Bug#460228: tasksel: please remove hplip from the desktop task
On Fri, Jan 11, 2008 at 01:14:13PM +0100, Josselin Mouette wrote:
> The hplip package, while being very useful in some situations, and
> especially on a print server, doesn’t have its place on a desktop
> machine. The driver part (hpijs) is useful for the desktop, but hpijs is
> about administrating a remote printer, so this is only useful for the
> administrator, and only for some printer models and configuration
> schemes.
Er, hplip is *primarily* useful on desktops. The printers that benefit most
from this daemon are the multifunction ones; wandering between your print
server and your desktop to scan documents doesn't sound like a very good
workflow to me.
As for the driver, I see nothing in there that's about "administering"
remote printers. It's the ghostscript driver for HP printers, which is
certainly a reasonable thing to have as part of the desktop by default along
with drivers for other printer vendors.
On Fri, Jan 11, 2008 at 04:45:47PM +0100, Josselin Mouette wrote:
> Le vendredi 11 janvier 2008 à 15:13 +0100, Per Olofsson a écrit :
> > Is this something that has changed recently? I have used hplip on my desktop in
> > the past, and it has included I/O daemons and a toolbox program which has made
> > it possible to turn on the printer automatically, check ink levels, clean the
> > heads and other things. Looking at hplip's description, it also includes support
> > for scanning and faxing from multifunction printers. All these things seem very
> > relevant to the desktop if you ask me.
> They are relevant for users who own some models of HP printers, and
> having the package installed for everyone is really too much. You see a
> fax icon in your menu and think “cool, I can send a fax”.
In what menu? I haven't seen any such fax icons appearing in my desktop
menus.
Why is having it installed by default "too much" (aside from the apparent UI
bugs, which I haven't seen)?
> And then you can’t. Not forgetting that installs two tools to configure
> the printer, one of which doesn’t work at all if you don’t have the
> correct printer.
Which tool are you referring to? I don't see any GUI configuration tools
included in hplip; AFAICS the primary modality is to use it by way of the
CUPS backend and use the standard CUPS configuration tools.
> What’s next? Install all Epson, Canon, Xerox and Ricoh specific tools?
If there were such tools and they were needed for full operation of those
printers, why wouldn't we?
> Other operating systems don’t install HP tools if you don’t have a HP
> printer, and that’s the way to go.
Which OSes are you referring to? E.g., Ubuntu installs it by default. It
(and Debian) also installs all video drivers by default, so that you don't
have to be in a position to install new packages to use your desktop if you
change out your video card. Why wouldn't we want the same to apply to
printers?
--
Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer http://www.debian.org/
slangasek@ubuntu.com vorlon@debian.org
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