On Thursday 18 March 2010 21:55:14 Dale wrote: > James wrote: > > Dale<rdalek1967<at> gmail.com> writes: > >> [ebuild R ] net-print/cups-1.3.11-r1 USE="X acl avahi dbus gnutls > >> java jpeg ldap pam perl png ppds python ssl tiff zeroconf -kerberos -php > >> -samba -slp -static -xinetd" LINGUAS="en -de -es -et -fr -he -id -it -ja > >> -pl -sv -zh_TW" 0 kB > > > > I could not help but notice the avahi and zeroconf flags. I do not > > see them. Do I have to install mono-zeroconf and avahi to see those > > flags? > > > > > > Do you find them useful? What applications are using avahi/zeroconf ? > > > > > > > > curiously, > > James > > I think avahi is a KDE thing. I don't really know what zeroconf is. If > I recall correctly, some package said it had to have that so I turned it > on. No clue what it is even after looking up the definition with euse. > May as well be Greek. ;-)
Avahi, mDNSResponder and bonjour are all apps implementing zeroconf - allowing network discovery. Say you want to find a printer on the network, then you can ask out loud and your app will "discover" them using DNS technologies without the printer admin having to tell you the name. Normally, you have to know the printer is there and either know it's name or IP to find it. These apps remove that limitation. It is also completely unlike Windows broadcasts. avahi is the Gnome app mDNSResponder was a KDE-3.5 thing built into kdelibs, with KDE-4 they have switched to using either avahi (with mDNSResponder support enabled) or mDNSResponder itself bonjour is a MacOs app zeroconf is not an app, it is a USE flag telling kde-libs to build support for this auto-discovery. It will use avahi or MDNSResponder depending on what it finds. -- alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com
