Public bug reported: [ Scope ]
Since Ubuntu 25.04 we've been using CPDB (http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cpdb-libs) as the print backend for GTK4. CPDB is a wrapper around CUPS (https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cpdb-backend-cups). All GTK4 applications use this, including Ubuntu Desktop's default document and image viewers. GTK4 provides an implementation of the Printing desktop portal, so other non-GTK4 applications may also pass through GTK4 to do printing. Unfortunately CPDB has proven not production ready and various bug reports have accumulated since, with nobody really working to address those. https://launchpad.net/bugs/2113980 https://launchpad.net/bugs/2133194 https://launchpad.net/bugs/2143625 https://launchpad.net/bugs/2126551 https://launchpad.net/bugs/2130566 For the past week I've been trying to work on the most evident bugs, and have managed to get to a somewhat acceptable state (that is if you press print you probably get something printed). However, many other issues remain, including non-working advanced printing options and general slowness. I believe these issues are not easily resolvable through SRUs. Some fixes likely require API changes. Supporting this printing system in an LTS is not something I would be comfortable with. [ Request ] I propose we change the printing backend of GTK4 from CPDB to CUPS, aligning Ubuntu 26.04 with other distributions and restoring printing capabilities from Ubuntu 24.04. [ Contingency Plan ] The GTK4 CUPS print backend has been battle-tested for years and it is still the default on all other distributions, which makes me not worried about regressions deriving from this change. I have verified that the GTK4 with the CUPS backend builds, installs, and seems to work as expected. If while testing between now and Final Freeze we were to find a degraded experience, the change can be easily reverted. It is a build-time flag that can safely be toggled on or off without affecting upgrades. ** Affects: gtk4 (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Desktop Bugs, which is subscribed to gtk4 in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2145712 Title: [FFE] Change print backend in gtk4 from cpdb to cups To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gtk4/+bug/2145712/+subscriptions -- desktop-bugs mailing list [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/desktop-bugs
