[sf-lug] AT&T DSL in Marin

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Chris Mason (mason.christopher.thomas at gmail.com):

> And, in general, I intend to keep this "web-browser-back-door" thing
> in the back of my head as a workaround for artificial barriers placed
> in front of me as a Linux user. Printer companies, for example, may
> not officially support Linux... but what if I call them asking for
> help with the CUPS web interface? Macs use CUPS, as I recall. If one
> can get the printer driver and CUPS installed to the point that they
> can get to the web interface and see their printer listed (even if not
> functional yet), perhaps we can simply call up HP or whomever and ask
> _specifically_ for help using that _specific_ tool to configure our
> printers? "Oh, I would just prefer to use the web interface to manage
> my wonderful new HP printer. I'd hate to have to return it. You _do_
> support Macs, right?"

It's a good thought.  Good general approach.

1.  MacOS certainly does offer configuration of the print subsystem via
the standard http://localhost:631/ Web "IPP" interface to CUPS.  You'd
want to, as you say, profess a preference for that instead of the OS X
print control panel thingie.

2.  It's depressingly common for these companies to, even at that, want
you to acquire and install the requisite CUPS _drivers_ by downloading
some colossal binary executable or package for the proprietary OS in
question, rather than pointing you to the minimal PPDs you need.

-- 
Rick Moen                "Never substitute a slash for a solidus. 
rick at linuxmafia.com      You don't want to get letters from Victorian bankers."
McQ!  (4x80)                                              -- FakeAPStylebook