schreite@helena.physik.uni-stuttgart.de
Tue, 06 Oct 98 14:00:39 +0100
[>And BTW, what hardware out there need the ieee1284 patch to work (or to
>work better)? I _hate_ PnP and I never used parport_probe btw ;-).
... ]
[>>But PnP does use the IEEE1284 handshake to get the name of the printer?
>
>Yes.
>
>>This is the only use of the IEEE handshake that I am aware of. I never
>>followed strictly the ieee and PnP code so maybe I remeber wrong...
>
>It's the only use that's currently implemented in the kernel because we don't
>have real drivers for any IEEE1284 devices. But now that someone has done the
>groundwork it will be possible to write such drivers.
... ]
The first "driver" builded upon the IEEE1284 interface will soon
be available: the IEEE1284.4 (MLC) socket. With aid of this IEEE1284.4
socket every IEEE1284.4 device then only will need "userspace application
programs"1), no further kernel drivers. I don't know how many devices
will follow, when the IEEE1284.4 draft will once be a fixed IEEE
standard, but the HP "all-in-one-devices" have a growing
popularity and already use IEEE1284.4.
This IEEE1284.4 socket, to be honest, was my main motivation to
write that IEEE1284 interface. Of cause it would have been possible
to put all the IEEE1284 stuff in the socket-driver code and nothing
to change inside the parport code - just use parport_write_data
and so on and the claim and release commands. But I thought it would
be more profit for all, if I integrate those IEEE1284 things, we need
for IEEE1284.4, inside the parport code.
(Sorry, this was a little publicity for the general IEEE1284 support.)
Roger.
1) Some programs, which use the IEEE1284.4 socket are already available.
E.g. print_mlc, which directs stdin to the IEEE1284.4-printer-socket,
which is well defined in the IEEE1284.4 draft. When called
print_mlc from inside /etc/printcap as output filter, lpd can
print on any IEEE1284.4 device, which has a "printer-socket".
-- To unsubscribe, send mail to: linux-parport-request@torque.net --
-- with the single word "unsubscribe" in the body of the message. --
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Wed 30 Dec 1998 - 10:18:32 EST