On Tue, 27 Apr 1999, Sean wrote: > So why is it that parallel port scanners don't tend to be supported, but > their SCSI cousins are. I wouldn't think that there would be that much > difference between the hardware on a SCSI scanner vs a parallel port > scanner.
There isn't, not inside the scanner itself. In fact, some scanners just use a SCSI-to-parallel adapter chip and special driver software on the workstation. However... 1. The SCSI standard specifies almost all of what you need to run a scanner. What isn't specified can usually be reverse engineered fairly easily. Many vendors have been open about their extensions, too. 2. The vendors responsible for the various parallel-port protocols (including the SCSI-to-parallel stuff) have not been forthcoming to developers. Thus, it becomes a painful task of reverse-engineering the entire protocol, which is thoroughly annoying. One of the main SCSI-to-parallel chip vendors recently coughed up some specs, I think, and so there's some hope for some scanners. Again, check the pport scanner page: http://www2.prestel.co.uk/hex/scanners.html Sincerely, Ray Ingles (248)377-7735 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Modern inductive method: 1) Devise hypothesis. 2) Apply for grant. 3) Perform experiments. 4) Revise data to fit hypothesis. 5) Publish.