Samsung laser drivers for Linux - thinking aloud

[Mark LaPierre]

On 02/14/2013 06:28 PM, Fernando Cassia wrote:
> I have an old system around with F16, which I didnt bother to update
> to F17 or F18 because I seldom use it (old specs, ancient cpu, low ram
> ,120GB IDE HD, etc) but XFCE boots and can be used when everything
> else fails.
>
> I decided to plug a Samsung 2165W laser to it through its usb port.
>
> The 2165W like many other cheap Samsung lasers are closer to
> ´winprinters´ because, althought not GDI printers, those use the
> proprietary Samsung SPL page description language, implemented in
> Samsung´s windows drivers, -but also as Linux binaries, more on that
> later-. In other words, these printers don´t enjoy the flexibility of
> PCL/PCL5 or PostScript printers that are almost ´universal´ and work
> out of the box with little fiddling around.
>
> F16 XFCE showed a nice ´detecting new printer´ dialog on the top-right
> side of the screen only to conclude 30 seconds later with ´drivers not
> found´ or a message like that, with a ´search for drivers´ button
> below.
>
> 1. I pressed ´search for drivers´ and the dialog went away, networking
> leds flickered a bit, then nothing. (??)
> I decided I had to try again, unplugged and replugged the device,
> althought this time, after the flickering stopped, it said once again,
> that no drivers were found, so I choose the option to ´manually point
> towards driver´ or words to that effect. A file selection dialog asks
> you to point to a .psd file.
>
> 2. Luckily, I had downloaded the Samsung drivers and unpacked those to
> the hard drive by then, so I pointed it towards
> ./drivercd/linux/noarch/bin/(something else, I didn´t keep notes) and
> there was a long list of .psd files, one for each samsung printer
> model #.  I selected 2160 because I know 2160 and 2165 are the same
> model# family. Cups did its magic and lo and behold I had a printer
> object with the right cups driver.
>
> 3. When I tried to print, obviously, it failed (you saw that coming),
> the problem ´rasterizer not found´ or words to that effect. It was
> complaining about a missing package dubbed ´raster2samsungspl´ engine.
>
> Obviously Samsung´s idea is for one to run the ´install script´ as
> root. Apparently it copies binary files around (and libs, like
> libstdc++) to fixed destination paths and hopes for the best.
>
> My idea, on the other hand, was that cups should be (by now)
> intelligent enought to search for some sort of ´driver description
> file´ and install the driver from the cups side, not from a
> manufacturer-provided ugly bash script.
>
> I was wrong. apparently the only way to make it work is by running
> Samsung´s install bash script.
>
> So the $1M question is: can´t Samsung design drivers which can be
> installed via a package manager (rpm), or via a cups install routine,
> instead of the current method?. I´m sure they can, in theory.
>
> Which is the right venue to complain about this? (other than Samsung,
> which I´m sure couldn´t care less about us Linux users).
> There was an ´openprinting´ effort... or perhaps the FSF? or the cups project?.
>
> One would think that by 2013 distros would have gotten around to
> design a foolproof way for hardware manufacturers to properly package
> drivers (even proprietary blobs) which would then be installed
> semi-automagically by the Linux printing subsystem, no?.
>
> Anything wrong with my analysis?. Yeah, I know "just run the darn
> manufacturer-provided bash install script and be grateful it at least
> works". Yes, that´d be the easy way. I don´t think it´s the right way
> going forward....
>
> No, I´m not asking for directions on how to get my printer working.
> No, please don´t tell me to update to F17 or F18. No, please don´t
> start a flamewar. My point is about the packaging of Samsung´s drivers
> and the install method they have chosen. "doesn´t it suck? what -if
> anything- can we do to get it improved?".
>
> FC
>

Samsung was among the first to support Linux.  We all, those of us on 
this list, love Linux but even we would not use it if there was no 
hardware that supported it.  It used to be that almost no hardware 
worked with Linux.  Basic stuff like video drivers, printer drivers, 
even basic IO interface cards, ...

If Samsung wants to build bash scripts to install their proprietary 
drivers I say more power to them.  If you want to repackage their stuff 
in an RPM then I say more power to you.  That's the great thing about 
Linux.  You have the choice, unlike that other personal computer 
operating system we have all come to love so much. NOT!

-- 
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    °v°
   /(_)\
    ^ ^  Mark LaPierre
Registered Linux user No #267004
https://linuxcounter.net/
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