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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
- Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!destroyer!wsu-cs!uts.cc.wayne.edu!rwilson
- From: rwilson@uts.cc.wayne.edu (Ron Wilson)
- Subject: 3B2 printer services
- Message-ID: <1992Sep3.174914.12146@uts.cc.wayne.edu>
- Organization: Wayne State University, Detroit Mich.
- Distribution: na
- Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 17:49:14 GMT
- Lines: 37
-
- Having "come back" to administrating 3B2 systems after my last (3B2) experience
- 5 years ago, I was pleasently surprised with the enhancements to 3B2 printer
- services (MODES, FORMS, CHARACTER SETS, CONTENT TYPES, filters). However, some
- enhancements to the enhancements are desirable.
-
- As I actuallu like this enchanced System V printer service (previously, I had
- considered both Sys V and BSD printer services as "equal but different" and
- didn't really like either), I am wondering if anyone has created an improved
- work-a-like of this enchanced System V printer services. Specifically, I
- would like to see these improvements:
-
- 1. Make "slow filters" operate just like "interfaces" - ie:
- pass as parameters the list of file names in the current
- print job. This, along with the content /printer types,
- and other information available to filters would allow
- a filter to process the entire job as a whole. Currently,
- I simulate this using interfaces for dummy printers that
- resubmit the jobs to other (real or "filter") print queues
- after processing. Each such filter could return a list
- of processed files to the scheduler for printing or further
- filtering.
-
- 2. Enhance the FORMS concept to include "paper stock." This
- would allow 2 or more logical forms to use the same "mounted"
- paper stock without an operator having to tell to printer
- service that form X is mounted when X uses the same "paper
- form" as form Y - ie: allow all logical forms that use the
- same physical form to print without operator intervention.
- (This is primarily to support having a given set of font, CPI,
- LPI, etc. attributes being selected with a single option.)
-
- 3. Enhance the FORMS concept to support printers with multiple
- paper supply trays/bins without operator intervention.
-
- Thanks in advance.
-
- Ron Wilson, rlw@chem.wayne.edu
-