Re: Brother laser (semi-O.T. ?)

[J R FOX jr_fox@xxxxxxxxxx]

--- On Tue, 3/17/09, Raphael Tennenbaum  wrote:

> I can't remember if you're still using OS/2,
> Jordan, but -- sad to say, the Canon
> printer is no longer reachable with native OS/2 drivers
> (though it's possible the
> CUPS port works) -- the printer works very nicely under
> Ubuntu, though I haven't
> tried scanning under Ubuntu (under SUSE, Canon hardware was
> a great pita.)
>
> -rafe


Thanks, Rafe. Yes, I still use OS/2 (eCS) -- primarily, but far from
exclusively. There are just too many Win apps I need to run. Once
I have a more up-to-date system to work with -- one having increased CPU power, more RAM, and a lot
more storage space -- I do plan to give the VirtualBox/2 emulator a good tryout. The development on
that may have stalled (haven't heard anything recently), but that could be another alternative,
allowing use of the Win printing apparatus while running eCS.

I know the Canons are serious contenders for photo printing, even as I continue using older Epsons
for that. If I did get a Canon, I would not want to be shut out from using it under any OS.
Coincidentally, I just downloaded Smedley's latest port of CUPS the other day. From what I've
heard, that may be an unavoidable part of eCS users' future, for various reasons. The only thing I
require of these 'Nix ports is that they not be too arcane or a major pain to deploy and use. A
number of them seem to fall into that category, though. It's why I paid for an RSJ license, instead
of jumping through various hoops to get (the free) CDRecord/2 up and running. The former I could
start using right away, and I have used it quite successfully for the last several years.

The Canon MFCs being recommended to me here all seem to be much *older* models, no longer on the
market. Models being sold now, like the D-480, have the more compact form factor that's better for
a cramped office space, but its paper tray feels so flimsy ! It's hard to imagine it won't come
apart in fairly short order. (And the list price on it is $400.! Within reason, the price is not
that much of a consideration. I'm not going to pay for this -- the business will -- but that
doesn't mean I'm willing to waste their money on disposable junk. I'd go a couple hundred more in
order to get something really good that fit the requirements.)

I'm thinking the better Brother models have a more solid build to them, a longer warranty, a
legal-size flatbed on some of them, and even still a parallel port interface included on a couple of
the older models still being sold. If it does PCL6 (and PCL was a language of the classic HPs), it
at least suggests that one printing option with it for Xy _could possibly be_ one of the HP-LJ
printer files. Most of the Brother multifunction lasers are huge, though. The Canon I mentioned is
stacked more in the vertical dimension, which poses less of a problem.


 Jordan