Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Steve Kowalik]

Howard,

>I agree absolutely.
>
>One of my biggest problems is configuring /etc/printcap remotely.  As a
>config file /etc/printcap is a bloody disaster.  So, use printtool I hear
>you say; but I don't run X over the Internet for security and performance
>reasons.
>
I also ran into this problem in my younger (!) days as a simple RedHat
newbie, trying to configure a ethernet interface remotely over a ppp
link. I didn't know (at the time) how to set up an interface using just
vi and cp. :-)

>When is someone going to come up with a simple ncurses equivalent of
>printtool?
>
Printtool uses ghostscript to do the dirty work of printing. Apsfilter
(with LPRng as an optional extra :-) comes very, very close with it's
excellent "apsfilterconfig" script. I even used it to hand-hack my
printcap to have both color and black-and-white printers in there. (Just
so my sisters don't go mad printing *&(*^(&^&*&^ Dawson's Creek pictures
and other such crap)
And the other bonus is that you can run apsfilter remotely, and scare the
people on site by printing 5 test pages with "Kill them all. Now." (ala
X-Files) and then denying any knowledge when they call you. *BOFH Cackle*

> -- >
Howard. > 
> LANNet Computing Associates 
>"...well, it worked before _you_ touched it!"

--
Steve

"Would you really trust a language without pointers, but still
manages to have a null pointer exception?"


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Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Howard Lowndes]

I agree absolutely.

One of my biggest problems is configuring /etc/printcap remotely.  As a
config file /etc/printcap is a bloody disaster.  So, use printtool I hear
you say; but I don't run X over the Internet for security and performance
reasons.

When is someone going to come up with a simple ncurses equivalent of
printtool?

-- 
Howard.

LANNet Computing Associates 
   "...well, it worked before _you_ touched it!"

On Mon, 23 Apr 2001, Subba Rao wrote:

> I second Laurie's point. I guess most of the folks who jump on to the Linux
> bandwagon are only going with the hype in the media. It is not enough to
> create a server class operating system. Especially, when it come to dealing
> with documents. Even OS/2 (does it exist) made printing simple. End users
> (who are not techies) that I have talked to are begining to ask questions
> about Linux. My only selling point is that it is a server class OS. These are
> the people who would print tons of documents. Most of the computer users
> print documents and are not techies. Unless Linux makes it easy to print
> documents, it will not make much headway onto desktop environment.
> 
> 


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Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[David]

Totally agree... here I am still using my Mac for printing related
applications every day because I have no choice... too many things don't
work easily enough on Linux for me, much less the kids and family.

Geeks tend to forget there are people out there who are mere mortals, and
don't even know what a CLI is (nor should they need to!).

Why is that if i plug a printer.. pretty much any printer.. into my mac,
double click the install icon and ask it to print it will work. Can any
geek tell me why that is a bad idea? Is there some special priviledge
given to geeks because they spend an hour configuring drivers and
interfaces?

I'm not knocking linux... god knows, what it does well it does better than
anything. Just I think some geeks need a reality check.

On Tue, 24 Apr 2001, Laurie Savage wrote:

> I guess it's OK for you office/IT types to trash your printers but out here 
> in the land of chalkdust and sloooww internet connections and one 
> computer per 25 students most of my work is in preparing document-type 
> resources for students. 
> 
> Again if you look at domestic PC use, after games, chat, Hotmail(!) and inet 
> browsing the things are used for document preparation - Johnnie's Assignment, 
> lists, garage sale announcements, banners, birthday cards and every other 
> template that Corel or MS have created!
> 
> Applications that don't talk simply, without command line interference to my 
> printer are just not good enough.
> 
> 
> Laurie Savage
> earth science @ orange high school
> 
>  ==
>  Many say it was a mistake to come down from the trees, some say the move
>  out of the oceans was a bad idea. Me, I say the stiffening of the notochord
>  in the Cambrian was where it all went wrong, it was all downhill from there.
> - The Dean, University of Ediacara
>   www.ediacara.org
>  ==
> 
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> SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
> More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
> 


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Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Subba Rao]

I second Laurie's point. I guess most of the folks who jump on to the Linux
bandwagon are only going with the hype in the media. It is not enough to
create a server class operating system. Especially, when it come to dealing
with documents. Even OS/2 (does it exist) made printing simple. End users
(who are not techies) that I have talked to are begining to ask questions
about Linux. My only selling point is that it is a server class OS. These are
the people who would print tons of documents. Most of the computer users
print documents and are not techies. Unless Linux makes it easy to print
documents, it will not make much headway onto desktop environment.

-- 

Subba Rao
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://members.home.net/subba9/

GPG public key ID 27FC9217

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Gossip - Schools & Debian Blind Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Terry Collins]

.
> 
> I guess it's OK for you office/IT types to trash your printers but o

good start
> 
> Again if you look at domestic PC use, 

yep, we are with you...

> template that Corel or MS have created!

Lousy finish.
Apart from the hole in the middle of the CD rom {:-), linux does it all.
Actually, WP (on that other OS) had a text thing that would postion text
along a line - does it have it in the linux version?


> earth science @ orange high school

Gossip from Maclug on the weekend

1 - Richmond High school has been using linux for 5 years - can anyon
confirm?

2 - Someone ran into blind young person they knew from Commodore Club
days - What OS are you using? "debian" says blind person and he now off
at uni studying. The bloke decided it was time to start learning about
linux.

--
   Terry Collins {:-)}}} Ph(02) 4627 2186 Fax(02) 4628 7861  
   email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  www: http://www.woa.com.au  
   WOA Computer Services 

 "People without trees are like fish without clean water"

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Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Laurie Savage]

I guess it's OK for you office/IT types to trash your printers but out here 
in the land of chalkdust and sloooww internet connections and one 
computer per 25 students most of my work is in preparing document-type 
resources for students. 

Again if you look at domestic PC use, after games, chat, Hotmail(!) and inet 
browsing the things are used for document preparation - Johnnie's Assignment, 
lists, garage sale announcements, banners, birthday cards and every other 
template that Corel or MS have created!

Applications that don't talk simply, without command line interference to my 
printer are just not good enough.


Laurie Savage
earth science @ orange high school

 ==
 Many say it was a mistake to come down from the trees, some say the move
 out of the oceans was a bad idea. Me, I say the stiffening of the notochord
 in the Cambrian was where it all went wrong, it was all downhill from there.
- The Dean, University of Ediacara
  www.ediacara.org
 ==

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Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Umar Goldeli]

>  2) I have a network, email and the web; what the hell do I need a printer
> for?

So you can give dead trees with bits of carbon on it to management types
to make them feel secure. :)


//umar.


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Re: [SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Andrew Reilly]

On Mon, Apr 23, 2001 at 08:06:05PM +1000, Jeff Waugh wrote:
>  2) I have a network, email and the web; what the hell do I need a printer
> for?

For myself, that and laziness.  I still own a printer, and have
about 3/4 of a ream of A4 paper sitting in my supplies cupboard.
Probably still have a spare ink cartridge in there somewhere
too.  I don't think I've even had the thing plugged into the
computer for about two years.  Probably longer.

My 91 year old grandfather is the _only_ member of my extended
family and circle of friends that doesn't have an e-mail
address.  Work is all e-mail and PDF (OK, sometimes Word, but
I can cope...)  There simply isn't any need to kill trees for
communication purposes any more.

The _very_ rare formal (paper) letter that I still need to write
from time to time: I do long hand.  Feels kind of weird, but I
bet it gives the recipients a surprise.

-- 
Andrew

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[SLUG] Linux Geeks & Printing

[Jeff Waugh]

> One thing I noticed about printing in the Linux community, is that not too
> much importance is given to it, to make it simple.

I have often pondered this when printing questions come up on SLUG; I have
no idea how to answer them, as I've only ever done 'join the dots' Samba
integration stuff.

A couple of answers that may apply:

 1) Killing trees completely sucks, and we are sensitive new-age electricity
hogs.

 2) I have a network, email and the web; what the hell do I need a printer
for?

Just a thought. :)

- Jeff

-- 
Ye shall be cursed to fall in love so easily, and yet be so cold of 
   heart as never to express it.

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