From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Message-ID: <6e35c0620507260944415848e8@mail.gmail.com> Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 09:44:06 -0700 From: Jack Johnson To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@cse.psu.edu> Subject: Re: [9fans] Newbie question on printing In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----=_Part_10374_25285154.1122396246593" References: <954853031a0cf97c301740a691d34b4e@tombob.com> <6e35c0620507260846710ec8cc@mail.gmail.com> Topicbox-Message-UUID: 6fdd2fb4-ead0-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 ------=_Part_10374_25285154.1122396246593 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline On 7/26/05, Ronald G. Minnich wrote: > Overall, I've never used anything I like quite as much as that. Not even > OSX can compare -- OSX is just about as painful as any standard Unix for > adding a new printer. The trick with OSX is to not use it as Apple intended. If you have a single CUPS-based print server (OSX or otherwise), set your ACLs and turn browsing on, it'll just happen. At home I have a Linux box with a crappy DeskJet 400, and from our iBooks I think the only thing I had to do client-side (using Terminal) was to turn browsing on. As long as the server is on, if you're in the house the printer shows up on the list. If you're at work or on the road, it doesn't. Magic. It took longer to sift the PPD on the server to force black and white as the default than it did to get reliable, convenient printing. But stay away from Apple's GUI. Even on OSX I use the local Web interface if I have to add a new printer (which isn't fun for newbies, either, but at least you know what you're going to get). Should be http://localhost:631. What I dislike about Windows printing is that the client shouldn't need a driver. Every client should be able to generate PCL or PostScript or HP-GL and have some convenient way to find out what printer features are available. I've done several Windows printing hacks rolling my own PostScript miniport drivers that just uses the Windows built-in PostScript engine and loads the correct PPD for the printer, and though setting the printer preferences isn't as intuitive as with some other drivers, it's consistent, and you can get huge stability by having just a single (Microsoft-written) print driver loaded. In fact, here's one I use often, Adobe's Acrobat Distiller PPD omitted (though freely available on their Web site). At work we use Linux print queues to generate PDFs server-side and mail them back to the users, and most PostScript printers won't let you put color ink corner to corner. So, Adobe's PPD, Microsoft's driver. One INF and one PPD file and away you go. Change the strings and the PPD for the printer of your choice. Filename changed for your protection. :) It would be relatively easy for a vendor like MS to one-up CUPS, clean up their print dialogs, keep PPDs or their equivalent on the printer share and really have a unified print driver, at least client-side. -Jack ------=_Part_10374_25285154.1122396246593 Content-Type: text/plain; name="ADIST5-inf.txt" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="ADIST5-inf.txt" W1ZlcnNpb25dDQpTaWduYXR1cmU9IiRXaW5kb3dzIE5UJCINClByb3ZpZGVyPSJNZSINCkxheW91 dEZpbGU9bGF5b3V0LmluZg0KQ2xhc3NHVUlEPXs0RDM2RTk3OS1FMzI1LTExQ0UtQkZDMS0wODAw MkJFMTAzMTh9DQpDbGFzcz1QcmludGVyDQoNCjsNCjsgVGhlIE1hbnVmYWN0dXJlciBzZWN0aW9u IGxpc3RzIGFsbCBvZiB0aGUgbWFudWZhY3R1cmVycyB0aGF0IHdlIHdpbGwNCjsgZGlzcGxheSBp biB0aGUgRGlhbG9nIGJveA0KDQpbTWFudWZhY3R1cmVyXQ0KIkFkb2JlIg0KDQpbQWRvYmVdDQoi QWNyb2JhdCBEaXN0aWxsZXIiID0gQURJU1Q1LlBQRCwgQWNyb2JhdF9EaXN0aWxsZXINCg0KOw0K OyBJbnN0YWxsZXIgU2VjdGlvbnMNCjsNCjsgVGhlc2Ugc2VjdGlvbnMgY29udHJvbCBmaWxlIGlu c3RhbGxhdGlvbiwgYW5kIHJlZmVyZW5jZSBhbGwgZmlsZXMgdGhhdA0KOyBuZWVkIHRvIGJlIGNv cGllZC4gSWYgdGhlIHNlY3Rpb24gbmFtZSB3aWxsIGJlIGFzc3VtZWQgdG8gYmUgdGhlIGRyaXZl cg0KOyBmaWxlLCB1bmxlc3MgdGhlcmUgaXMgYW4gZXhwbGljaXQgRHJpdmVyRmlsZSBzZWN0aW9u IGxpc3RlZC4NCjsNCg0KW0FESVNUNS5QUERdDQpDb3B5RmlsZXM9QEFESVNUNS5QUEQsUFNDUklQ VA0KRGF0YUZpbGU9QURJU1Q1LlBQRA0KRGF0YVNlY3Rpb249UFNDUklQVF9EQVRBDQoNCjsgQ29w eSBTZWN0aW9ucw0KOw0KOyBMaXN0cyBvZiBmaWxlcyB0aGF0IGFyZSBhY3R1YWxseSBjb3BpZWQu IFRoZXNlIHNlY3Rpb25zIGFyZSByZWZlcmVuY2VkDQo7IGZyb20gdGhlIGluc3RhbGxlciBzZWN0 aW9ucywgYWJvdmUuIE9ubHkgY3JlYXRlIGEgc2VjdGlvbiBpZiBpdCBjb250YWlucw0KOyB0d28g b3IgbW9yZSBmaWxlcyAoaWYgd2Ugb25seSBjb3B5IGEgc2luZ2xlIGZpbGUsIGlkZW50aWZ5IGl0 IGluIHRoZQ0KOyBpbnN0YWxsZXIgc2VjdGlvbiwgdXNpbmcgdGhlIEBmaWxlbmFtZSBub3RhdGlv bikNCjsNCg0KW1BTQ1JJUFRdDQpQU0NSSVBUNS5ETEwNClBTNVVJLkRMTA0KUFNDUklQVC5ITFAN ClBTQ1JJUFQuTlRGDQoNCltQU0NSSVBUX0RBVEFdDQpEcml2ZXJGaWxlPVBTQ1JJUFQ1LkRMTA0K Q29uZmlnRmlsZT1QUzVVSS5ETEwNCkhlbHBGaWxlPVBTQ1JJUFQuSExQDQoNCltEZXN0aW5hdGlv bkRpcnNdDQpEZWZhdWx0RGVzdERpcj02NjAwMA0KDQpbU291cmNlRGlza3NOYW1lc10NCjQgPSAl RmxvcHB5JSwsLCIiDQoNCltTb3VyY2VEaXNrc0ZpbGVzXQ0KQURJU1Q1LlBQRCAgID0gNCwsLCws LCwxMSwzDQoNCjsNCjsgTG9jYWxpemFibGUgU3RyaW5ncw0KOw0KW1N0cmluZ3NdDQpGbG9wcHk9 IkFkb2JlIEFjcm9iYXQgRGlzdGlsbGVyIFBQRCBEaXNrIg0KQ0xBU1NOQU1FPSJQcmludGVyIg0K UEpMX01PTklUT1I9IlBKTCBMYW5ndWFnZSBNb25pdG9yLFBKTE1PTi5ETEwiDQpQU19NT05JVE9S PSJQb3N0U2NyaXB0IExhbmd1YWdlIE1vbml0b3IsUFNNT04uRExMIiANCg== ------=_Part_10374_25285154.1122396246593--