AW: AW: [Desktop_printing] Role of CUPS and error handling

Stark, Jens Jens.Stark at seeg.sharp-eu.com
Fri Mar 24 06:54:56 PST 2006


Johannes wrote :

>On Mar 23 18:14 Stark, Jens wrote (shortened):
>> The major issue with CUPS interfaces is that there is more than one.

>I assume you mean user-frontends to set up queues for CUPS?

Right. Precisely. That's it ! :)

>> SUSE didn't handle this too nice.

>What exactly is wrong?
>Do you mean the problems when cupsd runs as lp?
>If yes, please read
>http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Printer_Configuration_from_SUSE_LINUX_9.0_on
>it is all explained there in detail.
>Choose what you prefer (choose exactly one):
>[ ] cupsd runs by default but not as root (which requires lppasswd)
>[ ] no cupsd running by default at all
>Note that it is about a general company security policy
>and not about what a few printing guys may think.

You forgot a very obvous third choice :
[ ] Use another distro that makes it simpler to quickly set up a test syste=
m without having to search even for a minute for deviations from a standard=
 CUPS interface. =


Ask for the configuration the customer wants at install time. Frankly, CUPS=
 is more important to me than the choice of distros. While I DO have a pref=
erence for SuSE, I do not agree with a couple of the decisions taken by the=
 developers.

>> Others have their own interfaces, instead of just using
>> or replicating the CUPS web interface or agreeing
>> on a *COMMON STANDARD*.

>What exactly is wrong with which interface?

Re-inventing the wheel. OK, choosing a printer port in CUPS is not totally =
obvious to the non-initiated user, however, encapsulating the network print=
er setup does not really help.

>As far as I understand this discussion, it is about to agree
>on a common standard but obviously any standard is ignored
>when the common standard requires stuff which is not acceptable
>by the policies or design guidelines or whatever guidelines
>of the various parties (CUPS, the Linux distributors, KDE, Gnome).

It should (of course) be all simple and all powerful. The problem is that a=
 lot of private desktop printer users do not understand the typical corpora=
te printing environment and it's requirements. Heavens, we still have "Admi=
nistrators" buying GDI printers and complaining that they won't work with a=
 network print server...

CUPS and ESP Print Pro work for a number of reasons. They have both a web i=
nteface and command line tools, come with better documentation than other p=
roducts, allow for reasonable security and remote maintenance and they just=
 work - both locally and in a corporate environment. Roll out 100 printers =
with CUPS, then try the same with lpr... If only Windows had more brains - =
it's too plain stupid to take advantage of a lot of the things CUPS has to =
offer. =



>By the way:
>What about printer manufacturers and common standards?
>;-)

SNMP, Postscript, PCL, TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, Appletalk, ... :)
Not all printers are created alike, so you will always have some difference=
s.
UNNECESSARY differences are something we fight against, internally.

But that is why we need a lot of different printer drivers. Operating syste=
m manufacturers are not better...
(Talking about one of the bigger ones, who doesn't even supply CUPS or bash=
 :) )

Best,
   Jens
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