E. Liddell wrote:

> Sooner or later, support for the printer-specific driver will end--if only
> because the developers no longer have the hardware to test it on! �PS
> provides a guarantee that the printer will continue to function at a
> useful level until the hardware dies. �*Yes*, the PostScript driver may
> not support all the printer's features, but most people don't need the
> fancy bits anyway for most of what they print.
> 
> E. Liddell

What I wanted to point out that this PS thing is past. The patent licenses
and hardware costs were too hight. This is why now we have emulated PS,
because meanwhile CPU and ROM are much cheaper and the printer has more of
them and can do the conversion.

Even my old 4L, that I gave up last year did not support PS (cheap model
from 1998), but worked perfectly well and the linux/cups driver still
exists.

The problem with windows printer is, that a proprietary software must run on
the host to drive the printers hardware, cause manufacturer is saving on
hard/software on the printer this way. Imagine you install the software on
the windows PC - you need to write this software once and no expensive CPU
and ROM in the printer.
If you want just a driver on the PC - you need more CPU and ROM on the
printer to do the conversion and drive the hardware.

So what people did is hack this proprietary software to make it run under
linux and perhaps those hacks violate copy rights or licenses or whatever
or are unmaintainable or as you say the crap was sent to Africa and can not
be tested anymore.

In any case it is not about PS, but decent hardware - it costs more, but
pays off with time. For example my previous HP 4L served from 1999 - 2019.
The cost was perhaps 200,- - it is 10,-/y.
I replaced toner 3 times - cost 3*60=180,- - makes 9,-/y
Can I live with that 19,-/y (1.59/month w/o the paper) for printing? This is
the question.