This reminds me. Most people don't know it, but PostScript is actually a full-fledged programming language, and a PostScript document is actually a program that causes the printer to print the desired document.

Just to demonstrate this, a PostScript printer is a computer with an operating system written in PostScript. If you send it the right document, you can actually reprogram the printer. This will only work if you know how to program in PostScript (there are books) and if you know the correct password (there are well-known defaults).

So you could write your own http server if you wanted!

BTW have you secured your PostScript printer lately?

I'd imagine that keeping the printer drivers up to speed on the HTML "standards" would be more difficult than converting the whole shebang into PostScript in the first place:o) i.e. it might be nifty but entirely undpendable. lpd is reliable and easy to use- I see no excuse not to use it. While I agree it might be amusing, it wouldn't be much more than that.... Update: Oh. sorry, I read it too quickly. But I still disagree. Implementing a full-blown HTTP server wouldn't be too slick either- it's better to go through drivers. Such a server would completely complication any user authentication...


AgentM Systems nor Nasca Enterprises nor Bone::Easy nor Macperl is responsible for the comments made by AgentM. Remember, you can build any logical system with NOR.

At my last job we had a fine Lexmark printer that would allow FTP:

Ruby#~> ftp elroy.xxxx.xxx
Connected to elroy.xxxx.xxx
220 FTP server: Lexmark Optra N Laser Printer ready
Name (elroy.xxxx.xxx:root):
230 user root logged in
ftp> quit
221 Goodbye

And is still wide open to the internet because they never remember to set the root password after the kung-fu reset wipes the prom.

Aside from that in no way does having FTP help you unless you have already prepared your "document" for printing with either "epson", "postscript", "wingraphics", or "lexmarkian" formats. (actually I think some can do PDF too). Having a HTTP file-upload "CGI" in there would be pretty cool and in-fact some printers on the market allow HTTP configuration, testing, and job loading already. You just upload an already prepared print format and off you go! Sexy and fun and easily abused if people keep erasing the root password when they deep-reset the machine.

And what printer does authentication? One with a builtin print-spooler? Why couldn't the HTTPd and FTPd both use the same authentication set as the built-in print-spooler?

--
$you = new YOU;
honk() if $you->love(perl)

Just because it uses HTTP doesn't mean it has to speak HTML. HTTP is pretty standard and held at version 1.1 for several years... I didn't mean to suggest that printers should render HTML (though that might be nifty as well).. :)

____________________
Jeremy

Now I know that's not true at all. lpd handles any printer considering that a driver is available for it. I know this because I have used several OLD printers which I know never supported PS. lpd interacts with the drivers and does nothing else except to block on printer requests which then interacts with the driver appropriately.


AgentM Systems nor Nasca Enterprises nor Bone::Easy nor Macperl is responsible for the comments made by AgentM. Remember, you can build any logical system with NOR.

OK, I should definately do my research before mouthing off. A quick look at the Linux Printer Howto will answer all the questions crazyinsomniac had and possibly a lot more. If he isn't using Linux then some well researched API calls will probably do the trick.

____________________
Jeremy
I didn't believe in evil until I dated it.

The two modules you mentioned look like the same thing, and they also say "Please note that this module only talks to print servers that speak BSD." if that's of any significance to you. Like i said what i'm interested in more is interfacing to the printer(pdd) so i can make api calls 'n such.

"cRaZy is co01, but sometimes cRaZy is cRaZy".
                                                      - crazyinsomniac