The "empty" half of the plug (with the two hollow squares) is either at the top or on the right in 99% of cases. Once you realize that you barely ever have to flip it even one time.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 7 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Do you mean the empty half of the cable? Because the plug itself has the empty half on the bottom.

Usually easier to look for the USB logo or company's branded logo on top. The bottom is usually blank or containing legal info. The bottom also has the zig-zaggy join in the metal.

[–] meekah@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Yeah they're talking about the cable, as that's usually easier to look at. Also a plug is on the cable, and a socket is on devices.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 3 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Also a plug is on the cable

Maybe this is an American English thing, because to me the plug is the socket. The two words are synonyms. Like I'd talk about the electricity plug in the wall.

[–] EtherWhack@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Could be, though I've heard people use plug interchangeably.

Connections for data, the female side is usually called a port; for electrical, it's officially called a receptacle, though more commonly called an outlet or sometimes a socket. The male side is always the plug.

[–] onion@feddit.de 1 points 7 months ago

USB has the female side on the cable :)

[–] nudnyekscentryk@szmer.info 2 points 7 months ago

I'm European but I'm an English second language speaker, so that may be the reason I use this words that way. However wikipedia for example calls the male part the plug and the female the receptacle as well

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 months ago

Americans often call the wall plate the plugs, but technically in electeical hardware ordering catalogs the wall end is a female receptacle, and the cord end is a male plug

[–] nudnyekscentryk@szmer.info 1 points 7 months ago

Exactly

[–] nudnyekscentryk@szmer.info 1 points 7 months ago

Plug is on the male part on the cable. Receptacle is the female part on the device

[–] EtherWhack@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Part of the reasoning is that dust can't really settle on the contacts if they are facing down. It's the same for the most part with rj45 (ethernet) ports.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 months ago

The irony is the USB keyboard- mouse -peripheral switcher I bought has the USB ports upside-down from normal