# $ApsCVS: src/apsfilter/ANNOUNCE,v 1.77.2.15 2002/11/22 18:40:26 andreas Exp $
Contents of this ANNOUNCE file
1. SUPPORT
2. DESIGN CHANGES
3. NEW FEATURES
4. SECURITY
5. DOCUMENTATION
6. CONTRIBUTIONS
7. BUG FIXES
8. CODE IMPROVEMENTS
9. INTERNET RESOURCES
10. UPGRADE SUGGESTIONS
11. DONATIONS / SPONSORS
New in Apsfilter 7.2.5 (BUGFIX Release)
=======================================
7. BUG FIXES
- Fixed nasty bug in SETUP that affected printing onto
windows remote printer under FreeBSD and other systems.
In short: you had a very good chance to trap into this
if you are on a secure system where lpd is NOT running
under root permissions.
Symptoms: you can print a test page to the windows printer
successfully within SETUP, but when doing it using lpr
from the shell or application, then you end up with a
huge error log in the printers spool dir.
Permissions of config files for novell and appletalk
remote printers have also been fixed in this new release.
New in Apsfilter 7.2.4 (BUGFIX Release)
=======================================
3. NEW FEATURES
- some ijs driver scripts got more differentiation
concerning options for print quality.
5. DOCUMENTATION
- wrong manual reference in apsfilter manpage, changed from
smbprint(1) to smbclient(1)
- apsfilter handbook got a path fix and cosmetic changes
- support for ijs 1.1 and later (prior 1.0 and later)
7. BUG FIXES
- driver/stp/escp2-440
- set traditional umask in SETUP (022) just for the case
somebodies root account has strange default settings not
to end up with screwed permissions, that make printing
impossible.
- update driver MAPPINGS
8. CODE IMPROVEMENTS
- partly cosmetic, get rid of GS_MODEL
- modified gs_cmnd
New in Apsfilter 7.2.3 (BUGFIX Release)
=======================================
2. DESIGN CHANGES
- move several SETUP files to the .../etc/apsfilter
directory instead of .../share/apsfilter (which
might be write-protected)
3. NEW FEATURES
- support for newer HP IJS driver
- support for "ijsgimpprint" driver (in new driver/gimp/ directory)
- add "pretty=0/1/2" command line option (plus PRETTY_PRINTING=0/1/2
variable) to explicitly set the highlight level for text-to-PostScript
converters (none/normal/heavy)
7. BUG FIXES
- unbreak printing via smbclient, worked in SETUP but not after
installation due to typo in SMB_IP variable
- fix "remote copies" parameter to lpr
- add RECODE_PROLOGUE and RECODE_EPILOGUE variables to be used
before/after "recode" conversion (will be used in addition to
RAW_PROLOGUE and RAW_EPILOGUE)
- clean up template apsfilterrc to separate default values
from examples
New in Apsfilter 7.2.2 (BUGFIX Release)
=======================================
3. NEW FEATURES
- new driver scripts: ljet4l, pips/sc70s, pips/sc80s,
stp/pcl-2, stp/pcl-4
7. BUG FIXES
- replace awk "duplex" function with psset call
- adjust psnup rotation to various converters for landscape mode
- add landscape option to enscript command line
- introduce IGNORE_LPD_RAW variable to please buggy spoolers that
send jobs in raw mode
- sanitize ": ${foo:-bar}" to ": ${foo:=bar}"
- make n{c}print line whitespace-safe
- save return code in global temporary file
- typo in wmf2eps line
- make apspreview use global "restrictions" file
- get basedir in SETUP from configure
- protect $foo[bar] contructs from being expanded to array
elements by zsh
- add "-dPARANOIDSAFER" for gs7.04 (harmless for all older releases)
- save "rm" and "rp" in SETUP.cfg
- add some hints w.r.t landscape and n-up in handbook
- remove media types in scripts for some PCL printers
- be more helpful with "invalid method"
- LaserJet 4L needs fixed 300dpi
- LN macro in Makefile needs -n switch -- we must
create a directory link even if one exists already
- add .PHONY targets in Makefiles
- MAPPING update
- change email address in various places
New in Apsfilter 7.2.1 (BUGFIX Release)
=======================================
7. BUG FIXES
- remove apsfilter installation error when typing "make install"
by using ln's -f (force) option to overwrite an existing symlink
(just in case you overwrite another installation).
- fix some HP driver mapping in MAPPING file
- make apspreview work again for FreeBSD (and possibly *BSD).
BSD uses a sed implementation, that uses only "normal" regular
expressions for backward compatibility not to break existing scripts.
Linux (GNU sed) uses "modern REs". We use now awk which turns out
to be more portable between different Unix flavours.
We use awk instead of sed in other scripts as well (SETUP,
aps2file).
- import a patch from FreeBSD ports collection necessary for
FreeBSD-current to use "user:group" syntax for chown. Old
style "user.group" to change owner && group isn't supported
anymore. Linux's implementation of chown (from GNU) groks
new syntax.
New in Apsfilter 7.2.0
======================
3. NEW FEATURES
- support for NetWare (Novell) remote printer
- save network traffic by supporting "remote copies"
via new REMOTE_COPIES variable. This tells lpd and Netware
print spooler to do copies themselves (enabled by default).
- install and test apsfilter as "non-root" user under $HOME !
This helps in testing new apsfilter versions, i.e. to prepare
a migration to a new version on a production system.
For this feature the configure script supports two new options:
--with-printcap=... and --with-spooldir=...
4. SECURITY
- use secure temporary directory in SETUP
7. BUG FIXES
- aps2file and apspreview now handle printer aliases
- remove bogus hpijs driver entries in setup/printer-7.00
(but they were correct in setup/printer-hpijs)
- only preview if aps2file generated PostScript
- driver: stp/escp2-1160 (thanks to <andrew@ugh.net.au>)
- various fixes in driver/MAPPING
- adjusted various omni/ scripts to use more reasonable
resolution settings
- enable PSgs to honor HARDWARE_COPIES
- the bjc600 driver script has four new siblings (bjc50, bjc70,
bjc4000, bjc7000) to properly handle printers with different
print resolutions
- various small SETUP clean-ups
- create "basedir" link at install time already
- doc/Makefile: "make clean" should remove handbook.html
since "configure" re-creates it from handbook.html.in
- Make handbook generation smarter, cosmetic.
New in Apsfilter 7.1.1
======================
3. NEW FEATURES
- New "apspreview" script and manual page
Allows you to preview your printsession using gv, kghostview or
ghostview (in that order). If the result fits your need you can
of course directly print from within these viewers.
- New "apsfilter-bug" utility which supports you to release
a helpful bug- or problem report for us developers.
Its the first release and certainly will get useful updates
in the future. Detects automatically the apsfilter version you use
(-current or -stable) and sends mail to proper mailinglist
apsfilter-current or apsfilter-stable mailinglist.
Would appreciate your feedback !
5. DOCUMENTATION
- Some handbook and manpage updates / fixes.
7. BUG FIXES
- pcl3/u970 driver fix for (hardware) duplex printing.
Comment: not tested due to hardware fault of our duplex device.
Would appreciate some feedback. pcl3 driver is very picky about
combination of gs driver options. The options currently in use
have been selected from pcl3 handbook to our best knowledge.
- unbreak hardware duplex printing for all true Postscript printer
- New ljet4 driver for LaserJet4 style lasers. Previously it used
the cdeskjet driver, which was wrong.
- a2ps sometimes delegates print jobs to other applications even
if user wanted to force ASCII printing (using lpr -C ascii).
This breaks for example printing of Latex Sources.
a2ps will now be executed with "--delegate=no". Fixed !
New in Apsfilter 7.1.0
======================
2. DESIGN CHANGES
- configure support and a portable written Makefile
makes it easier to install apsfilter correctly with
proper paths and version numbers in all related files.
- Configure options allow easier customized installations
5. DOCUMENTATION
- update of apsfilter manpage: supported file types,
supported commandline options (lpr -C/-Z), docu fix.
7. BUG FIXES
- syntax error in hl1250 driver fixed.
New in Apsfilter 7.0.1
======================
1. SUPPORT
- Support for new HP driver (hpijs 1.0)
One special note: the new driver introduce no real change
in functionality, but introduce completely unnecessary syntax
changes, that require (unnecessary) changes in apsfilter to
support both, old and new hpijs driver.
From apsfilter's view this is a really braindamaged change
from HP, that brings nothing.
- new: BJC800 driver, that is slightly different to BJC600
7. BUGFIXES
- BJC600 driver fix, syntax for gs changed
8. CODE IMPROVEMENTS
- apsfilter: cleanup of debugging code. "set -x" hack is
NOT necessary anymore. "aps2file -D" is the right thing to do,
to debug apsfilter.
- SETUP: more user friendly
- don't show insane defaults
- check if device is character special
New in Apsfilter 7.0.0
======================
Contents of this ANNOUNCE file:
1. SUPPORT
2. DESIGN CHANGES
3. NEW FEATURES
4. SECURITY
5. DOCUMENTATION
6. CONTRIBUTIONS
7. BUG FIXES
8. CODE IMPROVEMENTS
9. INTERNET RESOURCES
10. UPGRADE SUGGESTIONS
11. DONATIONS / SPONSORS
Note: This file lists changes compared to apsfilter 6.1.1 release.
See ChangeLog or CVS repository browser for details during
development.
1. SUPPORT
- Please note, that mails concerning apsfilter that are directly
addressed to any of Andreas Klemm's personal account will simply
be ignored in the future. This has only organizational reasons:
a) He doesn't have the time anymore to answer everything himself
b) The mailinlists are there for being used !
Code/Patch submissions should go to apsfilter-hackers, see
"mailing-lists" below.
- In short: apsfilter support is only available by using the
proper mailing-list. Advantage: everybody learns and can re-read
the threads in the search- and browseable mailing-list archive.
2. DESIGN CHANGES
- each printer driver is now configured with (hopefully) correct
options via shell scripts (see driver/ directory)
- command line options have been unified, no driver-specific
stuff anymore; see doc/handbook.html for details
- command line options are now case sensitive (this will allow future
watermark specifications and other special things to use mixed-case
strings)
- cleaner SETUP: GS_RESOL, BPP have been replaced by RESOLUTION
and COLOR; QUALITY and METHOD are new
- PostScript printer devices are now called "PS" and "PSgs";
resolution is set separately
- "raw" printer queues are now installed manually
(this helps future printer admin tools -- one APS block in printcap
will only contain exactly one printer queue)
- "unspec" devices of hpdj and pcl3 are now called "hpdj/unspec" and
"pcl3/unspec" resp. (instead of just "hpdj" and "pcl3")
- PPA_OPTS is gone; this is now a special case of the more general
POST_FILTER and POST_FILTER_OPTS mechanism
- you need at least ghostscript 6.51 (GNU), 7.00 (AFPL) or higher
3. NEW FEATURES
- "aps2file" script to allow printing directly to a file
- ghostscript 7.00 support
- support for lzop (de)compression
- full support for gimp-print/stp, omni, hpijs, pips
- support for many more third-party drivers (gs add-ons or via
additional filters)
- HARDWARE_COPIES variable (set this if your driver can print
multiple copies by itself)
- option settings can be restricted by the administrator
(-> "/usr/local/etc/apsfilter/restrictions" for all printers,
"/usr/local/etc/apsfilter/QUEUE/restrictions" for just one queue)
- htmldoc is another html->ps converter (which we right now prefer
over html2ps)
- new papersize: tabloid
(which is the same as 11x17; now we clearly state that "ledger"
is 17x11 in SETUP)
- print file listings of various archive formats
- support for X window dumps, Windows Metafiles, TGIF drawings,
PAM pixmaps ("xv" thumbnails -- does anyone want to print these?)
- non-printer devices (e.g. image creation or PDF distiller) for
print-to-file mode
4. SECURITY
- slight update for duplex keys
5. DOCUMENTATION
- handbook, 2nd ed. (now available as indexed HTML, PS, PDF, text)
- documentation consistently uses "/usr/local/share/apsfilter/" and
"/usr/local/etc/apsfilter/" as examples
- manpage update
6. CONTRIBUTIONS
7. BUG FIXES
- pcl3 driver now works correctly (it was not compatible to hpdj,
as incorrectly assumed)
- simplex mode fixed
- "raw" printing requested on the lpr command line ("-l" or "-b")
was overruled by the METHOD=... setting in apsfilterrc
- printer models shouldn't have been adjustable via command line
- SUN rasterfile entries were useless
- PPA drivers now (correctly) rely on ppmraw, pgmraw _and_ pbmraw
- "pnmtops" can't handle MAXVAL > 255, we need "pnmdepth" as well
8. CODE IMPROVEMENTS
- awk executable path can be adjusted (useful for Solaris people)
- /etc/printcap gets a verbose comment for each printer
(this will be displayed in any "lpq" listing)
- SETUP provides some defaults to prevent incomplete configuration
- error messages are also sent to the user now (via Cc:)
- unknown command line options cause a message to appear in the log
- sk2ps can convert FIG drawings to PostScript
- Omni update
9. INTERNET RESOURCES
- newer, cleaner, better, upper-to-dater and totally baby-blue
homepage:
http://www.apsfilter.org/
- mailing lists:
* apsfilter-announce release announcements
* apsfilter-chat general topics
* apsfilter-current bug reports for _development_ releases
* apsfilter-cvs commit messages for cvs repository
* apsfilter-devel development discussion (closed list)
* apsfilter-doc documentation stuff
* apsfilter-hackers technical discussion, code submissions
* apsfilter-help general help; no bug reports!
* apsfilter-printing printing problems (and solutions)
* apsfilter-stable bug reports for _stable_ releases
Information:
To: majordomo@apsfilter.org
Body: help
Subscription:
To: majordomo@apsfilter.org
Body: subscribe apsfilter-xxx
Mailings:
To: apsfilter-xxx@apsfilter.org
See also: http://www.apsfilter.org/support.html
- Mailing list archive, browseable and searchable:
http://www.apsfilter.org/Lists-Archives/
- User Forum "Printing under Unix Environment" (mailinglist):
apsfilter-printing@apsfilter.org
- Portal to other sources of information concerning printing
(Linux HOWTOs, gs homepage, LPRng homepage, ...)
http://www.apsfilter.org/links.html
- Anonymous CVS Server
So you can checkout the newest bits and bytes yourself
and easily make contributions to -current or -stable source.
http://www.apsfilter.org/support.html
- CVS repository browser, to keep track of changes:
http://www.apsfilter.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi
10. UPGRADE SUGGESTIONS
This release is _not_ compatible with previous versions of apsfilter!
You have to backup your current apsfilter installation directory
(recommended) and rebuild your /etc/printcap file with SETUP.
If you have problems with apsfilter and "traditional Berkeley
line printer scheduler" (lpd) you should give LPRng a try.
LPRng is compatible to BSD-style printer spoolers and offers
more functionality as well as security features.
11. DONATIONS / SPONSORS
- Apsfilter requires funds to operate due to hardware upgrade
issues everyone experiences and other issues that might come up.
Other projects sell CDROMs, but this isn't an option for apsfilter,
since nobody would buy a CDROM with less then 1 MB software on it.
So if you like to make hardware or money donations, feel free to
send me a cheque or hardware.
Please contact me via e-mail to get conto or postal address.
I return I will put you onto our official list of Apsfilter Sponsors.
The following URL also lists needed things:
http://www.apsfilter.org/donation.html
- A list of Apsfilter Sponsors:
http://www.apsfilter.org/sponsors.html