Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!unido!gmdzi!strobl From: strobl@gmdzi.UUCP (Wolfgang Strobl) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Windows/Mac flame war fuel Message-ID: <3042@gmdzi.UUCP> Date: 5 Jul 90 17:06:09 GMT References: <8974@goofy.Apple.COM> <2988@gmdzi.UUCP> <42650@apple.Apple.COM> Organization: GMD, Sankt Augustin, F. R. Germany Lines: 86 daveo@Apple.COM (David M. O'Rourke) writes: >strobl@gmdzi.UUCP (Wolfgang Strobl) writes: >>This either implies that the printer driver can query the printer about >>the resources (memory, fonts, resolution, paper size, ...) it has >>available - which is not possible on monodirectional links -, or it >>restricts the printer driver to worst case asumptions. > Since a print driver is written for a specific printer instead of a set of >printers there is no such limitation. When you select a specific print >driver, you're specifing that I want to print to that printer, therefore >the print driver can use all the capabilities that that printer offers... What do you call a specific printer, here? Even one and the same printer can have different capabilities at different times, for example if you install a tractor feeder on a needle printer or remove a font cartridge on an ink jet printer. > In addition most printers on the Mac are connected through the serial >port provided with the Mac. Therefore it is a rare printer indeed that you >don't have bi-directional communications. Most PC clones offer both serial and parallel interfaces. Both can be used to connect a printer to it. People prefer to use the parallel port, because it is cheaper and simpler to use, as I explained in a separate message. Serial links are symmetric, parallel links aren't. > To successfully connect up a printer to the Mac generally requires the >printer to have a level of "intelligence" that PC printers can not have since >they could be controlled by the bus directly. In addition, even with Windows, Which bus? ^^^ >the PC DOS is still primarily a character based OS, and graphics are the >extra mile that you don't necessarily have to provide. For simple character >based printers you don't need a bi-directional link cause it's just a stream >of characters, one size fits all. The Mac's *only* print mode is graphics, >therefore by simply requiring graphics at the most primative level means that >the basic Mac printer has to have a high level of functionality than a basic >DOS printer. There aren't too many graphics printers availible today that >can't be queried as to their capabilities... What do you mean by "even with Windows, the PC DOS is still primarily a character based OS"? Is it a statement about Windows (then it is plain wrong), or is it a statement about PCDOS (then it's true, but not very meaningfull). Anyway. The problem Windows has (and the Mac OS has not) is that it has to support a much broader range of printers, from the cheap 9-needle-printer to the big Postscript RIP. In my opinion this support is an advantage. Just one more question. How do you print into a file, if the printer is not physically available? It cannot be queried in this case. Don't tell me that the printer driver just stores the abstract graphics operations into a file instead of sending it to the printer. How can it know the specifics of the printer, if it is not available, and if there is no configuration at all? > Any one who has configured a DOS printer, verses a Macintosh will tell you >that this is one of the few area where the Mac has a clear advantage. And >even though MS provides many print drivers, there are still a lot of big >DOS software houses that role their own print drivers, and with that you are >back to square one of what a pain it is to configure a printer on a DOS >machine. This is excactly the explanation why I prefer MS Windows over the usual DOS stuff and try to convince the people I support here to switch from old DOS applications to Windows. It runs on the same hardware, supports most common printers, there is just one printer driver for one printer, not as many as there are applications. And it is even possible to use different printers with the same documents and data just by installing a different printer driver and telling it a few things about the new printer, once. As long as the printers have similar capabilities (similar fonts, i.e. a fat Times Roman in 12 pt, for example) all printers look the same to the application (or the user), if they don't care about the differences. > On the Macintosh there is *ONE* way to select a printer, period. And you >don't even have to modify your config.sys file to do it ;-) It is not difficult under Windows, either. Simply click on the printer icon in the control panel application and tell it which printer you have. If it needs more information from you, it will ask you. And you don't even have to close the applications you are working with. ;-) Wolfgang Strobl #include