From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Oct 29 00:36:56 2011 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 E1DD61065670 for ; Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:36:56 +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 C19808FC20 for ; Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:36:56 +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 p9T0arpD016446 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:36:54 -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 p9T0arUY016445; Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:36:53 -0700 (PDT) Received: from fbsd81 ([192.168.200.81]) by pluto.rain.com (4.1/SMI-4.1-pluto-M2060407) id AA05029; Fri, 28 Oct 11 17:25:21 PDT Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:23:56 -0700 From: perryh@pluto.rain.com To: wblock@wonkity.com Message-Id: <4eabaa0c.mUEkZVfFc0vWrFDA%perryh@pluto.rain.com> References: <23575.1319749979@tristatelogic.com> In-Reply-To: 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, rfg@tristatelogic.com Subject: Re: Fast personal printing _without_ CUPS 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: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:36:57 -0000 Warren Block wrote: > A better example would be a web browser or word processor. The > program stops responding to further input until the printer has > received the entire print job. This bothered people enough that > they came up with lpd/lpr ... Back when lpr/lpd were first written, it was not just a matter of the printer "receiving" the entire print job but of (nearly) the entire job being completely printed. Few printers had more than a one-line buffer in those days. There was also the matter of sharing the printer among a considerable number of concurrent users, those being the days of multiuser PDP-11's and VAXen. BTW there was nothing particularly innovative about lpr/lpd -- mainframes like IBM 360's and even 7090's had been using print spoolers for years.