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Re: Auto-setup of USB queues not picking the right PPD

Hi all,

I concur with both Bill and Curtis on the points they make. If a queue is created automatically, it should create a queue as feature-rich and functional as an equivalent queue created interactively in Print Center. To drive this a little further, and to also encompass some issues with the automatic queue creation functionality, it wold be helpful to have a list of requirements. Some of them raise issues of user friendliness, which should be bantered back and forth (and will be, I'm sure, if anyone reads this message).

Here is a list of my requirements for enhancements to "makequeues" or whatever is responsible for "Automatic Queue Creation":

- It should automatically create direct-connect queues. (MUST)
- It should not impact startup times at all when a new device is found at startup. (MUST)
- It should pick the correct driver or PPD, if available and applicable. (MUST)
- It should inform the user in some appropriate way if a printer was attached, and no driver or PPD matching that model exists on the system. (MUST)
- It should set up installable options when creating a new queue. (MUST)

- If a new queue is created, the user should be informed somehow, using a simple, unbothersome mechanism, that the user can make never appear again. (HIGH-WANT)
- It should check installable options when a device is re-connected, or when the system starts up, and a queue already exists. (HIGH-WANT)


Additions, comments, criticisms, let's hear them.
Smith



On Friday, May 23, 2003, at 10:42 AM, Curtis Laser wrote:

First of all I would like to echo Bill's comments. I think if the system software is going to create the queue it should do the whole job and not leave the user to clean up after it. That would be the user's expectation (at least of a Macintosh!) and anything less would leave them wondering what happened to print features they purchased but don't see.

Now it is easy to argue that since the system has taken the responsibility of creating the print queue it should also take responsibility for keeping it up to date. That is what you are suggesting in the "PS" of your message below. While I would have to agree with the concept overall, I think it would depend on the "cost" of providing the feature whether to implement it or not. The creation of the queue is in response to an event sensed by the OS, the addition of a USB device, so it can be done when needed without wasted cycles waiting for it (polling = wasteful = costly = BAD). This kind of event notification is not given for devices that are upgraded through the addition of memory or a duplex unit, except perhaps that the device would be unplugged for the upgrade and then added to USB again. So checking the installable options of a device added to USB, regardless of whether it has been seen before or not, might be a reasonable approach. I am not sure whether this would force the update to occur each time the machine was restarted, but should be taken into consideration.

As for the performance of makequeues, who or what is waiting for it's completion? If the process that ran makequeues were launched as a background process would that solve the problem? I would think so in the case of boot time, since the user must launch an app before printing. The hot-plug case is probably worst, one where the user wants instant gratification. So what if makequeues were to work the way it does today, lean and fast except that it marks the queues it creates or finds/matches as needing an update and starts a low priority job that queries flagged devices for their type and installable options. If the user prints before the queue is updated they can at least print using the generic setup, and if they get to it after the update they get their printer's complete feature set.

Sorry about this long online brainstorming session, I just thought I should contribute my 2 cents.

Curtis Laser


On Friday, May 23, 2003, at 08:11 AM, Paul Danbold wrote:

Bill and Smith, thanks for your comments. In my last reply I did not, but should have, mentioned the performance requirements of makequeues. We have to find a solution for automatic queue creation that does not significantly impact boot time or queue creation on hot-plug. We are looking at several options and I will keep you posted on this topic.

-Paul

P.S. I notice neither of you mentioned the case where a printer's configuration is changed after the user has set up his/her printer queue. Are you happy to rely on the user to delete and recreate the queue, or manually change the installable options via Print Center?


On Friday, May 23, 2003, at 04:33 AM, email@hidden wrote:

The point I did a poor job of making in the foregoing is that if there is
never a change to the implementation of makequeues to include a call to
query for installable options, then that is fine. But, if Apple does not
include within their methodology for auto creating USB queues (whether
they use a call to makequeues as a part of their algorithm or not is
irrelevant), then that is a serious flaw, in my estimation. I believe
that it does a great disservice to our customers (not just Lexmark's, BTW,
but all of us printer vendors) to auto create a queue which does not
accurately reflect the printer it is servicing. We are forced to have to
tell our customers that they must manually set installable options for
every USB queue in order to have the queue accurately represent the state
of the printer. I think this scenario is actually worse than not
auto-setting up the queue in the first place. Customers will just assume
that a queue that is auto-set up for them will be correct in all respects
(otherwise, why do it in the first place)?
I think Paul's statement about there being no plans to correct this
situation is a poor decision on Apple's part.
Thx,
Bill



Smith Kennedy <email@hidden>
Sent by: email@hidden
05/21/03 12:43 PM

To
email@hidden
cc

Subject
Re: Auto-setup of USB queues not picking the right PPD






I thought "makequeues" was the only mechanism for creating USB queues
automatically. Is there another mechanism for automatically creating
USB queues?

Smith


On Wednesday, May 21, 2003, at 09:30 AM, email@hidden wrote:

I need to pursue the last sentence of Paul's last answer. If there
are no
plans to query the printer
for installable options when makequeues is called, then I have no
problem.
If, however, there are
no plans to query for installable options when any USB queue is
automatically created, then I
believe that is a major malfunction. Can you please clarify what the
situation is?
Thx,
Bill



Paul Danbold <email@hidden>
Sent by: email@hidden
05/20/03 08:01 PM

To
email@hidden
cc

Subject
Re: Auto-setup of USB queues not picking the right PPD






Smith,

Sorry for the delay on this one. The answer is that makequeues always
picks the Generic PPD file. In the next OS release we will attempt to
bind the queue to the printer's PPD using DeviceID information. There
are no plans however to query the printer for installable options when
a queue is created automatically.

-Paul


On Monday, May 12, 2003, at 04:29 PM, Smith Kennedy wrote:

Hi Paul,

Sorry for the incomplete description. Hopefully this will fill in the
details. Your assumptions are correct. The PPD selected by
makequeues was the Generic one. Also, in the USB browser, "HP" was
selected in the Printer Model pop-up menu, and the correct PPD file
was selected. As I said in my original description, the PPD files
were installed in
"/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/". I will send
you a copy directly in the morning.

Smith


On Tuesday, April 22, 2003, at 06:23 PM, Paul Danbold wrote:

Smith,

There's not enough information here for me to give you an answer.
Perhaps you could send me the PPD files in question and tell me where
they were installed. You don't mention which PPD file was selected
by makequeues -- I would expect it to be the Generic PPD. And in the
USB browser, I would expect to see HP selected in the Printer Model
menu, and the correct PPD file to be selected in the list. That's
the expected behavior for all USB PostScript printers.

-Paul


On Friday, April 18, 2003, at 08:15 AM, Smith Kennedy wrote:

Hi all,

I was noticing that, with one of our LaserJet printers, the "auto
queue creation" mechanism in Mac OS X isn't picking the right PPD.
These steps fail to create a queue with the right PPD selected:

1) Install fresh Mac OS 10.2.5
2) Copy the PPD to
"/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/".
3) Plug in my printer.
4) Wait for the queue to be created automatically.

However, if I blow away the broken queue in Print Center, then
manually add it using the USB PBM, the USB PBM automatically selects
the correct PPD when I choose my printer in the list.

Ideas?

Smith
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