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GORDYmac · Jul 16, 2001, 09:55 AM

While viewing the Epson/OSX Petition at PetitionOnline.com, I noticed a comment from an Epson representative (# 27), who said that there was a third-party driver available for OS X and MacGimp.org.

I then went to MacGimp.org, but the only reference to a printer I found was for Gimp-print (Download). I downloaded the file, but it requires some intense CLI/UNIX knowledge, to set up.

Hopefully, someone else--with more knowledge--can let us know how to set this file up.

Anyone?

alphamatrix · Jul 16, 2001, 02:52 PM

Well I don't know much about unix but It would be great to print with my Epson Stylus Photo 700!

Click Here!!!! To see my MacNN T-Shirt.

alphamatrix · Jul 16, 2001, 02:55 PM

Well I don't know much about unix but It would be great to print with my Epson Stylus Photo 700!

Click Here!!!! To see my MacNN T-Shirt.

MacGorilla · Jul 16, 2001, 06:03 PM

Gimp-print doesn't work under Mac OS X/Darwin because of the underlying printing architecture between it and other Unixes. I and others have got it to compile but it wont print to anything but File until a native Darwin port is made.

GORDYmac · Jul 16, 2001, 10:59 PM

Thanks for replying. So, it's not possible to download the source code and "recompile" it for OS X? Please excuse my naivety, I'm no programmer.

MacGorilla · Jul 16, 2001, 11:24 PM

Without getting long winded and technical, here is the problem.

When you compile something for Mac OS X, you are "recompiling"; you are taking the original sources and making Mac OS X native code. Fink does this all the time.

Now, Gimp-print will compile for Mac OS X; its sees a Unix system and can install itself. Now,it wont work because unlike other Unixes, Mac OS X's /etc/printcap file (the file that tells Unix what to print ) is actually a pointer to NetInfo and this is where Gimp-print burps. Someone needs not only to compile Gimp-print but to add code that allows it to interface with Netinfo. Whew.

Zim · Jul 17, 2001, 08:43 AM

heh , I couldn't even get the 4.1.19 source to compile :-)

But given the lousy support from Apple and the printer vendors,
this seems like it may be one of our only hopes.

Mike

GORDYmac · Jul 17, 2001, 09:24 AM

Thanks for the clear explanation. I have sent the authors an email requesting they look into Mac OS X. Hell, they could easily double their user base (and profits) by supporting Macs, hopefully they'll respond accordingly.

GORDYmac · Jul 17, 2001, 09:53 PM

Well, I got a response:

I'm the project lead for the Gimp-Print project, a Free Software
project that supports many printers (particularly modern low cost,
high quality inkjets) under Linux and other POSIX-compatible operating
systems.� Dave Hill and Mike Sweet mentioned that you sent them the
above note.

We'd certainly be happy to support OS X, if someone wants to do the
necessary coding.� Assuming that OS X uses fairly standard C
libraries, and has a printing system more or less like UNIX printing
systems, it shouldn't be terribly hard to do.� I don't own a Macintosh
myself, so I'm not in a position to do the coding personally.

If you'd like to download the source (it's under the GNU General
Public License, which allows free redistribution by anyone under its
terms), please feel free to check out gimp-print.sourceforge.net.� If
you do the port, or find someone to do the port, please send us the
changes and we'll be happy to add them to the source code; if you have
any questions, please feel free to ask.� You might like to join the
gimp-print-devel mailing list, which is accessible via
gimp-print.sourceforge.net.

Any takers?

MacGorilla · Jul 17, 2001, 11:01 PM

Ick! No way!

The problem is NetInfo; someone needs to write code to interface with Netinfo, a Mac OS X/Darwin only program. Netinfo ain't easy to use, never mind code for. Good luck to anyone who wants to tackle it.