From: "Son Nguyen" <snguyen@hotmail.com>
I would recommend not using LPRng. It is too old.
As an old codger in training, I take that personally. You remind me of Perlis's comment on Algol60: Not perfect, but a big improvement over its successors. I don't even know what LPRng is, I suppose it's the New-Gnu version of the ancient bin/lpr program, from back in the days when programs were more prized for working than for having a Web interface. My printer is attached to a dual boot machine that now runs Linux only, with a Samba server so that Diane can print via the network from her laptop. It worked pretty much the first time, the main problem being getting the Windows laptop to notice it. I can print from the printer/Linux machine, but when I tried to use the much-touted CUPS web-based set-up to connect to the printer from another Linux machine, it went totaly wonky. Certain buttons sent the browser in an apparent infinite loop. (By Turing, you can never be sure, but I waited long with no action) Sometimes it would take me to some crazy random place in the Internet, to pictures of buildings that had the same name as my server machine, as though some mad programmer had rewritten bin/hostname to search Google for its name. It was not high priority, since ftp works and I have to walk to the printer machine anyway to get the paper, so I quit.
I understand that CUPS seems difficult, but once you understand it, it is the next best thing.
At first I thought you were recommending it as second-best, but maybe "next best" means Best Real Soon Now.
In my office, I have setup my kickstart to install 300+ printers on all of my Redhat Linux V3 Workstation machines (100+).
Eh? You need 300 printers for 100 workstations?
You can configure it via console, applet, or even web.
Not me, maybe you can.
Fedora and Redhat has gone that route and I believe that others have too. It is much better than LPRng can every be.
Oh, I suppose, but much better can you make something that does what I used to with "cat scratch.ps >/dev/lp0"? -- Keith