HELP WANTED: kdeprint with GNUlpr

[Kurt Pfeifle]

James Richard Tyrer wrote:

> General additional comments.
> 
> The LPR and LPRng is supposed to be in the same module.  So, this isn't 
> an GNUlpr only effort.  But, I was going to see if I could get GNUlpr 
> working first.  I will reconsider this.
> 
> I originally rejected LPRng because it appeared to be a RedHat project 
> and I couldn't get it to work with my system.  However, now RedHat has 
> dropped it -- and I assumed that it too would be dead.  But, I will look 
> at it.
> 
> I have problems with CUPS: It is semi-proprietary 

Wrong. What makes you think this?

Last I checked, CUPS was under the GPL and LGPL.

Are you confused because to the dual licensing thing, that makes
it sell (with a few proprietary add-ons) as "ESP Print Pro" and
that gives Apple a license exemption from the GPL to use it in
their OS X?

This doesn't change a iota for me and you: CUPS is under the GPL?

> and it won't print 
> PostScript data that doesn't have the fonts embedded. 

Wrong too.

CUPS doesn't need PostScript fonts embedded in the printfiles. (What it
*does* need is to have the fonts installed which may be referenced inside
the PostScript file, or have an appropriate replacement font available.

But this is what all spoolers need, which do PostScript processing and
not just "raw" spooling....

> This was simple 
> to fix in GNUlpr -- a few lines added to a script.  Although Craig 
> Drummond says that he has fixed this with CUPS if you use FooMatic.  We 
> are free to fork LPR but we can't really change CUPS.
> 

Why should you want to change/fork CUPS?

What would you want to change in CUPS? Have you sent in patches
which were rejected?

> GNUlpr does have support for PPD files and this could be integrated into 
> KDE. 

GNUlpr has lifted that code from early versions of CUPS. And has
missed a few years of development since then.

> I don't use FooMatic because it isn't necessary unless you use 
> CUPS (where it is used to replace the proprietary printer drivers).  If 
> there is something that FooMatic can provide to LPR based print systems, 
> someone please educate me.
> 

Foomatic enables *all* spoolers with fully-fledged PPD-support....

> So, I will have a look at the current LPRng project, install it and 
> consider if it would be better to simply use it and work on getting it 
> to work first.
> 
> -- 
> JRT

Cheers,
Kurt