Baslinux mailing list

[Sindi Keesan <keesan AT iamjlamb.com>]

> Sindi Keesan wrote:
> >
> > > > I changed sh to bash in printcap 
> > > 
> > > Why????????????????????????????????????????????
> > > 
> > 
> > 1.  Because nothing happened at all when I left it as sh.  
> > With bash at least it fed a page.
> 
> Really???  How strange.
> 
> > 2.  Because I had to change sh to bash to get lynx to 
> > compile with a script someone sent me.  
> 
> Really???  How strange.
> 
> Perhaps before fiddling at random with printcap, you might 
> like to do:  man printcap
> Search (/) for sh and you will find out what it means.
> 
> You might also like to have a look in the /bin directory.
> You will find that sh is a symbolic link to bash.

We did notice this, but when lynx would not compile (it could not find the
echo command) Doug Kaufman said to make this change to the first line in
his script, with #!/bin/sh in it, and then everything worked.  So this was
not entirely a random change though it appears so to you.

> In case the penny hasn't dropped, those two sh have absolutely
> nothing to do with each other.
> 
> > People assume too much of us beginners.
> 
> I assume that beginners will not rush off half-cocked, changing 
> things they do not understand.  But, yes, it appears I am assuming 
> too much.

I hope you are at least finding this amusing ;=)

> > When I tried to print with your wp (put the file in /tmp/document 
> > as instructed in the faq) it also just fed a page.
> 
> Does wp print when you use it normally (i.e. type some stuff from
> inside wp and then print it)?  Note: lpd must not be running.

I typed lpd before trying out wp.  I will boot linux again and try wp
again (and also cat filename.txt > /dev/lp0/ )
Someone at my bbs said lpd will run automatically next time I boot - is 
this true and if so how do I turn it off?

Can I print without lpd by directing the output of ghostscript to 
/dev/lp0/ or is this possible only for text files?

> > > Obviously the file arrived (success!) and was sitting in the
> > > printer's buffer.  
> >
> > Yes, I figured that out, but why did it not print until I exited 
> > linux and tried to print a different file with q DOS text editor?  
> 
> Because you are sending raw output to the printer.  I do not know
> how your particular printer deals with such output.  I imagine
> that when the output goes through ghostscript (with the correct
> filter for your printer) there will be no such problem.

I also tried ghostscript with |lpr and it did not print that file either.
gs -sDEVICE=epson filename.pdf | lpr

> Keep in mind that DOS files and Linux files are slightly different
> (carriage-return/linefeed).  When you sent the raw file, it is 
> possible that your printer is affected by that difference.
> 
> If you are trying to print a text file, you might try converting 
> it to DOS format before giving it to lpr.  BasicLinux includes 
> a utility for that:
> ---------------
> dos2unix --help
> ---------------

My test file may already be in DOS format. Maybe that is the problem?
I downloaded it.  I will try printing different files that I create with 
pico.  

> 
> > I also tried printing with ghostscript:  
> > gs -sDEVICE=deskjet filename.pdf | lpr.  
> > That did not print either.  
> 
> That's a completely different approach.  It processes the file 
> with ghostscript (using the deskjet filter) and then hands it 
> over to lpd (which uses a /etc/printcap that does not contain 
> a filter).   The approach I was talking about is giving the 
> file directly to lpd, which uses the ghostscript filter 
> (specified in /etc/printcap).
> 
> Things are going to get tied in knots if we mix the two 
> approaches.  
> 
> > I may try a dot-matrix printer next.
> 
> That uses a different ps filter (in ghostscript).  
I know, I use sDEVICE=epson for my Panasonic.

>  
> > I rarely print but someone sent me a pdf file so I 
> > experimented on it.  
> 
> For viewing pdf's, it is a lot easier using xpdf.  I'm not 
> even sure whether the ghostscript in Slack71 can handle current 
> pdf's.

The DOS version can do so and has never given me any problems even with
files that pdftoimage botches.  When I used the console linux version it
told me that my newer S3 card was not supported by svgalib. The DOS
version was compiled before SW71.  I was able to display my file with vga
instead of svga in linux ghostscript.

I will try printing a known-Unix file with wp after I do the Polish
translation that came as a pdf file and was printed with DOS ghostscript.
For some reason translation companies keep sending scanned images as pdf 
files instead of images.  Apparently the new scanners offer this choice.

The file I tried to print was the script for compiling lynx for linux. I
downloaded it from my bbs mail.  Usually those files come through as UNIX
files but I think I actually converted it to DOS so I could print it.

> 
> Cheers,
> Steven
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