ChangeLog History of the AcuLaser C900 CUPS Project

Version 0.25

- correcting alc900.update-uris script (new options for terminal windows)
- hot-fix for Ubuntu 8.10 (pstops-problem)

Have a lot of fun
Ullrich

Version 0.24

- adding script pack-libstdc.sh to generate package, when lib-package is not available
- adding GTK+ support for alc900.connect
- also checking for backend smb in /usr/lib/backend-available
- corrections for hardy heron
- hot fix for wrong number representation in package generation

Have a lot of fun
Ullrich

Version 0.23

- many fixes for Mandriva – especially for (my) 2007/2008 One Versions
- fixes on package generation with new the eps-gs versions
- reworked lockfile handling, so queues don't get stuck
- correction for split jobs over network
- optional immediate release of network printers (Option: Hold)
- fixes on job-splitting over HPJetDirect

Have a lot of fun
Ullrich

Version 0.22

- reworked 64-bit RPM/DEB generation and repackaging (a big “thanks” to Juergen Klose)
- improved SuSE compatibility
- many corrections for package generation
- fakeroot emulation corrected
- removed known conflict with queue name "alc900"
- many code clean-ups

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.20 / 0.21

- Reworked installation directories, runlevel setup
- Generation of (lintian-conform) deb and rpm packages of alc900-cups
- New tool to re-pack all pipslus-rpms to rpm and deb with correct dependencies and correct (pre-/post-/un-)install-scripts
- Automatic update of alc900filter-executable through the daemon
- Embedding pipsplus-tools in an xterm-wrapper for easier service

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.19

• The driver will always default to print mode on (re-)boot or runlevel change

• Fixed an error in the slack-installation routine

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.18

• Installer will check for a /usr/lib32 directory and update it

• Allowing to leave the hardware tray size on a fix setting, while smaller page formats are printed

• URI wrapper to support extended functionality on network queues

• New utility for querying printer queues and generating correct URIs

• Integration of the AcuLaser C1100 binary driver, when the C1100 binary is installed on your system

• Some major and minor bugfixes ;-)

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.17

• Correcting an error in the foomatic PPD-generation (sorry not my fault), which lead to only even numbered choices for SizeLimit and Zoom

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Ullrich

Version 0.16

• Adapting to Ubuntu Edgy Eft - Fixed an error in the runlevel script pipsplus, which arose from old sh-shells understood bash dialects

• Automatically killing sleep-processes depending on the state of alc900.daemon

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.15

• New, alternative arrangement for Duplex-Printing via the option Arrange=Alt. The standard duplex arrangement (Arrange=Std) seemed to flip and tilt the pages in an inappropriate way. Many thanks to Gregg Moore, who invested his time to report me this error and test the bug-fix.

• parport works now (...but rather – or should I say painfully – slow)

• The installer supplies a probing utility to detect any locally connected AcuLaser C900 on the parports

• Fixed a small error in bundling for duplex-printing.

• Added PPD-Option SizeLimit (Values 1...150 in MByte) to force print jobs to stay below a certain memory consumption. This will more dedicatedly allow to determine a proper setting for printers with low memory (16MB) cartridges

• Added PPD-Value AutoselectRelaxed for the Option Toner to jump over some black pages without starting a new job.

• Added PPD-Value Sorted for the Option Toner. Prints black pages first and then color pages. This is the fasted way to print, but will take some time to sort the sheets manually.

• Changed page accounting for kjobviewer to show the number of pages correctly

• Implementation of a “real” daemon for monitoring the configuration files, and getting rid of calling alc900.wakeup

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.14

• change of URI naming to match general URI-naming conventions; the “@”-URI-separator is substituted by a “/” (the installer updates queues automatically).

• Ubuntu Dapper Drake now fully supported.

• Fedora Core´s and RedHat´s SELinux extensions are now fully supported by the alc900 driver (no other backend needed. The C1100 backend is abandoned).

• the alc900filter is now be called outside the context of pipsplus. This increases reliability and reaction speed of the driver.

• status for full toner-waist-can (CANFULL) is now detected (thanks to Matthias Erler).

• the installer asks for libgtk-1.2.so.0 to be installed.

• semaphore handling via “lockfile” and delayed interface acquisition in the alc900-backend to make queuing more robust.

• the “sudo”-call is no longer needed for printing. The installer removes the entry in /etc/sudoers automatically.

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.13

• fixes some errors (mainly in the debugging code of the alc900.cat executable).

• It introduces a new PrintQuality value: Draft. With this value set, the toner consumption will be reduced to half of the usual value.

• Fixes an error in the executable alc900.caw, which caused the printout to “hang” forever in some few cases (when using Bundling=On or Toner=Autoselect)

• Fix of a segmentation fault in alc900.cat, when toner reached the “TONERLOW” condition (Thanks to our fellow-user Frank, who reported this error).

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Version 0.12 is the first version, which takes advantage of the C900's proprietary status protocol. EPSON claims, that this printer is compatible with the Esc/P2 protocol, but none of the polling mechanisms, which apply to the Esc/P2 protocol, are usable for this device.

With the help of USB Snoopy from http://www.wingmanteam.com/usbsnoopy/ I was able to decode a big bunch of command sequences. I would like to thank Tom and Roland for their excellent work on the logger.

It is now possible to stream multiple jobs to the C900, while the interfacing protocol detects the error and busy conditions of the printer. So – for the first time – real spooling and using the bundling and color-autoselect options can be used. But be aware using a proprietary alc900-URI. Otherwise you will not be able to utilize these new features.

Nevertheless it must be said, that I am still missing some error and status conditions. E.g. photo-conductor-end-of-life, toner-bin-full are not yet covered.
I will probably need your help and feedback to complete the list of status and error codes.

If you ever experience any problems consult the logfiles in /tmp

• /tmp/alc900-usblpX.log

• /tmp/alc900-parportX.log

which will contain the last status protocols, that led to the problem. I would ask you to forward these error protocols together with the circumstances, which led to the errors, to me. My sourceforge-address can be found in the file NOTES in the sources of the driver.

The InkType parameter was replaced by Toner, which seems to be the more obvious name for the color selection.

The Zoom-Option of the pipsplus-binary never worked, so I wrote an emulation, which does this job now pretty well.

I tested on Mandriva, SuSE, Ubuntu and saw no bigger problems so far.

Have a lot of fun

Ullrich

Copyright ©2006 Ullrich Sigwanz. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU FreeDocumentation License, Version 1.2.or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

$Id: changelog.html,v 1.12 2009/01/11 09:26:53 ullsig Exp $