Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 12:39:40 -0700 (PDT) From: papowell@astart.com To: asami@FreeBSD.ORG, chuckr@picnic.mat.net Cc: andrews@technologist.com, arch@FreeBSD.ORG, drosih@rpi.edu, imp@village.org, nik@FreeBSD.ORG, papowell@astart.com, sheldonh@uunet.co.za, will@almanac.yi.org Subject: Re: Bringing LPRng into FreeBSD? - License Issues Message-ID: <200007091939.MAA21388@h4.private>
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> From chuckr@picnic.mat.net Sun Jul 9 11:47:13 2000
> Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 14:46:46 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@picnic.mat.net>
> To: Satoshi - Ports Wraith - Asami <asami@FreeBSD.ORG>
> cc: papowell@astart.com, andrews@technologist.com, arch@FreeBSD.ORG,
> drosih@rpi.edu, imp@village.org, nik@FreeBSD.ORG, sheldonh@uunet.co.za,
> will@almanac.yi.org
> Subject: Re: Bringing LPRng into FreeBSD? - License Issues
>
> > I think Chuck just got confused. :) He probably thought you wanted
> > lpr and lpd and whatnot to print the copyright message every time it
> > starts up. (Which is, of course, a bit too much.)
>
> Yeah, I was wrong, I thought it went off on every startup, not on the -V
> startup.
>
> I spent so much time getting my printer setup right (the last time, 3
> months ago, when I bought a new printer) that I wouldn't change print
> setups now unless put under extreme duress. I didn't test the thing, else
> I would have seen it didn't print the banner every time.
>
> I should have reread it.
>
<major big time aside>
This is THE major reason WHY I want to clean up printing, to get
it set up in a SANE and uniform manner across ALL platforms. Yes.
Even Microsoft... Now put down the tar and feathers and pay some
attention :-)
Everybody spends too much time setting up and making printing work.
Each little UNIX/Linux/Solaris/HP/... empire has its own little
printing ghetto, where you have to spend an enormous effort learning
the majic incantations. And there are damn few printing wizards on
call. And once you get printing set up you NEVER EVER want to do it
again. So even it if is almost broken, until it gets to a crisis
you won't touch it. And when you are in crisis mode you don't want
to spend time, effort and energy to learn how to set up a new and
different printing system.
This, in the immortal words of Randolf ("My Favorite Felon") Schwartz,
"Sucks big time."
My current project is to try to civilize this for the UNIX world.
This is being done by putting the following stuff together:
a) creating AND PUBLISHING an open source print system that will
meet or exceed the capabilities of any commercial system so
that there will be NO NEED for printing ghettos.
This is currently funded by selling support for LPRng.
b) having a text, curses, or X based system that will generate
a printer printcap entry and update the printcap with it.
This is proving to be a little harder than I thought it would.
The back end is trivial - you can set up a database of all the
printers and driver stuff, but the front end requires Novice
User proofing... Much harder than Idiot Proofing, as Novice
Users will try things not even Idiots would do :-).
I am trying to get people to work on this, but most people
who start on it soon lose interest as it is NOT a glamorous,
interesting, or 'neat' thing to do.
c) Documentation. There are several classes of this.
a) Single printer on your single system.
Examples: Linux Printing HOWTO, RedHat 'Printing Answers'
(Don't sneer at these - they are VERY helpful).
FreeBSD HandBook chapter on Printing.
b) Tutorial on the Tough Stuff - LPRng HOWTO, Part 1
c) Reference on the Tough Stuff - LPRng HOWTO, Part 2
d) Database of Printer Information
This is a real problem - it is a manpower issue in getting
the data made available.
</major big time aside>
Patrick Powell Astart Technologies,
papowell@astart.com 9475 Chesapeake Drive, Suite D,
Network and System San Diego, CA 92123
Consulting 858-874-6543 FAX 858-279-8424
LPRng - Print Spooler (http://www.astart.com)
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