Comments on: Is Linux finally ready for desktops?

By: Bob Harvey

Bob Harvey — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:06:03 +0000

As Elad says, some HP printers are supported by generic facilities and packages.

But only to the default resolution of ghostscript, probably 600 or 1200 dpi. I have an HP inkjet whose windows driver generates 9600×4800 dpi, ReT, and photo-quality printing. Despite HP’s own linux page describing support for this printer as “complete” it is only at 1200dpi.

Printers are sold on these enhanced features, and to do so only for one OS is at best lazy and at worst deceitful.

I still think that moving away from PDLs and putting all the smarts in the desktop computer was a way of printer manufactures selling you something you already own. If we had postscript 4 or PCL 12 (or something) in every printer by now they would be OS agnostic and it wouldn’t matter.

By: Sam64

Sam64 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:46:30 +0000

Morgan: This is not necessarily true. I started out with Windows 95 when it first came out. From there I used Windows until not long after Beta versions of Vista were released. In that time I have come to the point where I can truthfully say I find Linux to be far easier to use than Windows.
Especially in printing.. generally when printing on Windows I cross my fingers and hope the computer doesn’t blow up..

By: Morgan

Morgan — Tue, 29 May 2007 08:46:23 +0000

Oh yeah the Gimp is great, but it does come back to IBM’s baby duck syndrome. This is really what is holding back Linux. People have gotten so used to windows crashing and vulnerabilities and what-not they don’t think of an alternative.
Take a room full of people who have never touched a computer, and give half windows and half linux, teach them individually how to use it for 6months, then force them to switch, I guarantee all of them will complain.

see: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-cranky50.html

By: Elad Yarom

Elad Yarom — Mon, 28 May 2007 18:25:33 +0000

Hi Bob,
i agree, lack of support from hardware manufacturers is a major thorn in Linux’s backside. I do however know that there is a FOSS system for HP printers on Linux. also may printers are supported by CUPS.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that may printers are made generically.
we have a xerox work center PE 16 (unsupported by CUPS, or any driver from xerox) but, it turned out that it is identical to a a Samsung printer.
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050912064001292
in the above link it is used on a mac running osx, but the same goes for linux. and the printer is being sold under the Xerox, Samsung and Lexmark names.
so google for your printer models nubers + linux+drivers and hope for the best. i have never had any problems with a hp 840c but it is natively supported by CUPS.
hope this helps :)

By: Bob Harvey

Bob Harvey — Sun, 27 May 2007 16:50:50 +0000

I have now migrated all my home machines to Suse 10.2 and Mandriva (I will settle on one or the other soon).

The next step is for Lexmark, Cannon, and HP to get of their lazy backsides and produce full-featured drivers for printers. It is a disgrace that printer manufacturers can tell you what OS to use!

By: Elad Yarom

Elad Yarom — Fri, 18 May 2007 20:04:15 +0000

intrepi, IMHO, as you said, the hassle of microsoft’s activation and anti copyright mechanisms and the treatment of Joe consumer as a criminal or thief is one of the reasons that people are driven to switch to Linux or other operating systems.

David, I disagree. I think that with a easy to use guide to Ubuntu, like the windows tutorial/tour, it should be accessible enough. that is of course if mediabuntu and universe repositorys are enabled, and the same with file formats like rar and codecs. and i don’t expect grandma to open up a terminal and to apt-get programs, im talking about useing synaptic as seen as add/remove programs :)

Morgan, the gimp imho is great, but most people are used to working with or are trained in working with Photoshop. with that said, if moving from Photoshop to gimp you might want to try http://plasticbugs.com/?p=241

By: Morgan

Morgan — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:56:26 +0000

Good article, very true about games. Although I find for what I do gimp and inkscape are plenty. The only thing for me is games. So on my laptop where I don’t really play games (aside from some frozen bubble and stud poker) I only have Ubuntu, on my Desktop though I have sunk to using both.
Could my grandmother use Ubuntu, quite possibly, my Mother in law uses it occasionally and loves the differences.

By: David (Frugle)

David (Frugle) — Fri, 11 May 2007 04:11:14 +0000

I dissagree… my grandmother could not use ubuntu….just FYI, I have ubuntu 7 on my desktop… and there is no way my grandmother could figure out how to install software on it.

By: intrepi

intrepi — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:14:37 +0000

Good post with little fluff and I enjoyed reading a straight, matter of fact, evaluation of your linux experiences. I’ve been using Xandros Business Edition 3.0 and now using Xandros Professional 4 . There are many versions and it seems like they all have some issues in common that make them all a little less complete than we’d like them. My biggest problem with Windows is the way they have forced me to verify, activate and reactivate there software. It’s gotten too much to deal with and I think MS should stop and find another way of doing all of it. If one pays for the legal rights to use their software, they shouldn’t be forced to prove it’s theirs especially when it’s done on my time, at my expense. Sorry, but these issues have forced me to other OS’s which makes me say MS is MS’s worst enemy.