[Printing-architecture] FW: [printing-driver] disappoining news about Brother printers

[Petrie, Glen]

FYI

> -----Original Message-----
> From: printing-driver-bounces at lists.linux-foundation.org
[mailto:printing-
> driver-bounces at lists.linux-foundation.org] On Behalf Of Brian J.
Murrell
> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 7:43 AM
> To: printing-driver at lists.linux-foundation.org
> Subject: [printing-driver] disappoining news about Brother printers
> 
> Not sure if this is the right list for this, and if not, please do
> redirect me to somewhere that it is appropriate.
> 
> I got a Brother DCP-7040 (MFC monochrome laser) printer and after not
> finding any support for it at linuxprinting.org I managed/struggled to
> get drivers to make it work in Linux.  There is some support at
> solutions.brother.com but ultimately, you end up having to pass raw
> bitmap data through a binary-only driver to get it into a format for
> this printer.
> 
> I don't believe this printer supports BR-Script (i.e. postscript)
> either, sadly.
> 
> The binary only drivers function in some environments, but only just.
> The problem they have is that they write temporary files into the /usr
> filesystem, which probably works for most "home" installations, but
any
> "managed" installation where /usr is mounted read-only (i.e. shared,
or
> just protected from damage) this obviously fails.
> 
> I have been in communications with the developers in the Japan
"Brother
> Solutions Centre" office where these drivers originate, trying to help
> them get their drivers into better shape, at least, if still
proprietary
> and they were unwilling to explore opening the source or even fixing
the
> problems I was identifying with the existing binary drivers.
> Ultimately, this is a very unfriendly situation with (IMHO) broken
> binary drivers.
> 
> I cannot at all recommend this printer for open printing.
> 
> How can we get this information added to the linuxprinting.org
database
> so that future users, or potential users, can be warned of the
problems
> and look towards a more open platform?
> 
> Cheers,
> b.

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