I've used an old PII-266 running RH7.1. The reason is that it has two USB ports built in, and I can then have up to 8 printers attached with small cheap USB hubs. I also use smart parallel-to-USB connector cables to attach just about any printer to my print server.
Although some manufacturers of these cables say they will only work for certain printers, this is only true if you're on a brain-dead OS using their device drivers.
So far I've used an HP Laserjet 4 (yes, that old!) and a brand new Epson LQ570e forms printer on the same box. Works a treat!
Costs? Cdn$189 for the off-lease Compaq DP-4000, Cdn$49 ea. for the cables. Compare that to the cost of one of those appliances. It takes a very long time to burn Cdn$250 worth of electricity with that Compaq!
And, I get to run both cups and smb to share the printers, and administer them remotely.
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Why, the lens' would be powered by the intense background electro-magnetic radiation spewed off by all the devices we'd be swimming in! QED.
Cancer, anyone?
I've used an old PII-266 running RH7.1. The reason is that it has two USB ports built in, and I can then have up to 8 printers attached with small cheap USB hubs. I also use smart parallel-to-USB connector cables to attach just about any printer to my print server.
Although some manufacturers of these cables say they will only work for certain printers, this is only true if you're on a brain-dead OS using their device drivers.
So far I've used an HP Laserjet 4 (yes, that old!) and a brand new Epson LQ570e forms printer on the same box. Works a treat!
Costs? Cdn$189 for the off-lease Compaq DP-4000, Cdn$49 ea. for the cables. Compare that to the cost of one of those appliances. It takes a very long time to burn Cdn$250 worth of electricity with that Compaq!
And, I get to run both cups and smb to share the printers, and administer them remotely.