[Xprint] GISWxprint-sparc-2004-07-07-release_009_001 Prints too large

[Aleksander Adamowski]

Thomas Dodd wrote:

>> At the same time, PPD info is already there, reachable through the 
>> CUPS API, and it's always current.
>
>
> Xprint cannot use the CUPS API though. Not everyone uses cups.

I'm not saying that model configs be replaced by PPD's form CUPS, I'm 
saying that they should work in parallel. Ideally, Xprint would be 
refactored so that various sources of printer model information are 
supported and coexist on one Xprint installation, with various 
priorities when it comes to overriding other ones' settings.

E.g. a default installation of Xprint would use model configs, and if 
CUPS is detected, Xprint would read the PPD from the CUPS system using 
its API, and any CUPS PPD settings would override settings provided 
earlier by model-configs.

Another sources of model info should be possible to implement as 
plug-ins, e.g. in future, one would possibly like to get model 
information from an LDAP directory.

> PPDs ar OK, but Xprint needs to read them directly, not through come 
> random API that could be gone in a few years.


Well, it seems that the CUPS API has been here for a couple of years and 
it isn't going away in a few years, especially since it now ships with 
all major Linux distributions, Apple MacOS, and works well on other *NIX-es.
In fact, it is steadily replacing older spoolers everywhere.

And why should Xprint server assume that some information necessarily 
has to be accessed thrhogh its local filesystem?
What is the rationale behind setting such a limitation?

In a large organisation, one may want to provide centralised 
configuration data over network through the LDAP protocol, or some other 
means, for example.

> A default and user location for the PPDs for Xprint (and anyone else) 
> to  read and use as needed.

That's based on unnecessary assumption, that the information must come 
in the form of filesystem objects (files), available in the local 
filesystem tree. This quickly becomes unmaintainable in large 
environments (e.g. couple thousands of machines, distributed around a 
country or whole world, since it would require tunnelling NFS over some 
VPNs, etc...).

> Xprint would be (is) a central server, not running on every machine if 
> there is a central CUPS server in use.

That's fine, but it adds unnecessary additional work for the admins, who 
have to configure each printer twice: once for CUPS server, once for 
Xprint server.

And this could be avoided, if only Xprint could get model configuration 
from CUPS.

> Everyone would use the same XPSERVERLIST setting. Is the a way for the 
> CUPS clients to create a local copy of the PPDs it gets from the server?
>
> Currently Xprint is print spooler independent. Changing that would not 
> be a wise choice. Some of us have no choice but to use other spoolers.
>  

Well, it supports CUPS as a spooler currently.
I think Xprint can be modified to get the model information from CUPS if 
available, yet still work as previously will all the other spoolers?

-- 
Best Regards,
    Aleksander Adamowski
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        ICQ UIN: 19780575 
	http://olo.ab.altkom.pl