On Sun, Feb 07, 1999 at 12:53:39PM +0200, Roland Andrag wrote:
> Hello
>
>  As for linux, if it is as good as its supposed to be (and any linux fan
> will tell you how good it is, and keep talking about it for the rest of the
> evening), someone has probably already taken some of his OWN time and
> written a BETTER driver for linux. Or otherwise linux is growing so fast
> that oki will have to support it. But thats just what every linux fan tells
> me.

Windows can do things that Linux can't and Linux can do
things that Windows can't; I use both. (Actually I also
use Solaris, OS/MVS, DOS, standalone Forth and even
Macs on occasion, they all have advantages). I do, however,
often get very frustrated with the intractability of
many problems that I experience in proprietary operating
systems such as Windows or Solaris. It is not very
reassuring to me that Microsoft itself cannot figure
out so many problems; e.g. I once had the "New... Folder"
menu option disappear from the right-click pop-up in
Windows Explorer, and even with paid support from Microsoft
the only solution they could offer was for me to re-install
the entire operating system. Whatever problems I have with
Linux, this sort of deep, mysterious, unknowable bug does
not seem to occur. Bugs, yes, bugs that cannot be diagnosed,
rarely.

Many times the Linux driver issue is not one of someone
wanting to write one. GDI printers often have the problem
that all the information that one would need to write
a driver is proprietary and unavailable to the user, for
whatever reason. Gone are the days of manuals listing all
the escape codes for the different functions of a printer.
Reasons why companies such as Okidata will refuse to
releas such specifications are the subject of much
speculation, but are often in fact inscrutable.

GDI printers are sort of like getting a device that is
driven by a code-protected OTP PIC; this is absolutely
fine as long as it is already programmed to do everything
you would ever want or need to do with it. If OTOH you
*do* need to do something else with it, it is a poor choice
for purchase. Still, this does not lessen its usefulness
or appropriateness for those who's needs are met by the
included function.

--Bob

--
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Bob Drzyzgula                             It's not a problem
bob@drzyzgula.org                until something bad happens
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