On Tue, 27 Jun 2006, dwelch91 wrote: > Tim, I think for the purposes of a "Qt-less" HPLIP, you could create a > RPM without: > > toolbox.py > sendfax.py* > fab.py* > ui/ directory* > plugins/ directory > hpfax.py* > HP-Fax-hplip.ppd* > coverpages.py*
The last time I tried this (it was the way I wanted the Debian packages to work since day one), I think there were issues with plugins/, and I think something in the way hpssd worked made me give up on the whole deal. This was way back in the 0.9.5-0.9.6 transition, and after it I decided I would not revisit the issue until after 1.x. Now that Tim's has started the discussion on the issue... it is time for me to get back into it as well, I think. David, could you consider making it a set design decision for HPLIP (in a future version, of course. A period of transition is expected, and it doesn't matter if we take a few releases to get there) that hpiod, hpssd and the various backends that would need to be run on a printer server do *not* use or link *anything* from python-qt? I don't mean "optional linking to python-qt", this would mean loss of functionality on printer-server environments, which is NOT desireable, IMO. This also means that if plugins/ are going to create extra hpssd/hpiod functionality, they would have to be split into ui-plugins and non-ui plugins. I'd like to see this as a set design decision for HPLIP, so that it doesn't go back to "needs GUI" later, I realise I am asking a bit much, so please excuse me if I am overstepping my bounds, but IMHO it would help to know any effort on making HPLIP more printer-server friendly would not be wasted later on. Note that this request is independent on which parts of HPLIP 1.6.6 will work without Qt. I'm just asking for a commitment for versions in the future (and it doesn't even need to be in the close future). With the new "send it all over the socket in the first place" approach hpiod, hpssd and the other components now take (which is much easier on us trying to lock these things down, let me thank you again for switching to this design even if it is potentially a bit slower than passing around file handles or filenames in a spool), it should not be too difficult to even move hpiod and hpssd to true network awareness, so that we could have the tools talking to hpiod/hpssd on a remote server. This is the ultimate goal for a GUI-less HPLIP packaging, IMHO. > *Note: Except that I am working on a GUI-less version of faxing for the > command line as it has been requested by some users. So, in the next few > releases, the fax stuff could be added back into a QT-less > version/package of HPLIP. Which is very nice, I thank you for it! > The other issue with a QT-less RPM is that some of the commandline > utilities (hp-print, hp-makecopies, hp-unload, etc) support both a GUI > mode and a console mode, but they default to GUI mode. I could create an > override in the .conf file to control the default, or you could patch > the files to change the default. The other option is to have them enter > console mode automatically when PyQt, Qt, or X is not present/running. I prefer this last option as the default, it is much cleaner. However, it is always a good thing to give the user the capability to decide what the default should be for the entire system (auto, no-gui), and *also* allow for overrides on the command line when one doesn't want to follow the system's default. -- "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot Henrique Holschuh Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=120709&bid=263057&dat=121642 _______________________________________________ HPLIP-Devel mailing list HPLIP-Devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hplip-devel
