Re: Nomenclature for USB-connected WiFi devices

[Greg KH <greg@kroah.com>]

On Sun, Jul 23, 2023 at 12:04:50PM -0400, Alan Stern wrote:
> If you've got a WiFi device that connects to the host computer via USB, 
> do you refer to it as a "wireless USB device" or as a "USB wireless 
> device"?

A "USB wifi device", just like the "PCI wifi device" in my desktop.

Or "USB keyboard", or "USB mouse", or "USB thermometer", etc.

> The second would seem to be more logical, by analogy with things like a 
> USB mouse or a USB thumbdrive -- we don't say "mouse USB device" or 
> "thumbdrive USB device"!

Exactly.

> Furthermore, the first ("Wireless USB") is in fact the name of a defunct 
> specification for an Ultra-WideBand interface that would run the USB 
> communication protocol over a wireless connection.

Exactly, let's not get things confused with that obsolete and dead
technology please.

> Nevertheless there are quite a few places in the kernel source that use 
> "wireless USB" where they really mean "USB wireless".  (A few of them 
> are gray cases, like "Sierra Wireless USB-to-WWAN", although here the 
> word "Wireless" evidently is redundant -- maybe it is part of a brand 
> name?)
> 
> Would there be any objection to a patch that does a wholesale conversion 
> from "wireless USB" to "USB wireless"?

I would be glad to take such a patch.

> PS: Similar reasoning applies to the term "wireless PCIe device", 
> although here the number of offenders is smaller.

Hah, I should have read the whole email :)

thanks,

greg k-h