This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
From YKTTW Working Title: Tinman Typist
A way this can be justified in many stories, especially the older ones (Not so much anymore)... wireless was expensive/nonexistent, and humans needed to be able to use the same machinery. Doesn't make sense necessarily to put in two full interfaces if one is only rarely going to be used. Also a better way to prevent getting one's own self hacked or catch a virus ("You've been interfacing with that hussy C64 again, haven't you?!"), as it would be a lot more difficult to manage with just fingers on keys. Or to prevent Uncanny Valley syndrome, where someone who otherwise looks human jams a cable up their nose. R2-D2 was part of a combat system and needed to be able to interface with his ship quickly enough to prevent its destruction by diverting power or reversing the polarity or whatever. C 3 P 0's whole thing was 'talk to people' which just needed a speaker, and he could use the same manual controls that the humans did for the limited things he would need to do. AUTO in Wall-E pushed buttons and moved around rather than being just a red light on a wall because shiny things moving look better on a screen. (And yes,
