There are similarities in the filtering mechanism, just as SGI's Impressario product and several others do.
The main difference is that the driver-application interface is richer (you can actually find out what the printer supports) and you can add different backend interfaces (i.e. a new network protocol, serial ports, etc.), other drivers, etc. without a lot of work.
Also, since IPP is the remote printing interface and CUPS maintains the available printers on the network, you don't have to administer the client machines, and the clients can actually send options to the servers.
First, the problem has been that there *are* so many printing systems, pretty much all based off the original Berkeley or System V printing systems. Most, if not all, have been designed towards text line printers or PostScript printers. The result is inconsistent support for printers that don't match up with this design.
CUPS is designed to support any printer technology and includes hooks for both application and printer driver writers to get information about individual printers. There is no universal support for this in existing printing systems.
Finally, we don't make a lot of money selling printer drivers. Just see how many new printers come out in a week and you'll get an idea of how much work it is to keep printer drivers up to date...
I'll make sure we add some info on how to use the CUPS trademarks. Basically we just want to protect the name so it doesn't get associated with something sinister...;)
For the record, and as far as our legal understanding goes, any person, company, etc. can use a trademarked name so long as they are identifying the product that is trademarked and provide the appropriate notice stating who owns the trademark. E.g.:
GnomoPrint CUPS(tm) 2000 Copyright 1999 by Gnomo Software, Inc.
...
CUPS is the trademark property of Easy Software Products.
With the exception of the GNU GhostScript code (which is owned by Aladdin) we wholly own the CUPS code. We can distribute CUPS under any license we choose.
The DFSG applies to a software distribution and a single license, not to all distributions and licenses that a package may have. Another example is GhostScript, for which there is a non-DFSG version (Aladdin GhostScript 5.50) and DFSG versions (GNU GhostScript up to 5.10).
The main difference between the magic filter stuff and CUPS is that CUPS supports things like *job options*, and the magic filters are still only 1 level "deep". CUPS can run multiple filters to get from file type A to B.
As for MS Word, we're looking at adapting some of the available conversion programs to work with CUPS.
Finally, how big do you want GhostScript to get? What if you have a dozen printers and are printing to them all at the same time? Also, GhostScript stinks once you start feeding it images; separating the drivers allows us to write other RIPs like our image file RIP to make printing faster/more efficient.
ANYONE can use a trademark name so long as they credit the owner. The purpose of a trademark is to protect the integrity of a name. We're doing that for CUPS for the same reason that Linus trademarked Linux...
As for IPP, look at the available docos on the net. Make your own decision.
As for IPP-based fax, CUPS doesn't come enabled for that. Security is a very big deal for us.
Since the CUPS API library is GPL'd, and you need to link to it to get access to the PPD and raster file stuff to write a driver, printer vendors have two options - release an open source driver or license CUPS from us so they can distribute binaries. I'm hoping they do the former (open source driver)...
We've pretty much gutted the GS 4.03 distribution (all of the old drivers are gone, as is the normal command-line interface) We've toyed with distributing patches for GS, but that makes downloading less convenient...
First, it's a real printing system, not something layered on top of LPR that doesn't let you set options.
Second, the RH filters limit the printer support to what is compiled into GhostScript; CUPS allows you to add new drivers without recompiling.
Finally, file filters are a lot easier to deal with in CUPS - it will run multiple filters as needed to get to the "destination format", while the LPR filtering mechanism only runs a single filter.
Slashdot Mirror
There are similarities in the filtering mechanism, just as SGI's Impressario product and several others do.
The main difference is that the driver-application interface is richer (you can actually find out what the printer supports) and you can add different backend interfaces (i.e. a new network protocol, serial ports, etc.), other drivers, etc. without a lot of work.
Also, since IPP is the remote printing interface and CUPS maintains the available printers on the network, you don't have to administer the client machines, and the clients can actually send options to the servers.
First, the problem has been that there *are* so many printing systems, pretty much all based off the original Berkeley or System V printing systems. Most, if not all, have been designed towards text line printers or PostScript printers. The result is inconsistent support for printers that don't match up with this design.
CUPS is designed to support any printer technology and includes hooks for both application and printer driver writers to get information about individual printers. There is no universal support for this in existing printing systems.
Finally, we don't make a lot of money selling printer drivers. Just see how many new printers come out in a week and you'll get an idea of how much work it is to keep printer drivers up to date...
Yes, via the "resolution" option, e.g.:
lpr -o resolution=360dpi filename.ps
lpr -o resolution=1440x720dpi filename.jpg
(or the equivalent lp command)
I'll make sure we add some info on how to use the CUPS trademarks. Basically we just want to protect the name so it doesn't get associated with something sinister... ;)
...
For the record, and as far as our legal understanding goes, any person, company, etc. can use a trademarked name so long as they are identifying the product that is trademarked and provide the appropriate notice stating who owns the trademark. E.g.:
GnomoPrint CUPS(tm) 2000
Copyright 1999 by Gnomo Software, Inc.
CUPS is the trademark property of Easy Software Products.
No, it doesn't violate the DFSG.
With the exception of the GNU GhostScript code (which is owned by Aladdin) we wholly own the CUPS code. We can distribute CUPS under any license we choose.
The DFSG applies to a software distribution and a single license, not to all distributions and licenses that a package may have. Another example is GhostScript, for which there is a non-DFSG version (Aladdin GhostScript 5.50) and DFSG versions (GNU GhostScript up to 5.10).
The main difference between the magic filter stuff and CUPS is that CUPS supports things like *job options*, and the magic filters are still only 1 level "deep". CUPS can run multiple filters to get from file type A to B.
As for MS Word, we're looking at adapting some of the available conversion programs to work with CUPS.
Finally, how big do you want GhostScript to get? What if you have a dozen printers and are printing to them all at the same time? Also, GhostScript stinks once you start feeding it images; separating the drivers allows us to write other RIPs like our image file RIP to make printing faster/more efficient.
No, that's not how trademarks work.
ANYONE can use a trademark name so long as they credit the owner. The purpose of a trademark is to protect the integrity of a name. We're doing that for CUPS for the same reason that Linus trademarked Linux...
As for IPP, look at the available docos on the net. Make your own decision.
As for IPP-based fax, CUPS doesn't come enabled for that. Security is a very big deal for us.
Since the CUPS API library is GPL'd, and you need to link to it to get access to the PPD and raster file stuff to write a driver, printer vendors have two options - release an open source driver or license CUPS from us so they can distribute binaries. I'm hoping they do the former (open source driver)...
The compile command is hidden (.SILENT in Makedefs), but any warnings and errors are displayed.
The command-line is long enough we all got sick of seeing it over and over...
The install and remove scripts are generated by the "EPM" software in the "epm" directory.
The docos don't say "make install" backs things up, only that the binary distributions do a backup...
For a LaserJet with a JetDirect, use:
lpadmin -p Printer -E -m laserjet.ppd -v socket://ip-address:9100
We've pretty much gutted the GS 4.03 distribution (all of the old drivers are gone, as is the normal command-line interface) We've toyed with distributing patches for GS, but that makes downloading less convenient...
First, it's a real printing system, not something layered on top of LPR that doesn't let you set options.
Second, the RH filters limit the printer support to what is compiled into GhostScript; CUPS allows you to add new drivers without recompiling.
Finally, file filters are a lot easier to deal with in CUPS - it will run multiple filters as needed to get to the "destination format", while the LPR filtering mechanism only runs a single filter.