Re: [Printing-user-general] Why has nothing changed?

Dear Roger,

Help is (hopefully) on the way. See the Common Statements at the following
URL:
http://groups.osdl.org/workgroups/dtl/desktop_architects/desktop_printing

My personal opinion, regarding this issue, is that CUPS is sometimes
unfairly criticized for issues that are more BSD/Linux/UNIX OS in nature. By
this I mean that I have the following perception of CUPS.

I believe that when CUPS was designed, the authors accepted the architecture
of printing in the POSIX compliant operating system space and they then
tried to bring together a set of predictable capabilities and printing
methodologies, which could be installed into any of these operating system
environments. 

The purpose was to provide both users of these operating systems and the
providers of printing equipment with a standard method for determining what
printing capabilities could be assumed to typically exist across a wide
range of BSD/Linux/UNIX operating system variants when CUPS was installed
into the system as an application. In this regard, I believe that CUPS has
been and continues to be extremely successful.

In terms of a CUPS implementation with a very nice user experience, I
believe the current Apple OS X implementation is a fine example of what can
be accomplished.

I therefore agree with the other responder who talked about some changes
that need to occur over time to improve the overall user <--> software
interaction in the FOSS arena as being the type of changes needed to help
overcome some of the CUPS related configuration challenges you mentioned as
well.

Best Regards,

/Paul
--
Paul Tykodi
Principal Consultant
TCS - Tykodi Consulting Services LLC

Tel/Fax: 603-343-1820
Mobile:  603-866-0712
E-mail:  [email protected]
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
> Of Roger Morgan
> Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:31 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [Printing-user-general] Why has nothing changed?
> 
> Two years ago, Eric Raymond posted his experiences with CUPS:
> http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/cups-horror.html
> in which he points out, with specific examples, that CUPS is a nightmare
> to configure.
> 
> Today, in 2006, it is obvious to anyone who looks at the forums that CUPS
> is *still* a nightmare to configure. Practically no progress has been made

> in 2 years.
> 
> What needs to change is not just the unusable documentation and misleading
> GUI. What needs to change is some attitudes.
> 
> Most people who try to configure CUPS eventually come to Kurt Pfeifle's
> page on CUPS Troubleshooting:
> 
> http://www.linuxprinting.org/kpfeifle/LinuxKongress2002/Tutorial/VII.cups-
> help/VII.cups-help.html
> 
> Almost everything on this page is WRONG. I don't mean technically wrong; I
> mean that any piece of software that requires this advice, needs to be 
> junked and rewritten. Examples:
> 
> Example 1:
> "Did you make sure you checked the CUPS man pages ? The most important
> ones are those for lpadmin, lpr, lp, lpc, lpq, lpstat, cupsd.conf, lprm .
> At the end of most man pages you might be pointed to other man pages. Go 
> read them too."
> 
> My response:
> You mean I need to read an unspecified number of 'man' documents but at
> least *eight*, IN ADDITION to the CUPS manual, just to configure a 
> printer? GET OUT!!
> 
> Example 2:
> "What was the exact command you gave to install it? Example: lpadmin -p
> 1st-printer -v socket://10.160.16.102 -L "Next to my desk" (Won't work:
> you used a dash in the printer name and it doesn't start with a character,
> which at present is "illegal" with CUPS; your socket device URL will most
> likely not work if you don't give a Port number; you forgot the "-E" 
> parameter..."
> 
> My response:
> The response is meaningless as written, which suggests that nobody has
> read it seriously in a couple of years. Yes, I know we all make typos, 
> this post probably has a few. But mistakes in troubleshooting advice which
> make the piece of advice incomprehensible should be weeded out.
> 
> Example 3:
> "Switch on the "debug" mode in the LogLevel directive for your CUPS
> daemon.
> Edit /etc/cups/cupsd.conf (....) Watch what is written to your CUPS error
> log"
> 
> My response:
> Debug mode and a logfile are debugging tools for the developers. No user
> should ever need to go near either of them. The CUPS software should be 
> able to figure out whether or not bits are getting as far as the printer.
> And it should be able to tell the user which piece of the chain is missing
> (if that's what's wrong).
> 
> Time to fork the CUPS project?