Standard ethernet fiber connectors are more compact, but most are implemented as SFP modules which lose a lot of the space advantage.

> Why do we still have the RJ45 connectors at all?

> We've transitioned other technologies.

I wouldnt say we have transitioned to other tech. And we still have it because inertia. Same reason why serial is still widely used. Also, ethernet != RJ45. You can have hardwired point to point connections with ethernet as well, and those can be quite compact.

> Is the industry so focused on WiFi that they are just hoping it will go away for end user devices?

> Surely even if the data-centre a compact alternative would be a cost saving due to taking up less space?

> What am I missing here?

Ethernet is simply more reliable and scalable. Reliable in that there is basically no risk of it disconnecting, and scalable in that you can have hundreds of ethernet cables besides each other without much interference. With WIFI it'd become unusable.

Totally, but I specifically meant the RJ45 connector itself!

WRT other technologies, we've updated USB and Thunderbolt to use the compact USB-C connector standard. We've updated display connectors many times over the years!

And yes, there are legacy installations and so on, but that's never a good reason to not advance a technology!

We'd all still on SCSI connectors or SATA if legacy was a good reason not to evolve technology!

Just looking at a rack of patch panels and switches, you can see a lot of space is taken up with supporting the RJ45 connector itself!

None of the other comments really explain why we still use RJ45. Because it's a standard and legacy isnt a reason to not have developed a modern compact alternative!

Oh, you meant the connector itself.

I guess because it is good enough? SCSI couldn't scale to higher throughputs afaict, while the RJ45 mostly doesn't impact speeds at all.

Who is "we"? What other technology?

I can not begin to imagine how many facilities on this earth require a man, a laptop, and an ethernet cable. Jesus it must be _a lot_.

Ethernet isn't going anywhere. Serial ports haven't gone anywhere. I literally was in a factory 2 hours ago where they are manufacturing new, >$100,000 machines that have both serial and ethernet ports, both of which will remain standards for god knows how many decades.

We use USB dongles for the serial stuff now, but even that is not possible for some applications iirc.

> a man, a laptop, and an ethernet cable

I know the setup you’re alluding to, but hey… surely the job could also be done by a woman?

I'm sorry but your ageism offends me. Are we just going to exclude teens and children? Can a 15 year old not operate a laptop? "Man" and "Woman" imply adults, and ageism is not okay.

Do you see how fast this type of cultural revolution bullshit goes downhill? Someone else can always be more sanctimonious.

I of course used "man" in place of "person" as has been common (and correct) for thousands of years. Man can mean "mankind" or "a person", and does not exclusively mean "male", and never has. Sort of like how "guys" now means "people".

In fact, "man" meant person before it meant "male", it literally predates the English language. It's so old it predates writing. It's one of the oldest words we have.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=man

Next time, don't assume the worst in people, and don't be so sanctimonious. Not every turn of phrase is an act of malice.

Given you talked about "facilities" I would assume that you were talking about a professional environment, so assuming an adult seems fine to me.

Whether man has been correct and standard usage in the past is fairly irrelevant. People's attitudes towards gender have changed (for the better), and so our view of what is 'good' and 'bad' in written English have changed too. Particularly in a male dominated industry where women don't feel welcome, using phrasing that implies a job is only done by men is fairly unfriendly to half the population. It's not hard to use "person" or "they" or other gender neutral language and eliminate this particular problem.

Language is a tool to express our thoughts. As our thoughts change, so does language. If you don't give a shit about women in technology (or anywhere else) then fine, but don't be surprised if people who do then call you on it.

Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Customs, and Old Habits must be destroyed eh?

We've been here before. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Olds

The reason I was in that factory today is because the woman who runs the tech company I work for sent me there, lol.

But go ahead, explain to me what a chauvinist oppressor I am.

I don't think it is language that keeps women out of tech, and I don't think this flash in the pan cultural moment is going to change our habits on a word that is older than writing.

"Given you talked about "facilities" I would assume that you were talking about a professional environment, so assuming an adult seems fine to me."

Using "man" as general term to refer to a person of any sex is wrong, but assuming a colonialist Western cultural norm regarding child labor is ok?

> We've transitioned other technologies.

What makes you think that? It's 2022 and half the world's commercial airplanes require floppy disks for navigation.

> What am I missing here?

40 years of accumulated infrastructure. Datacenters may have upgraded, other businesses have not. People generally don't re-wire buildings when the old wires still work.