Potential Rewording

[Matt Richardson]

At the 'Choose Driver' stage, assuming a driver has not been 
automatically located, we are currently presented with 3 options. 
'Select printer from database' (default), 'Provide PPD file', 'Search

for a printer driver to download'. I propose adding a 4th option which 
would become the default: 'Provide driver CD'
This would essentially be the same as 'Provide PPD file' except that it 
would search the CD for a suitable PPD automatically. This makes clear 
that the user can insert the ordinary driver cd that came with their 
printer to find the driver.

Also, perhaps the PPD and printer info could be sent to the people at 
CUPS for inclusion?

Just my thoughts, I have no experience of driver work in the past so 
please tell me if this is too hard/can't be done.
I would be interested to hear more.
Matt

[Tim Waugh]

On Sat, 2011-10-08 at 02:11 +0100, Matt wrote:
>  At the 'Choose Driver' stage, assuming a driver has not been
>
>  automatically located, we are currently presented with 3 options. 
>  'Select printer from database' (default), 'Provide PPD file', 'Search
>
>  for a printer driver to download'. I propose adding a 4th option which 
>  would become the default: 'Provide driver CD'
>  This would essentially be the same as 'Provide PPD file' except that it 
>  would search the CD for a suitable PPD automatically. This makes clear 
>  that the user can insert the ordinary driver cd that came with their 
>  printer to find the driver. 
Rather than adding a 4th option and confusing the issue, perhaps it
could be made more clear that "Provide PPD file" is the option the user
wants in that case?  I'm not entirely sure why that isn't clear as it
stands.

>  Also, perhaps the PPD and printer info could be sent to the people at
>
>  CUPS for inclusion? 
That's not really how it works.  CUPS provides some basic drivers,
mostly as examples.

There is a larger set of PPD files for PostScript printers at cups.org;
but non-PostScript printers require driver programs.  It is these driver
programs that provide information about which printers they drive.

Tim.
*/

[Matt Richardson]

To me what isn't made clear is that a Windows driver CD (which may have 
the required PPD file) would work in this scenario despite the fact that 
the user is using a Linux operating system. I have always assumed that 
Windows driver CDs were a no go in terms of installing printer drivers, 
but I recently discovered that they may have the PPD on them which the 
printer config can use.
Maybe I am a minority but the fact that a Windows CD would work for a 
Linux system in this case is not obvious. I suspect that the average 
user will have no idea what a PPD even is so I am assuming that this 
would not be obvious to them either.

Matt


On 17/10/11 12:34, Tim Waugh wrote:
>  On Sat, 2011-10-08 at 02:11 +0100, Matt wrote:
> > At the 'Choose Driver' stage, assuming a driver has not been
> > automatically located, we are currently presented with 3 options.
> > 'Select printer from database' (default), 'Provide PPD file',
> 'Search
> > for a printer driver to download'. I propose adding a 4th option which
> > would become the default: 'Provide driver CD'
> > This would essentially be the same as 'Provide PPD file' except that it
> > would search the CD for a suitable PPD automatically. This makes clear
> > that the user can insert the ordinary driver cd that came with their
> > printer to find the driver.
>  Rather than adding a 4th option and confusing the issue, perhaps it
>  could be made more clear that "Provide PPD file" is the option the user
>  wants in that case?  I'm not entirely sure why that isn't clear as it
>  stands.
>
> > Also, perhaps the PPD and printer info could be sent to the people at
> > CUPS for inclusion?
>  That's not really how it works.  CUPS provides some basic drivers,
>  mostly as examples.
>
>  There is a larger set of PPD files for PostScript printers at cups.org;
>  but non-PostScript printers require driver programs.  It is these driver
>  programs that provide information about which printers they drive.
>
>  Tim.
>  */
>
>
>
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