Show HN: WhatCable, a tiny menu bar app for inspecting USB-C cables(github.com)
217 pointsby sleepingNomad5 hours ago24 comments
  • pimeys3 hours ago
    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...

    • geordieboozer2 hours ago
      To save me 10 mins and $2, is this posted to GitHub somewhere?
      • rustyhancock2 hours ago
        Absolutely this is worth packaging for KDE.

        Although I imagine if you don't have the motivation to make it in the first place, you likely don't have the motivation to package it.

        • pimeysan hour ago
          I feel like this is so lazy bothering maintainers for it is not great.
      • pimeys2 hours ago
        It's 1st of May here, so probably not doing it today. Looking into it a bit more when I get back from the parties. but it's basically just three files: QML for the UI, some python code to parse /proc data and a metadata file.
  • bhouston19 minutes ago
    I tried to contribute back adapter current Wattage display to stats, but I got my PR closed without comment. It is similar to this:

    https://github.com/exelban/stats/pull/3024

  • sagacity3 hours ago
    This is pretty nice, but why do a lot of Mac apps insist on living in the menu bar?
    • mft_2 hours ago
      Agreed, especially for something like this that might get used a handful of times (I’m assuming most people don’t have myriad cables or want to check them regularly?)

      The problem of course is that on my 14” screen the area to the right of the notch is already close to full and I don’t even have that many things there…

    • poisonborz3 hours 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.
      • Someonean hour ago
        And ‘every’ Mac developer thinks people will want to run their tool all the time.

        For this kind of read-only tool, I doubt that’s the case. A regular application probably serves most users better.

        Also, if you want users to have the option of permanently displaying this kind of info, a desktop widget (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/widgetkit) may be a better option than a menu bar item.

        • sgtan hour ago
          Exactly, this should just be a regular app with an optional menu bar option for those who want to switch it on.
      • lxgran hour ago
        > Dock is usually full

        My menu bar is also full and, unlike the Dock, I can’t resize it to fit more.

      • UqWBcuFx6NV4r3 hours ago
        OK, thanks. We understand what a menu bar is.

        How is this conducive to the typical usage pattern of an app like this?

        • kranner2 hours ago
          For some reason the app supports a separate standalone window mode as well [0]. It's not clear why the developer took the trouble to support two different modes when the menubar mode doesn't seem to add anything (like a live-updating icon for throughput).

          Well, I can think of one reason why it wasn't that much more trouble. François Chollet had a nice tweet [1] on why removing human cognitive friction is resulting in needless software complexity.

          [0] https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable/blob/main/Sources/...

          [1] https://x.com/fchollet/status/2045929951539707957

          • jaffeean hour ago
            > removing human cognitive friction is resulting in needless software complexity

            This is kind of a hilarious statement just on the surface. Isn't removing burden from humans the whole purpose of software? How can you call the complexity "needless"?!

            (the actual tweet seems to go into a bit more detail around being incentivized to find good abstractions)

        • awakeasleep2 hours 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.

          • teh_klevan hour ago
            Why is it "combative"? Seems like a needlessly hyperbolic description of launching a desktop app.
    • jrochkind144 minutes ago
      oh no you're right, my menu bar is full already.
  • bichiliad2 hours ago
    I love that this is a native mac app. Thanks for building this, and thanks for sharing.
    • sleepingNomad2 hours ago
      Thanks for taking a look, just pleased other people find it useful.
  • n3storm4 hours ago
    can something like this be done for linux? maybe a wrapper for lsusb. I just found https://github.com/doug-gilbert/lsucpd which adds PD and more.
  • bkummel4 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.
  • ricardobeat3 hours ago
    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?
    • Neywiny3 hours 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

  • jaredsan hour ago
    Thanks for creating this. I'm blind so the $16 USB tester off amazon to sort through my drawer of cables is not an option. This will stop me from needing to buy a sbc just so I have something running Linux to test cables.
  • emaro4 hours ago
    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.
  • kmmbvnr_4 hours ago
    Could it be just a console utility?
    • captainbland4 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
    • sleepingNomad2 hours ago
      I'll look into this.
  • aquir4 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!
    • justusthane4 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.

      • regularfry3 hours 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...
        • justusthane2 hours ago
          It's the cable that is supposed to reverse itself and not the device? I'm not entirely sure I buy that - seems like it would add a lot of unnecessary complexity to every cable.
    • jrmg2 hours ago
      What does it mean to be ‘upside down’ if the connector handles both orientations?
    • sleepingNomad2 hours ago
      This has been fixed now, apologies.
  • theanonymousone3 hours ago
    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.

    • krelas3 hours ago
      `system_profiler SPPowerDataType | grep "Wattage"`?
  • brk4 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.

  • jrochkind1an hour ago
    oh my god, this is going to change my life if it works.
  • thiagoperes3 hours ago
    I am definitely gonna contribute or fork to create an open leaderboard of cable brands and quality :D
    • j16sdiz3 hours ago
      It won't tell you the _quality_

      It just tell you want the e-marker said.

      • zimpenfish27 minutes ago
        > It just tell you want the e-marker said.

        Which isn't helpful if the cable has no e-marker.

  • mp0rta3 hours ago
    Great project. It would be even better if it supported platforms other than Mac.
    • sleepingNomad2 hours ago
      I'm working on a Windows version.
      • mwexler37 minutes ago
        Looking forward to seeing this one in action
  • randomeel2 hours ago
    Cool ! Would love a brew installation as well
  • BiteCode_dev4 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.

  • ulfw4 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
    • AndroTux3 hours ago
      Everyone knows you have to flip the USB cable twice before it’s no longer upside down.
  • Alifatisk3 hours ago
    Any plans to support installations through Homebrew?
  • gedy3 hours 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
    • LordGrey3 hours 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.

      • literalAardvark2 hours ago
        This isn't an air traffic control system though.

        Shipping early is an entirely valid dev strategy.

    • xandrius3 hours ago
      Just because it got pushed 2h ago it doesn't mean they didn't test it on their end.
  • hallegbg4 hours ago
    Nice!
  • suyavuz4 hours ago
    [dead]
  • denkmoon3 hours 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.
    • wallst073 hours ago
      How do you define "thick" or "short" to a non-engineer/tech person? Relative to what exactly?
    • consp3 hours 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.
    • zimpenfish2 hours ago
      Great, and what about non-Thunderbolt cables? How do I distinguish between power only, USB 2, USB 2+PD, and USB 3.2 cables? I've got a whole pile of cables that, without my Treedix tester, are indistinguishable re: functionality and support.