Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (4570 mails)
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Re: [SLE] ...and speaking of SuSE / Novell...
- From: Kevin Donnelly <kevin@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 17:11:06 +0000 (UTC)
- Message-id: <200511141715.46363.kevin@xxxxxxxxxx>
On Monday 14 November 2005 16:18, Kai Ponte wrote:
> As another fine example is the sorry
> state of printer management in Linux. Drivers aside, there needs to be
> something done to make printing easier from the desktop. For example,
> opening the printer manager and then requiring a password to reset jobs
> is not user-friendly. (Oh, and it apparently can't be the same password
> as root's.)
There is certainly an issue here, but part of the problem is a regression.
The KPrinter tool is excellent, but SUSE has ditched it (unless you know to
type it in specifically) for a (IMHO) less effective YaST-based tool. I have
no idea why. There are also other issues with regard to some printer makes
which cause problems for new users (eg last time I looked, HP ptal services
are not started by default, so that if you set up a new printer that uses
those and then reboot, it has suddenly stopped working). On one PC I have,
running openSUSE 10, I have set up the same printer twice - it works for a
few weeks and then stops, and I have no idea why; it's just happened again.
So there are plainly some wrinkles there.
The reason for the password is to increase security (cups used to run as the
root user, or something), but there is a good argument for that being a
setting in the printer setup: "for security reasons you need to choose a
printer password - enter it here; if you would like to skip this for
ease-of-use reasons, at the risk of some impairment of security, tick this
box instead".
I think one of the issues is that the enterprise and home-user markets have
different priorities - SUSE is mostly for the former, which will probably
have some sort of admin who is aware of these issues, and openSUSE could now
offer something for the latter (provided there is some mechanism for
suggestions along these lines to be taken on board).
--
Pob hwyl / Best wishes
Kevin Donnelly
www.kyfieithu.co.uk - Meddalwedd Rhydd yn Gymraeg
www.cymrux.org.uk - Linux Cymraeg ar un CD
> As another fine example is the sorry
> state of printer management in Linux. Drivers aside, there needs to be
> something done to make printing easier from the desktop. For example,
> opening the printer manager and then requiring a password to reset jobs
> is not user-friendly. (Oh, and it apparently can't be the same password
> as root's.)
There is certainly an issue here, but part of the problem is a regression.
The KPrinter tool is excellent, but SUSE has ditched it (unless you know to
type it in specifically) for a (IMHO) less effective YaST-based tool. I have
no idea why. There are also other issues with regard to some printer makes
which cause problems for new users (eg last time I looked, HP ptal services
are not started by default, so that if you set up a new printer that uses
those and then reboot, it has suddenly stopped working). On one PC I have,
running openSUSE 10, I have set up the same printer twice - it works for a
few weeks and then stops, and I have no idea why; it's just happened again.
So there are plainly some wrinkles there.
The reason for the password is to increase security (cups used to run as the
root user, or something), but there is a good argument for that being a
setting in the printer setup: "for security reasons you need to choose a
printer password - enter it here; if you would like to skip this for
ease-of-use reasons, at the risk of some impairment of security, tick this
box instead".
I think one of the issues is that the enterprise and home-user markets have
different priorities - SUSE is mostly for the former, which will probably
have some sort of admin who is aware of these issues, and openSUSE could now
offer something for the latter (provided there is some mechanism for
suggestions along these lines to be taken on board).
--
Pob hwyl / Best wishes
Kevin Donnelly
www.kyfieithu.co.uk - Meddalwedd Rhydd yn Gymraeg
www.cymrux.org.uk - Linux Cymraeg ar un CD
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