It's a little slow around here today. So, one of my co-workers and I were discussing the difference between Cat5 and Cat6 cabling. The inciting question was whether the pin/pair assignment on Cat6 was different from Cat5. After some research, we determined that, in fact, no. It is not. This lead me down the rabbit-hole that is wikipedia.
I knew that I use the B variation when I make Cat5. This is the varation that was taught to me in school and, before that, the standard that I had learned at many a LAN-party. As you might guess, I have been aware of an A variation of the T568 standard but never use it. From what I recall, it shouldn't matter, ultimately, what order the cables are in as long as the same order is used on the other 8P8C (something else I learned today) of the cable. There might be some reason that just any random order cannot be used, but I have yet to hear it.
What really interests me is the question of why 2 variations of this standard even exist. I know the difference is the placement of the green and orange wires but cannot find a reason for why one variation is preferred over the other. Anyone have any ideas?