[Discuss] 2009 has a deal breaker.

[Murray Strome]

Michael wrote:
>     I just found the deal breaker in Mandriva's 2009 offering. It seems
> they decided that printing was not a priority, and it is not installed
> by default when using the 2009 One distro. No problem you say? Just
> install it you say? Well, it seems they have found a way to make that a
> no go as well. After two angry hours hunting through Google's innards, I
> was able to find a reference to a hint to a suggestion that allowed me
> to get CUPS and the printer config software into the system. You see,
> until then it wouldn't even allow that. Well, after building up my hopes
> it seems that even that was broken. It would be happy to install my
> printer, as long as it's attached to a Windows computer through
> Samba ... or maybe over a wan somewhere in Cairo ... even via some of
> the most arcane and obtuse options I have ever seen presented via a GUI.
> But nowhere ... NOWHERE ... does it say anywhere the three magic letters
> USB. It would not detect it, it won't let me point to it ... somehow
> Mandriva actually managed to break printing. I see that as almost like
> managing to break gravity.
>
>     Anyway, this rant can safely be ignored. I am sure if I had time to
> visit the guys in France they could explain the list of things I would
> need to do to make my computer print ... and how this is most certainly
> my fault ... but the fact I need to remind them that computers have been
> printing for quite a while now, and that we might want to keep that
> particular functionality a little more available than it currently
> is ... well ... I guess I am just not as patient with that type of
> person as I should be.
>
>     Sorry to blow like this, but I detest this sort of arrogant
> foolishness by people who should damn well know better.
>
>     Michael.
>   
I can sympathize with you. On one of my computers, printing has quit 
working for both the USB and Parallel printers.  Unlike your situation, 
both printers are detected. I can remove and reinstall them, but when I 
try printing (even using the "test printer" function in CUPS), the job 
shows up in the queue, says it is processing, then the status says "held". 

I am using Kubuntu 8.04 with KDE3.x, the same on my other computer, 
which still works. I have no idea why the printers quit working on the 
one computer but still works fine on the other, even though they both 
have been updated regularly.  

I have had no helpful suggestions as to what to try next from the list, 
so I assume that either no one else has experienced this problem, or no 
knows how to solve it. My work-around is to transfer the files to the 
computer that has a working printer and print them there -- a real nuisance.

Murray