00:00:00The Evolution of Computer Ports
00:02:02USB Revolutionizes Connectivity
00:04:03Advances in Display Technology
00:06:04Refresh Rates and Display Quality
00:08:06Peripherals and Accessibility
معلومات عن هذه الحلقة
From keyboards to mice, they are the human interface to the computer.
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References
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mouse-vs-fingers-input-device/
https://esevel.com/blog/device-peripheral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_port
https://www.viewsonic.com/library/tech/usb-c-usb-b-and-usb-a-whats-the-difference/
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Josh:
00:00
I've mentioned it before, but one of my first jobs during summer breaks from college was as a help desk technician.
00:07
This was one of the first times I had mass exposure to the PS2, Personal System 2, port on computers.
00:15
I remember the purple and green ports on the family computer growing up, but once you plugged devices into them, they were pretty much set and forget.
00:25
But working as a help desk technician, at least three times a week, someone was having issues with their keyboard or mouse.
00:32
Whenever this happened, I would walk to their desk, unplug the devices, plug them back in, reboot, and see if it worked.
00:40
The issue was either the port or the hardware, but either way, we just started switching users to USB keyboards and mice.
00:49
We always kept a few of those PS2 devices around, just in case an older computer required them, but they were quickly fading out of existence.
00:58
And thinking about it now...
01:00
I can't even recall the last time I saw one.
01:03
While keyboards and mice are just everyday things sitting on a desk,
01:07
it's important to remember just how vital these peripherals are.
01:11
They are the human interface to the computer.
01:15
From PS2, not the gaming console, to USB-C, on this episode of In the Shell.
01:22
The wrong thing to do is just go out and buy a computer and then learn about it.
01:27
And you'll learn, but you'll learn a lot of things that maybe you didn't want to learn.
01:31
A computer that you buy today will likely be obsolete six months from now,
01:36
and there's not a dang thing that you can do about it.
01:41
My name is Josh, and I'm able to keep this podcast independent and advertisement-free
01:46
because of support from listeners like you.
01:49
If you are finding value in what I'm doing here,
01:51
consider becoming a paid supporter at members.sideofburritos.com.
01:57
And as a thank you, members get early access to new...
02:00
videos, ad-free versions of everything, bonus content, and access to a live monthly Q&A.
02:06
Thanks for considering. Now let's get back to the show.
02:10
Input devices are how we tell our computers and gadgets what to do.
02:14
The classic duo is the keyboard and mouse, which have been staples of desktop computing for decades.
02:20
A keyboard remains the fastest way to enter text. Having a physical keyboard allows typing
02:26
that's much faster and less error-prone than tapping on a touchscreen. Each key press is
02:32
distinct, and people like myself often prefer mechanical keyboards for their tactile feedback
02:38
and durability. Mechanical key switches can endure tens of millions of presses,
02:44
far outlasting typical membrane keyboards. The mouse gives us precise pointing control
02:50
and graphical interfaces. The rise of the mouse in the 1980s revolutionized user interaction
02:56
by making graphical user interfaces like Windows and
03:00
Mac feasible. A mouse pointer can click tiny icons or drag files with pixel-level accuracy,
03:07
something touchscreens struggle with due to the fat finger problem. It's worth noting that how
03:13
we connect our input devices has evolved as well. Older PCs, like I mentioned in the intro,
03:19
use dedicated ports for keyboards and mice. The most famous was the round PS2 port,
03:25
purple for keyboards and green for mice. These ports worked fine, but they came with limitations.
03:32
PS2 devices were not hot-swappable, which meant you needed to plug them in before turning on your PC,
03:38
and unplugging them while running wasn't officially supported. The connectors themselves were small
03:44
and could be finicky, the PS2 plug had to be oriented correctly, or you could easily bend
03:50
the tiny pins while plugging it in. But starting in the late 1990s, the USB standard took over.
03:57
USB was designed to be a one-size-fif-
04:00
all connection, replacing the tangle of serial, parallel, and PS2 ports that PCs used to have.
04:07
With USB, the same kind of port could handle your keyboard, mouse, printer, external drive,
04:13
and it also provided power, so devices like mice or webcams didn't need a separate power brick.
04:21
USB also made peripherals plug and play, which meant you could connect or disconnect devices
04:26
on the fly and the system would auto-detect them without a reboot. USB itself has continued to
04:33
improve over the years. The standard rectangular USB-A plugs gave us convenience, but they only
04:40
inserted one way, which is always guaranteed to be the wrong way. Modern devices are increasingly
04:47
using USB-C, which is the oval-shaped connector that is fully reversible, even though some
04:53
manufacturers and products keep including USB-A cables. Beyond convenience, USB-C
05:00
supports much faster data transfer,
05:02
and significantly more power delivery than older USB ports.
05:07
It's versatile enough that a single USB-C cable
05:09
can carry video, audio, data, and power simultaneously.
05:15
On my setup, I have a single USB-C cable
05:17
that outputs video to my 4K monitor
05:20
and charges my laptop at the same time.
05:24
Just as input devices feed commands into a computer,
05:26
output devices present the results back to us,
05:30
most importantly, through displays.
05:33
Monitors and laptop screens traditionally use LCD technology,
05:37
liquid crystal display, usually with LED backlighting.
05:42
They come in various sizes, and for a long time,
05:45
most monitors were around 60 hertz refresh rate,
05:48
meaning the image could update 60 times per second.
05:52
A 60 hertz screen is adequate for office work or movies,
05:55
which are often 24 frames per second,
05:58
but higher refresh rate.
06:00
make motion look smoother. In recent years, higher refresh rate monitors, 120, 144, and even 240 hertz
06:08
have become popular, especially for gaming. A 120 hertz monitor refreshes 120 times a second,
06:17
so fast action sports or games appear much more fluid. Monitors also prioritize resolution and
06:25
size. It's common now to see 4K resolutions, which is 3840 by 2160 pixels, on a monitor or TV.
06:34
However, a big screen spreads those pixels out. As an example, a 55-inch 1080p TV has a pixel density
06:43
of only 40 pixels per inch, whereas a small smartphone with a 1080p resolution has around
06:50
400 pixels per inch. This is why a phone display looks super crisp from up close.
06:56
It crams many more pixels per inch, achieving a retina
07:00
effect, where you can't discern individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. In contrast to a
07:07
majority of monitors, most high-end phones today use OLED, which stands for organic LED, rather
07:14
than LCD. OLEDs have individually lit pixels, allowing for perfect blacks and high contrast.
07:22
If part of the image is black, those pixels completely shut off, yielding inky black darkness
07:28
next to bright colors. They also have fast response times, but pixels can change state quickly,
07:35
which can reduce motion blur. OLED's advantages make it great for portable devices,
07:41
where visual quality and power efficiency are a priority. Mobile displays have also started
07:47
adopting high refresh rates recently. For years, virtually all phones were fixed at 60 hertz,
07:54
but as users noticed the buttery smooth scrolling on newer screens, 90 and 120 hertz phones
07:59
current languages, 10 per cent, and more around.
07:59
...
08:00
have become common. By 2023, many flagship phones, and even mid-range models, boasted 120Hz
08:08
displays for a more responsive feel. This higher refresh rate not only benefits gaming on the phone,
08:14
but even basic interactions like swiping through pages or animations when opening apps look
08:20
smoother. To manage battery life, since refreshing twice as often uses more power, many phones use
08:27
adaptive refresh rates, ramping up to 120Hz when needed for motion, then dropping to lower refresh
08:34
rates for static content to save energy. On the other hand, desktop monitors can do high refresh
08:41
rates more easily, since they are plugged into power, and often paired with powerful graphics cards
08:46
that can push very high frame rates in games. And finally, peripherals greatly influence
08:53
accessibility and comfort. Ergonomic keyboards and mice can help prevent fatigue and repetitive
09:00
strain injuries for heavy computer users.
09:04
Beyond ergonomics, a wide range of accessibility-focused peripherals exist to ensure that people with
09:10
disabilities have the same opportunities to interact with computers and devices.
09:16
These include alternative keyboards, adaptive mice, eye-tracking systems, switch-based inputs,
09:22
and voice-controlled interfaces.
09:26
Peripherals are often called the human interface.
09:27
They are the touch points where human meets machine.
09:31
Well-designed peripherals can make using technology feel like an extension of yourself.
09:40
In the Shell is written, researched, and recorded by me, the podcaster, plus keyboard, mouse,
09:46
mic, and monitor.
09:49
If you are listening in an app that lets you rate shows, please take a minute to rate this
09:53
one.
09:54
I would truly appreciate it.
09:58
USB-A has two orientations.
09:59
I would really appreciate it.
10:00
and both are wrong the first time that's it take care and i'll see you next time
00:00
I've mentioned it before, but one of my first jobs during summer breaks from college was as a help desk technician.
00:07
This was one of the first times I had mass exposure to the PS2, Personal System 2, port on computers.
00:15
I remember the purple and green ports on the family computer growing up, but once you plugged devices into them, they were pretty much set and forget.
00:25
But working as a help desk technician, at least three times a week, someone was having issues with their keyboard or mouse.
00:32
Whenever this happened, I would walk to their desk, unplug the devices, plug them back in, reboot, and see if it worked.
00:40
The issue was either the port or the hardware, but either way, we just started switching users to USB keyboards and mice.
00:49
We always kept a few of those PS2 devices around, just in case an older computer required them, but they were quickly fading out of existence.
00:58
And thinking about it now...
01:00
I can't even recall the last time I saw one.
01:03
While keyboards and mice are just everyday things sitting on a desk,
01:07
it's important to remember just how vital these peripherals are.
01:11
They are the human interface to the computer.
01:15
From PS2, not the gaming console, to USB-C, on this episode of In the Shell.
01:22
The wrong thing to do is just go out and buy a computer and then learn about it.
01:27
And you'll learn, but you'll learn a lot of things that maybe you didn't want to learn.
01:31
A computer that you buy today will likely be obsolete six months from now,
01:36
and there's not a dang thing that you can do about it.
01:41
My name is Josh, and I'm able to keep this podcast independent and advertisement-free
01:46
because of support from listeners like you.
01:49
If you are finding value in what I'm doing here,
01:51
consider becoming a paid supporter at members.sideofburritos.com.
01:57
And as a thank you, members get early access to new...
02:00
videos, ad-free versions of everything, bonus content, and access to a live monthly Q&A.
02:06
Thanks for considering. Now let's get back to the show.
02:10
Input devices are how we tell our computers and gadgets what to do.
02:14
The classic duo is the keyboard and mouse, which have been staples of desktop computing for decades.
02:20
A keyboard remains the fastest way to enter text. Having a physical keyboard allows typing
02:26
that's much faster and less error-prone than tapping on a touchscreen. Each key press is
02:32
distinct, and people like myself often prefer mechanical keyboards for their tactile feedback
02:38
and durability. Mechanical key switches can endure tens of millions of presses,
02:44
far outlasting typical membrane keyboards. The mouse gives us precise pointing control
02:50
and graphical interfaces. The rise of the mouse in the 1980s revolutionized user interaction
02:56
by making graphical user interfaces like Windows and
03:00
Mac feasible. A mouse pointer can click tiny icons or drag files with pixel-level accuracy,
03:07
something touchscreens struggle with due to the fat finger problem. It's worth noting that how
03:13
we connect our input devices has evolved as well. Older PCs, like I mentioned in the intro,
03:19
use dedicated ports for keyboards and mice. The most famous was the round PS2 port,
03:25
purple for keyboards and green for mice. These ports worked fine, but they came with limitations.
03:32
PS2 devices were not hot-swappable, which meant you needed to plug them in before turning on your PC,
03:38
and unplugging them while running wasn't officially supported. The connectors themselves were small
03:44
and could be finicky, the PS2 plug had to be oriented correctly, or you could easily bend
03:50
the tiny pins while plugging it in. But starting in the late 1990s, the USB standard took over.
03:57
USB was designed to be a one-size-fif-
04:00
all connection, replacing the tangle of serial, parallel, and PS2 ports that PCs used to have.
04:07
With USB, the same kind of port could handle your keyboard, mouse, printer, external drive,
04:13
and it also provided power, so devices like mice or webcams didn't need a separate power brick.
04:21
USB also made peripherals plug and play, which meant you could connect or disconnect devices
04:26
on the fly and the system would auto-detect them without a reboot. USB itself has continued to
04:33
improve over the years. The standard rectangular USB-A plugs gave us convenience, but they only
04:40
inserted one way, which is always guaranteed to be the wrong way. Modern devices are increasingly
04:47
using USB-C, which is the oval-shaped connector that is fully reversible, even though some
04:53
manufacturers and products keep including USB-A cables. Beyond convenience, USB-C
05:00
supports much faster data transfer,
05:02
and significantly more power delivery than older USB ports.
05:07
It's versatile enough that a single USB-C cable
05:09
can carry video, audio, data, and power simultaneously.
05:15
On my setup, I have a single USB-C cable
05:17
that outputs video to my 4K monitor
05:20
and charges my laptop at the same time.
05:24
Just as input devices feed commands into a computer,
05:26
output devices present the results back to us,
05:30
most importantly, through displays.
05:33
Monitors and laptop screens traditionally use LCD technology,
05:37
liquid crystal display, usually with LED backlighting.
05:42
They come in various sizes, and for a long time,
05:45
most monitors were around 60 hertz refresh rate,
05:48
meaning the image could update 60 times per second.
05:52
A 60 hertz screen is adequate for office work or movies,
05:55
which are often 24 frames per second,
05:58
but higher refresh rate.
06:00
make motion look smoother. In recent years, higher refresh rate monitors, 120, 144, and even 240 hertz
06:08
have become popular, especially for gaming. A 120 hertz monitor refreshes 120 times a second,
06:17
so fast action sports or games appear much more fluid. Monitors also prioritize resolution and
06:25
size. It's common now to see 4K resolutions, which is 3840 by 2160 pixels, on a monitor or TV.
06:34
However, a big screen spreads those pixels out. As an example, a 55-inch 1080p TV has a pixel density
06:43
of only 40 pixels per inch, whereas a small smartphone with a 1080p resolution has around
06:50
400 pixels per inch. This is why a phone display looks super crisp from up close.
06:56
It crams many more pixels per inch, achieving a retina
07:00
effect, where you can't discern individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. In contrast to a
07:07
majority of monitors, most high-end phones today use OLED, which stands for organic LED, rather
07:14
than LCD. OLEDs have individually lit pixels, allowing for perfect blacks and high contrast.
07:22
If part of the image is black, those pixels completely shut off, yielding inky black darkness
07:28
next to bright colors. They also have fast response times, but pixels can change state quickly,
07:35
which can reduce motion blur. OLED's advantages make it great for portable devices,
07:41
where visual quality and power efficiency are a priority. Mobile displays have also started
07:47
adopting high refresh rates recently. For years, virtually all phones were fixed at 60 hertz,
07:54
but as users noticed the buttery smooth scrolling on newer screens, 90 and 120 hertz phones
07:59
current languages, 10 per cent, and more around.
07:59
...
08:00
have become common. By 2023, many flagship phones, and even mid-range models, boasted 120Hz
08:08
displays for a more responsive feel. This higher refresh rate not only benefits gaming on the phone,
08:14
but even basic interactions like swiping through pages or animations when opening apps look
08:20
smoother. To manage battery life, since refreshing twice as often uses more power, many phones use
08:27
adaptive refresh rates, ramping up to 120Hz when needed for motion, then dropping to lower refresh
08:34
rates for static content to save energy. On the other hand, desktop monitors can do high refresh
08:41
rates more easily, since they are plugged into power, and often paired with powerful graphics cards
08:46
that can push very high frame rates in games. And finally, peripherals greatly influence
08:53
accessibility and comfort. Ergonomic keyboards and mice can help prevent fatigue and repetitive
09:00
strain injuries for heavy computer users.
09:04
Beyond ergonomics, a wide range of accessibility-focused peripherals exist to ensure that people with
09:10
disabilities have the same opportunities to interact with computers and devices.
09:16
These include alternative keyboards, adaptive mice, eye-tracking systems, switch-based inputs,
09:22
and voice-controlled interfaces.
09:26
Peripherals are often called the human interface.
09:27
They are the touch points where human meets machine.
09:31
Well-designed peripherals can make using technology feel like an extension of yourself.
09:40
In the Shell is written, researched, and recorded by me, the podcaster, plus keyboard, mouse,
09:46
mic, and monitor.
09:49
If you are listening in an app that lets you rate shows, please take a minute to rate this
09:53
one.
09:54
I would truly appreciate it.
09:58
USB-A has two orientations.
09:59
I would really appreciate it.
10:00
and both are wrong the first time that's it take care and i'll see you next time
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