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Thunderbolt To Be Offered As A Royalty-Free Industry Specification

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  • Thunderbolt To Be Offered As A Royalty-Free Industry Specification

    Phoronix: Thunderbolt To Be Offered As A Royalty-Free Industry Specification

    Intel is looking to make Thunderbolt more widely-adopted by industry players...

    Phoronix, Linux Hardware Reviews, Linux hardware benchmarks, Linux server benchmarks, Linux benchmarking, Desktop Linux, Linux performance, Open Source graphics, Linux How To, Ubuntu benchmarks, Ubuntu hardware, Phoronix Test Suite

  • #2
    Good move. Thunderbolt is an excellent piece of technology already and it's good to see it getting broader adoption with an open specification.

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    • #3
      This tells me they know Apple is ready to leave them.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Marc Driftmeyer View Post
        This tells me they know Apple is ready to leave them.
        Oh yeah, Apple's about to ditch Intel processors and replace them with iPads even though iPad sales are dropping through the floor and Mac sales are growing even though Apple literally refuses to improve on 6 year old designs.

        Didn't you claim to be Steve Job's fluffer in the 90's or something? What do you old farts say about dropping the brown acid?

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        • #5
          The only real issue that I have with things like thunderbolt and usb is the cost per meter. All we really need is something like a fiber optic cable (data) with copper (for power). Then all you have to do is sort the cable by the gauge of the copper, while keeping the same connector. I really like the simplicity of RJ45, and it is easy to implement a soft clip (like Apple did) for the cable. Easy to replace the ends too. My favourite connectors will still always be the circular ones, like TRRS, XLR, and PS/2 connectors. TRRS never had to be aligned properly to go in, and was backwards compatible with older plugs. Even with the PS/2 connector, if you don't get the alignment right, you can just twist it until it is. The only thing with TRRS that was a real problem was that pulling the cable from a 90 degree angle since that meant death to the cable.

          Thunderbolt as a cable to replace all sounds great, but I don't see that price of the the cable coming down any time soon, especially when Intel is the one behind it. This, to me, is a case of "better technology doesn't always win" because you have to be extra compelling to replace something as entrenched as USB.

          On the other hand, it's so much easier to buy an external GPU and just plug in the thunderbolt than it is to open up the case, pray your OEM power supply will work with it and that the GPU will fit in the case. So that's really cool.
          Last edited by profoundWHALE; 24 May 2017, 01:12 PM.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Marc Driftmeyer View Post
            This tells me they know Apple is ready to leave them.
            If anything, it's the other way around and Intel is trying to broaden their market. Apple's future doesn't look that great.

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            • #7
              I forgot to add that AMD had done this back in 2012 with Lightning Bolt (DockPort)
              Last edited by profoundWHALE; 24 May 2017, 01:31 PM.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by profoundWHALE View Post
                The only real issue that I have with things like thunderbolt and usb is the cost per meter. All we really need is something like a fiber optic cable (data) with copper (for power). Then all you have to do is sort the cable by the gauge of the copper, while keeping the same connector. I really like the simplicity of RJ45, and it is easy to implement a soft clip (like Apple did) for the cable. Easy to replace the ends too. My favourite connectors will still always be the circular ones, like TRRS, XLR, and PS/2 connectors. TRRS never had to be aligned properly to go in, and was backwards compatible with older plugs. Even with the PS/2 connector, if you don't get the alignment right, you can just twist it until it is. The only thing with TRRS that was a real problem was that pulling the cable from a 90 degree angle since that meant death to the cable.

                Thunderbolt as a cable to replace all sounds great, but I don't see that price of the the cable coming down any time soon, especially when Intel is the one behind it. This, to me, is a case of "better technology doesn't always win" because you have to be extra compelling to replace something as entrenched as USB.

                On the other hand, it's so much easier to buy an external GPU and just plug in the thunderbolt than it is to open up the case, pray your OEM power supply will work with it and that the GPU will fit in the case. So that's really cool.
                <facepalms>

                Thanks for reinventing the wheel. Fiber will never be as cheap as copper tho. Not even if you *combine* fiber with copper. Also, RJ45 won't just magically transmit data from fiber, you need to convert those light waves in some way. With something like... a transceiver. Invented a few decades ago. Costs at least $50 and you need 2 for every cable.

                But yeah, your suggestion is awesome. Unless you take the 5 seconds that is needed to realize how dumb it actually is.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by profoundWHALE View Post
                  The only real issue that I have with things like thunderbolt and usb is the cost per meter. All we really need is something like a fiber optic cable (data) with copper (for power). Then all you have to do is sort the cable by the gauge of the copper, while keeping the same connector.
                  That is good for long cables, but drastically increases the price of short cables. And that is before you factor in the much more complicated and expensive circuitry needed, which will significantly raise the price of practically every peripheral and will prohibitively increase the cost for simple devices like mice and keyboards.

                  And if you really want to use fiber, there are USB (and HDMI and Displayport) over Fiber Optic cables right now, so you don't need a new standard. But they are more than 5 times the price of even an active USB cable or USB-over-ethernet setup for even 10 meter cables. You need to get into 15+ meter range before fiber starts becoming competitive even for highly sensitive applications like HD video, and longer still for something like USB.

                  I know this because I have been working with 15+ meter audio, video and data connections for work. We are actually using HDMI over fiber because the 15 meter HDMI and Displayport cables are too thick and too finicky. But cheap USB 2.0 over ethernet is more than adequate for even multi-channel CD-quality audio.

                  Originally posted by profoundWHALE View Post
                  This, to me, is a case of "better technology doesn't always win" because you have to be extra compelling to replace something as entrenched as USB.
                  It isn't just a matter of being entrenched. Things like Firewire and Thunderbolt aren't better for most common cases once you factor in the increased cost of the circuitry needed to run them. USB is cheap and easy to implement on the peripheral side, and that makes a big difference for a device that costs $20. That is ultimately why Firewire failed, and why eSATAp and modern Thunderbolt are compatible with USB. They are way overkill for most common peripherals like mice and keyboards, and computer manufacturers don't want to need too many incompatible ports, so they are going to go with the one with the broadest appeal.

                  Unless you are like Apple and have a captive audience that will shell out $70 for an adapter that gives them back basic functionality.
                  Last edited by TheBlackCat; 24 May 2017, 02:20 PM.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Marc Driftmeyer View Post
                    This tells me they know Apple is ready to leave them.
                    Sorry to inform you that this is bullshit.

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