Printers - Ubuntu vs Windows

Matt Galvin matt.t.galvin at gmail.com
Sat Aug 6 04:30:42 UTC 2005


Hi All,

Ok, I know most of you know this but I thought I would share this
experience anyway...

A windows machine we have currently somehow "forgot" that the printer
was installed. It no longer worked no matter what I did. I then had to
on windows...

prelim) spend some time trying to get it to work again
1) uninstall the drivers
2) Reboot
3) Unplug the printer from the computer (the drivers don't install
right when its connected (wtf?... no seriously... WTF?)
4) Download new drivers (from unnamed manufacture website)
5) Install new drivers
6) Reboot again
7) Attach the printer
8) Dang it, it didn't recognize it
9) Manually Search for new Hardware and tell it to use the drivers
10) #8 is a few steps which are omitted for brevity
11) Windows still failed to recognize it
12) Reboot AGAIN
13) Windows finally sees the printer
14) Add the printer (a few more steps left out for brevity)
15) Set this "new" printer as my default.

I then later moved the printer over to one of my Ubuntu machines so
that I could set it up as a print server b/c i don't want to deal with
this again. On Ubuntu i had to...

1) Plug in Printer
2) System(click) -> Administration -> Printing(click)
3) Add Printer(click)
4) WooHoo, my printer is already detected and shown to me :)... Forward(click)
5) WhoooHooo, it even picked the right driver... Apply(click)
6) WhooooHooooo, its already set as default and worked on the first try!!!
7) um, no 7 i am already using my printer :)

On windows it was a 45 minute epic battle of man against machine.

On Ubuntu it took all of about 10 seconds (not counting time
untangling wires) with 5 mouse clicks. I didn't even have to pick what
to install. Everything was automatically detected beautifully.

All I can say is... Thank You!

Matt

/me wonders why people still deal with this nonsense from m$




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