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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Printing Rant! Why is this so hard? (lemmy.one)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Debian 12. HP Laserjet Professional P1606dn

If it prints at all, it prints the top inch of the test page or just random binary. I have tried the recommended driver, the driverless driver, the Generic PCL 4/5 driver, the Generic PCL 6 driver. And probably others I am not remembering.

I am trying to print over Ethernet, but I am about to drag the printer over near my desk and print via USB.

Fortunately, I don't have actual critical printing to do right now and I am only setting up a printer after installing Debian 12. BTW this means it is a fresh install of Debian 12 too.

I have been helpdesk support at a data center. I would not consider myself a dummy, but this is getting ridiculous. A task that should have taken all of 10 minutes has taken over 2 hours so far.

How are we ever going to get "The Year of Linux on the Desktop" if simple printing is and continues to be such a pain?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just did a test with my Brother printer on Windows. I saw one port opened for the print protocol and four or five for various name service protocols (because I have a homelab and have screwed around with DNS a little too much, apparently). If you're opening half of all possible TCP and UDP ports to get the printing protocol to work, you're doing something wrong.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I said "for all print protocols", as in all the ones network printers have to support to get all possible clients to work.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

But why would you need to get all possible clients to work? Just get the ones that are actually on your network working. And don't open your Internet-facing firewall unless for some bizarre reason you have to print from over the Internet (can't really see a critical use case for this except for outliers).

Unless you're running a web cafe or something and have to support random laptops that people bring in. At that point security is out the window anyway because who knows what will be going on your network.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The point was that the protocols are badly designed and I was talking about firewalls between subnets.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

If you have to print from a location away from your network ( like on a business trip ) us tailscale!