Linux Printing: Still Awful After All These Years

[Gary Layng]

I agree, I mean you should learn something from your experience.

Back when I started on Linux about four years or so ago, I bought a new 
printer.  I plugged the thing in, turned it on, and CUPS said, "Hey, you've 
got an HP 1300!! Do you want to make this default, and do you want to print a 
test page?"  Yes, and yes.

The best way to learn how something works is when something goes wrong.  
Nothing went wrong, so what did I learn?  Nothing!!  I already knew how to 
attach the cables between computer and printer.  Heck, I had more problems 
setting it up in Windows - needed to use the installation disk.  In Windows, 
at least I had the challenge of starting the install shield program when it 
didn't want to auto start.

Maybe the problem is the distribution I'm using, Mandriva?  Maybe I should 
have selected a Samsung instead of a Hewlett-Packard?

On Wednesday 12 March 2008 21:28, phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org wrote:
> It's my impression that many aspects of the Linux Installation Experience
> have become much more pleasant over the years. For example: no more manual
> partitioning or formatting! Network recognized instantly! Package
> management at the touch of a button! (Almost) No configuring video cards!
> No tweaking X-Window!*
>
> The one thing that doesn't seem to have changed is printer installation.
> My Suse 9.2 printer installation was a nightmare and Ubuntu 7.1 seems much
> the same. (In both cases the Samsung printer had to be spoofed as a
> Laserjet to ork.)
>
> So, is printer really difficult or am I missing something? Would someone
> like to give a TLUG tutorial evening on the different ways of connecting
> and driving printers?
>
> Now please excuse me while I take this giant pile of printer paper,
> generated during a printer debugging session, to the recycling.
>
> Peter
>
> * Nice that we don't have to feed 32 floppy disks into the machine any
> more, as well. Anyone here remember that?

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