USB (DOT4) Printers & OS4.1 **Testing in Progress**

@Hans
Quote:

It's not a PageStream problem. All my wordprocessors have the same effect. Wordprocessing type programs frequently read the current printer prefs through the printer.device when they start or when a print setup window is opened. Those settings are presented to the user so that they can be altered by the user within the wordprocessing program instead of opening the system printer prefs program. Amiga word processors have always done this and it is documented in the developer kits. Simply requesting the printer prefs from the printer.device should not cause an access of the printer and the resulting requesters. It doesn't happen if the port device is set to parallel or serial and doesn't happen with previous usbprinter.device. I've used Amiga computers for over 20 years and never had to have a printer turned on just to start a word processor or desktop publishing program without responding to a lot of requesters.

The problem is, however, compounded by the fact that several PageStream modules access the printer.device to obtain the prefs settings. Several requesters are displayed as a result. The problem is further compounded by the new Ringhio server (I think). Before a system requester is displayed, a small white box appears on the PageStream screen with a USB warning. Then the WorkBench screen is brought to the front and a system requester appears. When you cancel the requester, the PageStream screen returns to the front and another little white block with a USB warning appears on the PageStream screen. That process repeats until all the requesters are cancelled. It's a really ugly process.

The little white message boxes with warning messages, which I think are produced by Ringhio are visually out of place and violate the Amiga StyleGuide for user interaction. Requesters are supposed to be standardized system wide so as not to confuse the user and maintain some consistancy in the way the system works. It looks and acts like a system hack to me. I'm just hoping I can disable it without harming any other part of the system.

@xenic

Quote:

Okay, that's different. You originally only talked about only page-stream, not that it happened in other programs too. I hadn't thought about the fact that word processors read in the printer config.

If it breaks a lot of programs, then it's worth changing the behaviour, but to something that still lets you know if the printer isn't available when appropriate. User feedback is a good thing.

Quote:

I don't think that they're visually out of place (although having greater customisability would be nice), or that they confuse anyone. Notifications perform one duty, they notify the user of something. As such, having to click "okay" is redundant and annoying.

FYI, it's not a system hack; it's well integrated.

Go ahead and disable Ringhio if you wish (have a look in sys:prefs/Notifications and sys:prefs/WBStartup). Do know that you can expect it to be used for more and more notifications in future.

Hans

EDIT: I should add that the notifications look considerably better if compositing is enabled.

P.S. SYS:Prefs/Notifications allows you to disable notifications on a per-application basis, so you can disable the usbprinter.device's notifications.

Since it can be disabled/enabled per application (the notification system) I can't see how it can cause unwanted trouble. I for one enjoy how tunenet uses ringhio to inform me of the currently played song. And yes, with compositing on, it looks very nice.

@RWO

any news

bump ..looking forward to finally print something with my Amiga & HP LaserJet 1012 via USB

@328gts

Sorry for not finishing the dot4 driver I was so close but real life came in the way.

For now I can give a short status report, today I printed a picture of Team17's SuperFrog :)

The picture looked fine, and ascii text should work too.

There is just a small problem with keeping the number 'Credits' counter correct.

The DOT4 protocol uses credits too control data flow, if you got no credits you may not send any data, you have too ask for additional creadits too continue sending the print data.

Need to check and fix the adding and subtacting credits for my internal counter is out of range.

in this alpha version there is some untested code too request more credits in cases where you run out.

RWO

@rwo

thank you so much for the update! I'm sure many of us here will be more than willing to test out a driver when one is ready

@xenic

Quote:

Please note that the Amiga Style Guide is an old document that badly needs updating. It does not cover certain GUI elements, concepts and metaphors that were introduced with ReAction and, later, OS4.x.

As far as I understand it, Ringhio notification messages are NOT requesters (although they serve a similar purpose to the requester REQ_INFO type). Standard Amiga requesters are meant to be closed by pressing a button or a key combination, while Ringhio messages display a text on the screen, wait a little while, and disappear. This is a new concept different from requesters and not covered by the Style Guide so you cannot apply requester rules here.

@Hans

Ah, this is the reason why I never saw something reported through Rhingio - it's bound to the usbprinter.device! I soley use netprinter.device, so there's no notification...

BTW: Are there other "devices" that might use Rhingio? I.e. the USB stack reports plugged USB sticks with it's own requester window - it could/should use Rhingio as well...

@cha05e90

Quote:

USB insertion messages are a good example of a situation where Ringhio should be used. Currently, the USB stack displays messages that somewhat look like standard Amiga requesters but do not behave like them - they do not require user interaction.

For the sake of consistency, all messages of type "show and disappear" should use Ringhio. Messages that require the user to select a choice or confirm reading should use standard Amiga requesters.

@rwo

sounds like you're ready to accept the bounty ?

bumpy

@rwo

Not sure if i'm in the right thread

I have a HP Laserjet 5L which works wonderful under OS4
I first used it with the AmigaOne Parallel port (it has Centronics) but switched to USB (via a Centronics/Parallel to USB cable) which works also very good except one little glitch.

The printer has an inbuilt "sleep" mode (which can't be turned off) to save energy after some time of non-using.

It needs some kind of "software nudge" to wake it up and this worked perfectly with Parallel but it does not with USB, seems the nudge is either not sent at all or doesn't fit thorugh the USB line

I was using a1parallel.device and now usbprinter.device with the HP_Laserjet_5 driver

Could you maybe add this "wake up nudge", please?

For now i always have to press the button on the printer myself and resend the print data

Thanks a lot for the great drivers


edit: Scrap that, i need to have it installed on the rear sockets which seem to be the only ports that provide enough enery (or stability?) to work with devices.
Having it plugged in there and no more strange problems

/note to self: Get rid of the front USB port backplate

Quote:

any news

I'm sorry to say that I have a hard time finding the motivation for to debug and fix any outstanding bugs in this driver.

So I desited too upload the current starte as a very early alpha version, for most of my test it just works fine.. in some rare cases you have to turn off and then bag on and then start over.

I hope some comments from you would help on my motivation.

RWO

@rwo

Great news! An alpha driver is better than nothing at all...let us do the
debugging/testing for ya Please let us know when/where we can download it and where can we send donations

@328gts

Quote:

OS4Depot, Uploads section.

@mr2

Correct, I uploaded it too os4depot.

RWO

@rwo

Quote:

Firstly, thanks for making this alpha version available.

I just did some quick tests and unfortunately I'm not able to get much out of it. Printing shell-startup from Multiview only prints the first line*, trying the same from Notepad doesn't print anything (I tried switching the printer off/on) Graphical printing doesn't work at all, from Multiview, Wordworth, Pagestream. It shows the progress bars and no errors, but the printer does nothing (not even flashing the processing light).

Is there any debug we can turn on to determine where it is going wrong?

Chris

* This is however a vast improvement on usbprinter.device which didn't print anything

@rwo

great..got it! ..quick tests so far only print out 2 pages with the following on them:
page 1- "% Device Specific routi" (at top left hand of page)
page2- "%%DocumnetMedia:letter 612 792 0 () ()
%%EndComments
% The line abo"

so far tried from WB, AmiPDF and AmiCygnix with same results. Tried also turining printer on/off but same issue.

any ideas?
btw, I'm using a HP LaserJet 1012 printer