In the early days of home computing and the early days of the PC it was a common requirement to roll your own cables. Getting the pin-out of a parallel port soldered up correctly was not so simple, even RS-232 serial cables were harder than the USB to get right.
I can't fully remember why it was required to make such cables on a regular basis but it happened. It seems that USB has not only made cable soldering a lot easier it has also removed the practical need to do so. Either that or I am no longer a 'hobbyist' with interest in such things.
I remember all that! I ran a BBS for awhile. For some reason, I couldn't find a RS-232 cable that routed the ring indicator correctly. I had to build my own cable with parts from Radio Shack.
I can't fully remember why it was required to make such cables on a regular basis but it happened. It seems that USB has not only made cable soldering a lot easier it has also removed the practical need to do so. Either that or I am no longer a 'hobbyist' with interest in such things.