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From: 6500rgls@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Randall S Geels)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: 16Mhz Mac Classic?
Message-ID: <7788@hub.ucsb.edu>
Date: 11 Dec 90 08:15:01 GMT
References: <1990Dec10.031031.24801@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@hub.ucsb.edu
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In the referenced article, Todd Walk writes:
>My suggestion, for use on the Mac Classic at least (since this is supposed to
>be the affordable Mac...), make a 25 pin centronics parrallel port.
>Include in the new 512K roms the code to translate quickdraw to bit-images,
>and include on disk a bunch of printer description files so that output
>could be custimized to your printer.  Notice that this would allow both
>text and graphics output by using your printer's graphics modes.

Apple doesn't need to do this since they already have! Although they
use a serial port to communicate with the printer, instead of a
parallel port, the Mac still can be used with many third party printers.
There is no need to include code in the new ROMs to bitmap things since
this is already taken care of. (ever use an ImageWriter?) The printer
driver takes care of figuring out how to translate the quickdraw
into a bitmap and sending it to the printer.
The printer description files you refer to are unnecessary. (unless
you use a PC) On the Mac the proper way to do things is to write a
printer driver for the printer which can be selected by the Chooser
desk accessory. This is the way it is actually done by many printer
vendors for the Mac.
--Randy