Printers was Re: [oclug] [OT] ease of use

[charles.macdonald at hrdc-drhc.gc.ca]

Jon Earle <je_linux at kronos.honk.org> Wrote:

<<<MS did a good thing when they built the driver model (even though
programming it can be a task from the Devil himself).  It works something
like this:  Devices such as printers all operate in basically the same
way.  So, they write the driver to do the basics.  Manufacturers write the
minidrivers that support the particulars of the device.  Simple, clean and
easy to use. One main system that relies on small pieces of code/data to
accomplish the task.>>>>

<<<At work, I've got Debian 3.0 installed, using KDE.  If I want to print
text from the commandline (say, /etc/hosts), I have to use CUPS to convert
the text to postscript before printing, >>>


Actually, the UNIX way is really a simple model also.  One complication is 
that the basic assumption is that the printer will be on a remote network, 
and so you have network thingies to worry about even if you have a lone 
machine in a sealed room.

UNIX old standard is to have a plain Teletype printer, think of an old 
Teletype (tm) ASR-33.  You feed it ASCII and it prints.  (Just about the 
standrd way we all printed back in 1970)

Modern UNIX practice is to use Postscript as a common language.  (just like 
the WIndoze API for printers)  All programs flow their output thrrough a step 
that converts the graphics to postscript, and then  the postscript is 
converted to whatever the printer understands.  If you have more than one 
printer, you can select where to print when the data is in teh postscript 
stage.  You can even capture the postscript and send it to be priinted on a 
different printer.

Now it is posible to format specificaly for your printer, and use the 
Telletype interface to send info in teh printers own language.  Thus skipping 
the transformation to and from postscript.  But that will require each 
program knows how to speak your printers language.  (often HP-PCL)


Charles MacDonald - Labour Information Management
< My own Opinion unless Otherwise Credited >