Hello I get this mail from Kurt Pfeifle (one of the cups/KDEprint people) and he invite to a workshop. Maybe I will visit this workshop. But I am not a printer expert. Till translate the mail and maybe someone others can go to this workshop... ----- Forwarded message from Till Kamppeter <till.kamppeter@gmx.net> ----- Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 19:29:32 +0200 From: Till Kamppeter <till.kamppeter@gmx.net> To: kpfeifle@danka.de CC: Michael Bramer <grisu@debian.org>, k1pfeifle@gmx.net Subject: Re: Einladung fuer "Foomatic/Linuxprinting.org-Datenbank-Workshop" auf dem LinuxTag Kurt Pfeifle wrote: > Michael Bramer wrote: >> und vielleicht auch in English? > > > Vielleicht kann Till das Einladungsschreiben uebersetzen? Ich schaffe es > derzeit nicht mehr... > It's no problem: I want to invite you to discuss about a distribution-independent cooperation regarding the printer compatibility database of linuxprinting.org on the LinuxTag in Karlsruhe. As you probably know the database and its Foomatic toolkit is already used in most GNU/Linux distributions, but often in a very restricted and passive way. Various printer driver projects -- Omni (IBM, more than 400 supported models), GIMP-Print (Manufacturer-independent, 130 models), HPIJS (HP, all HP inkjet printers) -- already prepare their data for Foomatic and contribute it to the database. Foomatic uses a simple XML format to store the datasets of printers, drivers, and options. The most known and most widely used application for the Foomatic database is the web site linuxprinting.org where the end user chooses his printer model and his spooler and gets configuration files generated online, which he downloads and installs to make his printer working. But the Foomatic tools do much more. The least known and up to now only very rarely used application is the following: Foomatic tools can automatically generate from the database configuration files (PPDs in case of CUPS) for all known free spoolers (CUPS PPR, LPD, GNUlpr, LPRng, PDQ). They can even generate ready-to-use printer queues. If a queue is set up with the Foomatic configuration files and filter scripts, one can apply device-specific options to any print job and this works even with the original commands of the spoolers. The perhaps most advanced utility, "foomatic-configure", sets up printer queues for all spoolers with a unique syntax. The generated configuration files contain data in a certain "meta syntax" which is translated into the spooler's own data format. If one wants to switch to another spooler, one can overtake one's printer queues with simple commands (also "foomatic-configure"). The queues are automatically converted to the new spooler's format. So Foomatic is a perfect starting point for frontend developments of distributions, where printer configurations are generated once and they are re-used for all supported spoolers. I don't reveal any secret telling that the KDE project supports Foomatic and foomatic-configure in KDEPrint. Foomatic has already the maturity for production use, now it is the time for developing new, more advanced features, as migrating all queues to a new spooler with a single command, "option profiles" (as "draft", "office document", "photo", ...) with all individual options set for the appropriate printing task, option conflict handling (as duplex on transparencies). Now there is the opportunity to take part in the further development of Foomatic. Maintaining linuxprinting.org and the development of Foomatic is actively done by only very few persons (90% done by Till). This should be changed soon. On the LinuxTag we want to present the internal database structure and the tools using this database. It should be discussed about how to make Foomatic to a common project of all GNU/Linux distributions. Due to the strategic importance of the subject "Printing" for the enterprise desktop not only GNU/Linux in general, but also every individual distribution will benefit. For this reason I have initiated a workshop where Till kamppeter, maintainer of linuxprinting.org, will present the general concept of Foomatic, the current state of the development, and the planned improvements. Michael Goffioul, developer of KDEPrint, has also confirmed his participation. We have planned the following: * Interested participants of the workshop with appropriate knowledge will get write access to the CVS of the Foomatic database. * We want to discuss about the direction of the development of the Foomatic tools. * We want to make printer manufacturers releasing the PPD/UPDF files under a free license so that we can publish them for download at a central point (linuxprinting.org) and that they can be freely distributed in GNU/Linux distributions. * We are searching for mirrors for the database. =============================================================================== || The workshop takes place on Saturday, June 8, 2002, 10am - 12pm on the LinuxTag in Karlsruhe. || =============================================================================== If you cannot come by yourself or if you are not the right person for this subject, feel free to forward this mail to your co-workers. Please mail to BOTH Kurt and Till, because Kurt is on the SANE 2002 in the Netherlands, and so he has not always mail access. Mail to Till Kamppeter (till.kamppeter@gmx.net) Kurt Pfeifle (kpfeifle@danka.de AND k1pfeifle@gmx.net) Please tell us other "candidates" to be invited or simply forward this mail. We also accept that you put the mail on appropriate mailing lists. Ich wuerde mich freuen, falls Du mir Vorschlaege fuer weitere "Kandidaten" machst, oder die Mail gleich weiterleitest. Ich habe auch nichts dagegen, wenn Du es auf einer eventuell vorhandenen internen oder sonstwie Dir geeignet erscheinendan Mailingliste weiter-postest Regards, Kurt Pfeifle & Till Kamppeter >> Wie ist >> die Arbeitssprache beim Treffen? > > > Wir sind flexibel. Wir koennen auch gerne von vorneherein auf English > gehen. The slides I am already preparing in English. Till ----- End forwarded message ----- Gruss Grisu -- Michael Bramer - a Debian Linux Developer http://www.debsupport.de PGP: finger grisu@db.debian.org -- Linux Sysadmin -- Use Debian Linux "Ein Computer ist nunmal ein Hochgeschwindigkeitstrottel." -- Jens Dittmar in de.comp.os.unix.linux.newusers
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