Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpvcfs1!neff
From: neff@hpvcfs1.HP.COM (Dave Neff)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk
Subject: Re: Changing Apple LaserWriter type
Message-ID: <3260004@hpvcfs1.HP.COM>
Date: 28 Apr 89 19:45:38 GMT
References: <10325@netnews.upenn.edu>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Vancouver, WA
Lines: 27

I was playing with this ability to change the LaserWriter type and a
couple of questions come to mind:

If a spooler has changed the type of the LaserWriter and then your Mac
is powered off/crashes the LaserWriter will have remembered this new
type.  In fact, the type is stored in non-volatile memory so even power
cycling the LaserWriter will not revert back to the original name.  Hence
you can no longer choose the LaserWriter and subsequent use of the spooler
would seem to also be confused.  What is the workaround for this? Removing
the battery in the LaserWriter?

Why is the LaserWriter type "remembered" when power is turned off
to the printer?  Is this really necessary or is this just a side effect
of the battery backed up RAM in the LaserWriter?  This seems like a
dubious "feature" or am I missing something?

How are people "poking" out postscript commands to the LaserWriter?  I
changed the type using "Janus" (posted a few days ago) but then Janus
wouldn't let me change the type back since it was assuming the type
was LaserWriter!  I did get the name back to LaserWriter using a program
we have on an IBM PC that dumps any file to any AppleTalk printer but I
couldn't do it on the Mac (ResEdit would not let me change the string
in Janus for some reason).  I assume I could have disconnected the
battery in the LaserWriter but I fixed it before I got that desparate.

Dave Neff
hplabs!hpvcfs1!neff