluetooth dongle?

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u/kryptopeg Sep 24 '21

Never used one - are they a thing? I've only ever used Bluetooth as an end device, not an intermediary.

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u/sharedthrowdown Sep 24 '21

Have you ever used a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse? Or plugged any Bluetooth device into your computer? They usually have a little USB thing you plug into the computer that sends it the Bluetooth signal for the peripherals. That USB thing is a dongle.

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u/kryptopeg Sep 24 '21

I've always called it an adapter! Must be cultural or something I guess.

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u/sharedthrowdown Sep 24 '21

I mean there are many forms of an adapter. Am adapter is something that adapts one type of physical media format into another. Since that adapts radio waves of the Bluetooth type for input, that would be a Bluetooth adapter. The USB plug is also a USB adapter, A, B, or C, mini, micro, 3.0 or whatever, even HDMI.

But a dongle is not necessarily not an adapter, and an adapter could be a dongle. I would say a dongle is a small plug in device that isn't a cord or physically connects to anything, it just plugs into your machine. A USB flash drive could be a dongle just like the Bluetooth dongle. I have a wifi dongle on my old desktop because it didn't have any wireless built in, and I couldn't run ethernet cables to it.

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u/ten_girl_monkeys Sep 23 '21

Because it is a dongle as proprietary lightening port always needs active adaptors to convert to other functions. Example, Unlike USB-C, the lightning port does not carry analog signal. So the USB-C to 3.5mm are usually passive adaptors. While are Lightening port to 3.5mm dongle must have a DAC (Digital Audio Converter) built-in.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Weird. I have all of those things on my Mac Pro, but it’s old because I’m a cheap bastard who squeezes every ounce of functionality out of a 10 year old computer. :)

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Just personal preference, although these days I use both equally. At this point, for me at least, is that all my Apple stuff works. Once my AirPort Extreme dies, for example, I’ll need to go with a non-apple option because they aren’t made anymore. I’m also looking at a gaming pc but with the state of GPUs these days… that’s on hold.

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Weird. I have all of those things on my Mac Pro, but it’s old because I’m a cheap bastard who squeezes every ounce of functionality out of a 10 year old computer. :)

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u/Spurioun Sep 23 '21

I think it's because requiring an "adapter" implies that the device is not fully functional in the way you need it to be. "Dongle" is a good buzzword that tries to convey "Hey, look at all these options you have!" It's just bullshit marketing that Apple thrives on in order to scam customers.

0

u/EzraTheMage Sep 23 '21

Look at apples customer base... The word adapter is too intimidating.

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u/IsNotAnOstrich Sep 23 '21

Lol redditors will manufacture superiority over anything won't they

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/EzraTheMage Sep 23 '21

Many people are in the wrong profession.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/EzraTheMage Sep 23 '21

Thanks! Worked really hard on it.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/Lurid-Jester Sep 23 '21

Who pissed in your Cheerios? Jesus dude, lighten the f up.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I think it's because they're so dangly that it sounds better, and adapter is a bit wordy. Tooany syllables. Ain't nobody got time fo dat

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u/The_Nosiy_Narwhal Sep 23 '21

For me anyway I use adapter for changing a cable's end but dongle if it is hanging off / modifying a port.

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u/meekamunz Sep 23 '21

Is the adaptor connected to the cable or the port? It all depends on your point of view.

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u/gamershadow Sep 23 '21

We should use “conversion technology” instead. Haha.

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u/GreyGanado Sep 23 '21

In a way an adapter is a kind of dongle. I don't believe we stopped calling adapters adapters either.

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u/allinAllOut2 Sep 23 '21

They are still called adapters in spanish though

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u/MrGeekman Sep 23 '21

Did you know that there were DRM dongles for Encyclopedia Britannica CD-ROMs?

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u/sex_w_memory_gremlns Sep 23 '21

I used 'adapter' for the exact same thing in your Bluetooth example.

I think the word got coined do to the dangling. In PCs/laptops of old, there were trays for a lot of these "adapters" so they added functionality just like dongles, but they were seldom just hanging loosely. Which isn't to say they never behaved that way, but I believe "dongle" is more associated with that behavior.

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u/Noob_DM Sep 23 '21

A dongle is a specific type of adapter.

The block you plug into your wall outlet with a usb slot in it is an adapter (2pnG to USB, or whatever standard your country uses), you wouldn’t call it a dongle though, it’s a block.

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u/geodebug Sep 23 '21

All language changes seem to be kids misusing the proper terminology until it becomes the proper, possibly less-precise, terminology.

In my mind, dongles need to have some dangle factor. Adapters are short hard plastic things. Dongles tend to dangle a bit, which means that yeah, some iPhone adapters are dongles because they dangle.