Date   : Tue, 30 Nov 2004 23:40:28 +1300
From   : Bill Keesing <zz9pluralzalpha@...>
Subject: Re: Printers

At 04:34 a.m. 29/11/2004, Andrew W wrote:
>In <URL:news:local.misc> on Sun 28 Nov, Mike Mallett wrote:
> > Many printers now rely on Windows to create the print image and so will 
> only
> > work on a Windows PC and ano good for anything else including a Beeb, The
> > easiest way to check is to look for the OS support. If it only metions
> > Windows and probably a higher spec PC  it is one of these so called Win
> > printers. If it mentions DOS, Mac, Unix etc you may well be OK.
> >
>That's atrocious thow isn't it? I mean changing the 'standard' port
>from parallel to USB is one thing but making Windows the only OS
>supported is another!

Unfortunately it is happening right through the peripheral market. Hardware 
makers are taking the cheap and easy way out by passing off the functions 
normally done by hardware components to the OS. As Windows is the 
predominant operating system that is the one the hardware makers use as the 
base for their drivers.

It is done on the pretense of making the hardware cheaper but basically it 
is laziness and greed on the part of the makers as the money saved by the 
makers is considerably more than that saved by the consumers.

Of course part of the problem the makers don't give a flying monkeys about 
is the load all the drivers are putting on the PC