Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!unisoft!gethen!farren
From: farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Nothing to do with Amiga and MIDI
Message-ID: <489@gethen.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 87 06:03:09 GMT
References: <2490@gryphon.CTS.COM> <1268@sugar.UUCP> <864@neoucom.UUCP> <1325@sugar.UUCP>
Reply-To: farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren)
Organization: There's Unix there in Oakland
Lines: 27

In article <1325@sugar.UUCP> peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes:
>First of all, conventional printers (a slow device) typically come with
>a very fast interface that they can't even begin to take advantage of, but
>restrictes them (theoretically) to within 6 feet of the computer.

Which is that?  I've operated Centronics parallel interfaces over 50'
cables with no problem (although I admit this is stretching it a bit -
20' should be no problem whatsoever.)

>Then a laser-printer (a fast device) is forced by a bunch of brain damaged
>programs to use the slower RS232 interface, even though it's perfectly capable
>of taking advantage of any data rate you care to ship it. Also, since it's
>usually not run unattended it wouldn't matter if it was forced to be close to
>the machine.

The reason serial interfaces are forced is much more likely to be because
the original 'affordable' laser printer, the HP LaserJet, did not HAVE
a parallel interface - it was serial or nothing.  Likewise, the Apple
Laserwriter also is serial-only.   Don't blame the software guys for
something the hardware guys almost forced them to do.

I do agree - it's a wonder, all right...

-- 
Michael J. Farren             | "INVESTIGATE your point of view, don't just 
{ucbvax, uunet, hoptoad}!     | dogmatize it!  Reflect on it and re-evaluate
        unisoft!gethen!farren | it.  You may want to change your mind someday."
gethen!farren@lll-winken.arpa |     Tom Reingold, from alt.flame