Need for a printconf package

[Daniel Déchelotte]

Hi,

This started as a rant on debian-user-french ([1], in a thread entitled
"Linux ready for black and white printing?"), and a sensible fellow
refused to troll and "dared" me to make a suggestion to the Debian
Usability list. So here I am.

[1] http://lists.debian.org/debian-user-french/2004/06/msg01467.html (in French)

I think Debian needs a package that does for printing what etherconf
does for setting up the network. However, unlike with network, the
problem with printing is choice: what spooling system (lpr, lprng, cups,
rlpr, tlpr, maybe others), what filters (apsfilter, foomatic-filters,
magicfilters, gimpprint, some brand-specific packages, you name it), and
depending on these choices: how to select the printer's make and model,
default papersize, print resolution, and so on and so forth.

Just like etherconf, printconf would "only" handle 90 % of the cases,
imposing Debian's prefered spooler and filters because in 90 % of the
cases, they don't matter. Thus, printconf would depend on, say, cups and
foomatic-*, and use libprinterconf0 to detect parallel, USB and network
printers. printconf would also provide a debconf frontend to
foomatic-configure (à la foomatic-gui) and mention the weird
http://localhost:631/ (CUPS configuration).

My concern is: as of today (and AFAIK), when one installs a new Debian
system, one has to know about funny acronyms such as lprng or cups in
order to have a simple printer working. Can we rely on Gnome/KDE to
let newbies do that ? Is it the right place to discuss such an issue?

All the best,
-- Daniel