From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Sep 20 12:13:11 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A54991065697 for ; Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:13:11 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (agora.rdrop.com [IPv6:2607:f678:1010::34]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 82C9D8FC18 for ; Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:13:11 +0000 (UTC) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (66@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.7) with ESMTP id o8KCDAEP083975 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:13:10 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: (from uucp@localhost) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.9/Submit) with UUCP id o8KCDAG3083974; Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:13:10 -0700 (PDT) Received: from fbsd61 by pluto.rain.com (4.1/SMI-4.1-pluto-M2060407) id AA02073; Mon, 20 Sep 10 05:10:41 PDT Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:20:52 -0700 From: perryh@pluto.rain.com To: FreeBSD@insightbb.com Message-Id: <4c9751a4.POuJNkjk++rGHEd0%perryh@pluto.rain.com> References: <20100918141525.c7564d66.freebsd@edvax.de> <4c9538b5.IAmh0DDtGtrjQEr2%perryh@pluto.rain.com> <201009181905.01254.FreeBSD@insightbb.com> In-Reply-To: <201009181905.01254.FreeBSD@insightbb.com> User-Agent: nail 11.25 7/29/05 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: The nightmarish problem of installing a printer X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:13:11 -0000 Steven Friedrich wrote: > > "Common Unix Printing System" certainly sounds as if the intent > > was to be the "ONE thing that is used for printing". Whether > > they did a good job of it is another question entirely :( > > I think that you don't fully apreciate the task at hand. When > Unix was first invented, there were no laser printers, ink jets, > USB, etc. > > That no one can create a one-size fits all solution OWES to the > fact it's simply not always possible to unify disparate designs. > They weren't designed to be interoperable. Technology keeps > marchng forward. We need to discard all of it eventually. Back in the CP/M and early MS-DOS days, similar doubts were raised regarding display systems. Fortunately, those doubts did not stop some developers from doing what others thought impossible. The results included X11, which has been rather durable for a considerable time.