Re: Print Server Progress Report

Hi Philippe,

>Well, yes, but I'm already whrestling to produce something (anything!) 
>for network team, so 
>right now I'm mostly in lurking mode here.
>However, I've opinions, still!
>;-)

This is all I am asking for.

>Could you tell us (me=3F) some details here=3F
>Do print=5Fserver run parallel jobs processing on any print spooler 
>unless there is another one using the same 
>transport add-on=3F By "using", I mean "another spooler configuring for 
>using this transport".
>Or do you go more deeper and test if the transport add-on allow 
>multiple access (Print To File, for example)=3F

It's very simple. Print to File and Preview have no access restrictions. 

Each combination of transport, transport address and connection is 
considered as a resource. If two printer drivers using the same resource 
want to process spool files at the same time, one is blocked until the 
other has completed.

>As Preview don't require any transport add-on, I guess it should fall 
>on the "no transport access conflict" case, no=3F

Right.

>> - extension to R5: allow selection of printer per application, 
>similar to Dano

BTW this is low on the todo list.

>Yeah, this fine BPrintPanel=3F I give a look at the new *print kit* in 
>Dano, and it looks fine.
>There is both raster and vector kind driver support there, plus some 
>generic config views for page setup and 
>job setup. We have UniversalPrint on BeBits we could help us here, 
>maybe...

Ok, this is post R1 thing...

>I think the "Add Printer" in Dano looks finer too. No more Network / 
>Local printer separation.
>In fact, the transport add-on let you connect to a remote printer, even 
>if it's considered as a "local" printer 
>by the BeOS R5.0.3- "Add Printer" setup dialog, go figure.
>
>There also something cool to consider in the print=5Fserver design: 
>having a pass-thru mode.
>I mean no rendition required, the job file was already *rendered* by a 
>third party driver, probably on another 
>computer. Think about a IPP daemon or LPD daemon, accepting jobs, 
>putting in the asked spooler.
>The job file will be in *raw* format, print=5Fserver only need to send 
>its content to the transport addon.
>
>Or... if the printing client computer is under BeOS too, maybe the file 
>received by IPP/LPD, etc, is really a 
>classic job file and the server will have to use his driver: no driver 
>to install on BeOS clients to be able to print 
>on a BeOS printing server, woa!!!

Cool ideas! Thanks for responding.

- Michael