Re: [Evolution] printer configuration

[Not Zed <notzed ximian com>]

On Sat, 2002-06-29 at 03:49, Sinzui Kobalt wrote:
> On Fri, 2002-06-28 at 13:51, Anthony E. Greene wrote:
>  
> > If I were an Evo deloper, I'd much rather tackle a printer definition file
> > than take on adding an LPR/IPP implementation to Evo.
>
> Actually, isn't this a gnome-print problem?  Shouldn't gnome-print be
> smart enough to workout how printing is done on the local machine and
> add it to the fax and file options?  I'm not saying the problem is easy,
> only that the problem affects ALL gnome applications.

Yes, its a problem that needs to be fixed at the gnome-print level.

gnome-print definetly needs a lot of (hot and sweaty) loving at the
moment :-/  (its not in a healthy state, from what i've heard, not even
in gnome-two-point-oooh).

As for this:

On 28-Jun-2002/10:45 -0500, DuWayne R Holsbeck <drh niptron com> wrote:
> there are standards when it comes to the lpd protocols. so if you were
> to use network services vs local services, you would eliminate the
> ambiguity of the lpr commands.

Yeah that really helps when you're using SMB to access your printers via
smbclient (from apache) :).  Or, ethertalk (older mac stuff, via one of
a couple of incompatible packages which escape my memory, netatalk? and
something else?), or, worse, ipx (actually i dont know if you can do
that, but it wouldn't surprise me), or novel's stuff.  Or ... HP's
JetDirect protocol.  Or the earlier Solaris's system-v remote protocol
(was in around solaris 2.5/sunos5).  Not to mention having a serial,
parallel, or usb printer plugged directly into your machine, or even
perhaps, another machine accessed using rsh or ssh (well, stranger
things have happened ... and lpr or equivalent will let you do all
this).  Or, uh, some third party printing system like COSprint which
uses its own entirely proprietry protocols.  Or IPP.  Does CUPS even use
its own stuff or existing? (rhetorical question that).

At the end of the day, "lpd" is probably one of the *least* used
printing protocols available ...

So yeah ... raw protocols - right *right* out as a practical solution. 
At least on unix systems, most replacement systems have bsd-style "lpr"
compatability commands, even if they need a bit of tewaking, as
everyone's idea of "the standard set" of commands & options changes.  

But the lowest common denominator is using, "lpr", "lpq", etc, and even
then you're not sure of anything much ...

Gotta love Unix ... well about as much as any of those psycho girls
(boys) you end up going out with that you can't keep happy no matter how
hard you try ...  i.e. dont.

 Z

PS I used to be a solaris administrator on a windows 3.1/windows nt 3.4
& 4/macintosh/unix network ... people want to do the craziest things
with sharing printers, and even now, there are still huge amounts of
legacy systems in use that need custom solutions for interoperability
with printers/printing systems.