Cool. Just want to chime in that I wanted to see how quickly GPT-5.5 can turn this into a KDE Plasma 6 Plasmoid. Took about 10 minutes and two dollars, and now I have a nice QML app showing the same information in my taskbar.
Just wanted to say this because I feel it's really crazy that I can just do this today...
sagacity 54 minutes ago [-]
This is pretty nice, but why do a lot of Mac apps insist on living in the menu bar?
poisonborz 37 minutes ago [-]
Making 1 click to access is faster than typing the app name in finder. Dock is usually full and used for different type of apps. Makes also constantly visible output possible with standard ui patterns.
UqWBcuFx6NV4r 23 minutes ago [-]
OK, thanks. We understand what a menu bar is.
How is this conducive to the typical usage pattern of an app like this?
awakeasleep 2 minutes ago [-]
Are you saying you wish this was a desktop app and you would just open it occasionally when curious?
If so, it feels like a needlessly indirect and combative way to go about it.
mp0rta 17 minutes ago [-]
Great project. It would be even better if it supported platforms other than Mac.
bkummel 2 hours ago [-]
Doesn't work for me. Says "No USB-C ports detected", although I'm pretty sure my monitor is connected via USB-C, and the monitor also has a built-in USB hub where my USB keyboard is connected to.
I would like to ask an LLM to rewrite it as Python CLI script. Is it even possible, or some Swift-only functionality is necessary?
P.S. Some time ago I learnt through HN of a one-line command in macOS which revealed the power (Wattage) of the connected charger. Can't find it now, but it was very useful.
I remember seeing a recent analysis where the vast majority of cables from Amazon misreported their capabilities. Is this tool going to be able to catch those, or blindly report what the chip advertises?
Neywiny 48 minutes ago [-]
I think for real cables the delta could also be explained by damage or just a bad plug-in attempt, so even if you're not trying to detect counterfeit cables it could be useful to know:
1. What does the host support
2. What does the cable support
3. What does the device support
4. What actually got negotiated
kmmbvnr_ 2 hours ago [-]
Could it be just a console utility?
captainbland 2 hours ago [-]
Yeah I like the sound of the functionality but I don't like the idea of it taking up menu bar space. Console utility would be good or even a gui that can be quickly launched through spotlight
piskov 2 minutes ago [-]
> I don't like the idea of it taking up menu bar space
You know you can close it? :-)
thiagoperes 36 minutes ago [-]
I am definitely gonna contribute or fork to create an open leaderboard of cable brands and quality :D
j16sdiz 33 minutes ago [-]
It won't tell you the _quality_
It just tell you want the e-marker said.
brk 2 hours ago [-]
14 Inch 2021 MBPro / M1 Pro chip / Sonoma 14.5
WhatCable says "No USB-C Ports Detected".
System info clearly shows my iPhone attached to USB 3.1 Bus.
Pretty cool. What I don't understand is why both my USB@1 and USB@2 show the same connected devices. I'd expect to only see the respective devices. USB@1 is my USB-hub monitor, the other one is connected to my phone. Both show keyboard, etc. plus my phone as connected devices.
denkmoon 52 minutes ago [-]
I get that the connectors are identical but I find it odd that people find it so challenging. Thunderbolt is the thick and short cable. If it's not thick it's not gonna work well and if it's over a metre it's not gonna work well. cf my pile of thin long "basic" usb c cables.
wallst07 37 minutes ago [-]
How do you define "thick" or "short" to a non-engineer/tech person? Relative to what exactly?
consp 38 minutes ago [-]
Thunderbolt 4 passive (over usb) is 0.8m in length, longer cables are active, up to two meters I think, so they do exist.
aquir 2 hours ago [-]
Good stuff, but it's telling me that my USB-C Thunderbolt cable has been plugged in upside down but the connector handled this. I was not aware that you can plug in something into USB-C upside down!
justusthane 1 hours ago [-]
I wasn't either (insomuch as I had never thought about it), but it makes sense if you think about it for a second. If you have one end plugged in one way, and the other end plugged in the other way, each individual wire is flipped from where it should be. The fact that you _can_ plug it in either way means that the device on one end needs to be capable of recognizing that and logically reversing it. Same as automatic crossover in Ethernet.
That's all the program is telling you. It doesn't matter that it's backwards, but technically it is.
regularfry 54 minutes ago [-]
It's not always the case that the cable will correctly fix it. I think (hope?) any that any which didn't would be out of spec, but they exist...
Alifatisk 58 minutes ago [-]
Any plans to support installations through Homebrew?
BiteCode_dev 1 hours ago [-]
Tangential, but LLT recently came out with their own lineup of USB-C cables guaranteed to be up to spec. And they have the main specs printed on each cable end, so you know what you grab.
That should be mandatory.
1 hours ago [-]
aphroz 1 hours ago [-]
You mean LTT ?
smusamashah 1 hours ago [-]
We type two capital LLs a lot these days.
xandrius 35 minutes ago [-]
LoL
ulfw 1 hours ago [-]
The 'plugged upside down' is weird for a USB-cable. Especially as that doesn't work. I tried plugging it 'the other way around' and it showed the same 'upside down' warning
AndroTux 28 minutes ago [-]
Everyone knows you have to flip the USB cable twice before it’s no longer upside down.
gedy 51 minutes ago [-]
I like the idea and thanks for sharing, but I do think folks who vibe code or use Claude should take their time using, testing, and improving app before rushing to share. This was pushed/deved like 2 hours ago
LordGrey 28 minutes ago [-]
And it's been updated, with full releases, many times since.
I like this tool, but I agree that it was rushed and it is still being rushed. I urge the developer to slow down and get it right.
xandrius 34 minutes ago [-]
Just because it got pushed 2h ago it doesn't mean they didn't test it on their end.
hallegbg 2 hours ago [-]
Nice!
suyavuz 1 hours ago [-]
[dead]
Rendered at 11:48:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
Just wanted to say this because I feel it's really crazy that I can just do this today...
How is this conducive to the typical usage pattern of an app like this?
If so, it feels like a needlessly indirect and combative way to go about it.
P.S. Some time ago I learnt through HN of a one-line command in macOS which revealed the power (Wattage) of the connected charger. Can't find it now, but it was very useful.
1. What does the host support
2. What does the cable support
3. What does the device support
4. What actually got negotiated
You know you can close it? :-)
It just tell you want the e-marker said.
WhatCable says "No USB-C Ports Detected".
System info clearly shows my iPhone attached to USB 3.1 Bus.
That's all the program is telling you. It doesn't matter that it's backwards, but technically it is.
That should be mandatory.
I like this tool, but I agree that it was rushed and it is still being rushed. I urge the developer to slow down and get it right.