Geoff Wicks wrote: > We have just buried our heads over the printer problem. Two years ago it was > obvious that the parallel interface was on its way out, but people are only > beginning to realise this now. What is the point of the Q60 if there will > soon be no printers for it. Now people are suggesting that we should turn to > the second hand market (assuming that ribbons and cartridges for these > ancient beasts remain available). > > Marcel has provided a solution to the printer problem for a large number of > QL users, but instead we prefer to behave like a group of tramps rooting in > dustbins for someone's discarded sandwiches. Quite right.
There's a distinct possibility here for a hardware designer to come up with a USB interface system for the QL, not necessarily to the full PC spec, but either way would of course need the usual driver software written, even if it's only to allow printers to be addressed, even if it's only via the equivalent of USB_USE 'SER' or whatever. The situation with printers is such that we have to take the decision. As Geoff says, we've shied away enough from this problem and we have to consider it now before it's too late. What does designing a USB system involve - can anyone explain this in terms I'd understand? -- Dilwyn Jones
