[Coco] DriveWire printing options

[Aaron Wolfe]

On Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 4:27 PM, Bob Devries <devries.bob at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Aaron, you said:
>
>> I think I've decided to limit the DriveWire functionality to dumping the
>> bytes into a file.  This keeps DW clean and smaller.
>
> I totally agree with that. In Linux at least, a script could handle the
> conversion, as Gene has already pointed out. Windows may be a little more
> complex however, but I'm sure some of our smart programmers will step into
> the gap.
>

This is the direction I think we'll go.  the DW web interface will
allow you to view the print buffer on a web page, which allows
printing then using the browser's print function.  There will also be
an option to save the raw output to a disk file.  This file can be
processed by additional programs which can then interpret any control
codes and render output in any desired form, but these will exist
outside of the DriveWire server itself.

This approach has a big advantage in that the same utilities that
process output sent via the DriveWire printer function can also
process output from cocod or any other means we have of capturing
bitbanger output.  Anyone can use any tool that they like to do the
conversion.

I am going to work on an Epson FX style converter that generates image
output, probably tiff which can then be turned into anything you'd
like with many existing tools.  I'll release the code under the GPL in
hopes it will be helpful to anyone wanting to implement another type
of printer.

-Aaron

> Regards, Bob Devries
> Goulburn, NSW, Australia
>
> --
> Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of one's
> native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.
>
> Edsger W.Dijkstra, 18 June 1975
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aaron Wolfe" <aawolfe at gmail.com>
> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 4:32 AM
> Subject: Re: [Coco] DriveWire printing options
>
>
> It seems like an Epson compatible filter would be the most universal.
>
> I think I've decided to limit the DriveWire functionality to dumping
> the bytes into a file.  This keeps DW clean and smaller.
>
> However, this file could then be fed to a filter that creates the
> image/pdf/etc output.  In this way, the filter would not be limited to
> use with DriveWire and anyone could write a new filter (essentially
> supporting a new printer) using any tools they prefer.  I think this
> is a better way to go.
>
> -Aaron
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 10:47 AM, Joel Ewy <jcewy at swbell.net> wrote:
>>
>> Aaron Wolfe wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi guys,
>>>
>>> First off, Merry Christmas to everyone :)
>>>
>>> As we are finishing up a feature set for the first release of the Java
>>> based DriveWire server, I realize that I haven't put in anything for
>>> printing support yet. I don't use printers much myself, never really
>>> had much need.
>>>
>>> What (if anything) would be useful to people in the printing
>>> department? Options range from dumping the bytes to a text file, to
>>> displaying them on a web page, to even emulating some sort of Coco
>>> printer and rendering the output in a PDF, etc...
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Most of my printing on the CoCo was from Telewriter 64 / 128 and VED /
>> VPRINT (which used similar formatting codes to Telewriter) on the DMP-105
>> and later the Star NX-1000 Rainbow. But since that is all text, it would
>> be
>> suitable to just create a text file from it on the server PC. And it's not
>> so important to be able to print it directly anyway, since the original
>> text
>> file can simply be transferred to the PC and read and printed there.
>>
>> I did some printing from CoCo Max and CoCo Max 3. It would be neat to be
>> able to print some of that kind of stuff.
>>
>> Back in the day it was not uncommon for programs to come with instructions
>> for rolling your own printer driver, or adapting a sample driver to your
>> printer. And I seem to remember that Epson-compatibility was a de-facto
>> near-standard. Maybe some kind of generic printer facility could be
>> concocted that uses Epson-type codes -- not necessarily reflective of an
>> exact historic printer model, but providing the type of functionality that
>> could easily be adapted to work with the old applications.
>>
>> JCE
>>
>>> Anybody still print with their Coco? If there's something that would
>>> be useful, let me know and I'll try to implement it.
>>>
>>> -Aaron
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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