Add hplip-gui to Kubunto ISO?

[Steve Riley]

Combining answers into one reply...


On 2012-08-13 11:12:20 Harald Sitter wrote:
>
> In my experience "nice to have" is a jolly bad reason for adding
> things. As many things are nice to have, yet so few are useful to
> have. That said, I fail to see the use. Yes hplip does more specific
> HP stuff, but why does a regular user need a specific HP tool? As I
> see it the "regular" work flow is.. plug in printer, print. Anything
> other than that goes into the category of 'tech-savvy person wants to
> do things other folks don't even know are possible'.

When it comes to printers (and their evil all-in-one spawn), even ordinary 
users expect to be able to take advantage of all the functionality they paid 
for. In Windows-land, the purchaser of one of the all-in-one gadgets will 
encounter the following experience:

1. Plug the thing in
2. One of either:
  a. Windows Update downloads the drivers and the full-feature control panel
  b. The user installs said driver/CP from a CD included with the gadget

My father would fall into the non-tech savvy category, but successfully got 
his all-in-one working completely in Windows without having to consult with me 
or any forum. He would not have had the same success in Kubuntu, because he 
would not know that he needs to go find this thing called hplip-gui.


On 2012-08-13 10:07:43 Tres Finocchiaro wrote:
>
> I read the article.  Next time please link the direct post you are talking
> about<http://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthread.php?59734-What-does-Kubuntu-re
> ally-need-to-take-over-the-desktop&p=306072&viewfull=1#post306072>, so we're
> not all reading through pages of misc rant.

Interesting. I didn't realize that the shortened URL I provided would take you 
to the beginning of the thread if you don't have a logged-in cookie from the 
forum. I tested it on another browser that doesn't have the cookie and, 
indeed, only the long URL gets you directly to the post.

> I find this discussion particularly interesting.
> 
> Is "hplip" already part of the CD?  Is there any way to have it pop-up when
> printing?  I would agree with the OP and say the suggestion to include "
> hplip-gui" is completely valid if there's no other way to get the dialog to
> pop up. I don't like the idea of a dedicated icon in the K-Menu just for
> one manufacturer of printer though.  This could get messy fast.

Yes, hplip (no gui) is already included in the ISO.

> In Harald's defense, custom printing features are usually obtained
> with custom software in the Windows world, so apt-get (or Software
> Center, Muon, etc) should be anyone's first place to look.

I should have probably thought more about a fully-formed post rather than my 
quick question. We already have Jockey that helps people identify, download, 
and install manufacturer-specific drivers for wireless adapters, and drivers 
and control panels for graphics cards. Could we not extend this functionality 
-- not necessarily with Jockey -- to printers as well? Tarting up the ISO with 
every printer GUI is, on closer thought, not such a good idea. But in the 
theme of making Kubuntu more accessible to more people, and providing such 
people a pleasant experience, making it easier to discover printer/scanner/fax 
GUIs sounds reasonable, no?

> P.S. The thread "What does Kubuntu really need to take over the desktop?'
> started off with some very inaccurate statistics, so I'm doing all I can
> not to argue with those rather than the topic at hand.

If you don't mind, I'd like to understand this point a bit more. Which parts 
would you quibble with? Which statistics would you want to correct? Feel free 
to reply directly to me if you'd prefer. I'm happy to carry your thoughts on 
to the folks in the forum.

...Steve