You use colors that the largest number of people can distinguish between.
At some point there will always be someone who something doesn't work for. You suggest using symbols, but what about people who are completely blind?
So you use something like a combination of color and braille, and then the rare person who is monochromatic can use the same solution as someone who is completely blind.
> At some point there will always be someone who something doesn't work for.
So your basically saying screw them all since it's impossible to include everyone? I just outlined for you the most common disability, it's particularly easy to avoid since they can still actually see.
> the rare person who is monochromatic can use the same solution as someone who is completely blind.
...how would you like to be told to learn brail in old age just cos your eyesight isn't quite good enough to read some small print?
No, that's just awful. Shape first, colour purely as an extra, then brail if the symbol is not relief or discernible enough, this is absolute basics of accessibility. This also helps everyone and functions in very low light since we all have low sensitivity to colour compared to luminescence, more so the older you get
> So your basically saying screw them all since it's impossible to include everyone?
Your disposition is needlessly antagonistic.
Moreover, regardless of what is common to every standard cable, anyone is free to put their own labels on their own cables to suit their needs. Not every solution has to be complex bureaucratic uniformity.
> I just outlined for you the most common disability, it's particularly easy to avoid since they can still actually see.
Are you even sure that color blindness is more common than blurred vision that makes it hard to discern small symbols?
> If you say so, but it seems necessary to counter your apparent lack of empathy for people without perfect vision.
How is that any more helpful than me accusing you of an apparent lack of empathy for people with vision that can discern colors better than small symbols?
> Now you're just bending the discussion to your will.
Your argument was that not making all cables in a way that addresses all needs is saying "screw them all" to anyone else. But nothing has to work that way because total uniformity is not actually mandatory. It's completely reasonable to have a default that works well for most people and use something different for the people who need something different.
This is not about uniformity, you basically suggested colour blind people should learn brail rather than simply chosing a different method of differentiation... It's pretty hard not to interpret that as "screw them all". Yes you can't make everyone equal but it takes very little effort to accommodate the vast majority of issues.
This usually does not come up until you are 45-50, so tech people tend not to know about it. I was lucky to have a teacher that warned about this in school already. Watch out for when it takes several seconds to switch between close and far focus :)
At some point there will always be someone who something doesn't work for. You suggest using symbols, but what about people who are completely blind?
So you use something like a combination of color and braille, and then the rare person who is monochromatic can use the same solution as someone who is completely blind.