Very Frustrated ==> FreeBSD Compatible Printers?

[FONT=monospace]Dave-D[/FONT] I welcome to hear more about the opinions you form of comparing FreeBSD to Windows for usage. Why did you use FreeBSD, rather than call in a local MS Windows certified computer business to help you with Windows computers?

I am an ex-computer consultant (approx. 20 years) to small businesses that was forced to work with (or rather, endure) MS Windows because there was no other choice at the time. As time went on I despised Windows more and more. I still support a few Windows machines belonging to close friends, but get a terrible headache every time I have to work on Windows. Maybe a big part of that comes from working with REAL software.

I kept my eyes open for anything that could possibly replace Windows and be used to run my small business. Replacing my Windows accounting software has always been the biggest problem, as my software did things 20 years ago that many still do not do as of today. My second biggest problem was replacing my Windows desktop database, which did things 20 years ago that most do not do today. I spent hundreds if not thousands of hours over the last 10 years looking for viable replacemenst, to no avail.

About 8 years ago I finally made the change to linux, trying different distros as I learned... SUSE -> Red Hat -> Debian -> Devuan (Debian minus system-d). Then about two years ago Devuan team started talking about caving into the System-D overthrow, and so I started looking for another alternative. I had been fascinated by the "BSD" idea for a couple years, and so I made the leap about a year ago.

So about a year ago I went 100 percent FreeBSD and I've never been happier. Except now I REALLY get a big headache when I have to work on Windows.

I'm currently building a whole new enterprise system based on FreeBSD. My biggest challenges are still trying to get some of my old software working, as follows:

1. Accounting -> Will likely use Tryton ERP.
Note, RE #2 & #3 below, I have not been able to get any of my old software running on FreeBSD/Wine. Nothing but problems. SO...
2. Desktop Database -> Will probably run on a old-version Devuan/Wine as an app-server accessed via RPD or something similar, until it can be replaced by an enterprise solution.
3. UML Modeling -> I was running Sparx Enterprise Architect on Devuan/Wine. Will likely do the same on above-mentioned Devuan/Wine run as app server accessed via RDP or something similar.

So, we're getting after it. Solving problems one-by-one, getting things working on FreeBSD.

Hope that answers your question!
Dave-D
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Tell us if you have the 2 printers all working now on FreeBSD?

After days spent messing around with this and unable to get workable results with the Lexmark using ipp,
went with sockets type connection for both printers. Works great, fast, easy, but no security.

Not sure what the problem is with the Lexmark. It works under linux with ipp, which it suggests, then automatically sets up, no problem.
Not criticising FreeBSD, more wondering why it wouldn't work on FreeBSD since its probably just a CUPS issue? No idea...
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Uhhhh... www/firefox is having memory issues that crash my freebsd-based machines with OOM errors. I complained about that in other threads, but the point of posting THAT info here is to give a FreeBSD bandwagoner a heads up about a very real issue. Yeah, it is OP's call whether to stay on the FreeBSD bandwagon or not. I think it helps to be informed about what FreeBSD is good for, and what the drawbacks are.

For me, Firefox was the only usable browser in FreeBSD that is capable of handling modern web sites. Having that disappear on me (due to the OOM issues) does punch a pretty big hole in FreeBSD's general-purpose usability for me. Special-purpose - it's still an incredibly useful option if one has the skills and patience to use it.
 
Uhhhh... www/firefox is having memory issues that crash my freebsd-based machines with OOM errors. I complained about that in other threads, but the point of posting THAT info here is to give a FreeBSD bandwagoner a heads up about a very real issue. Yeah, it is OP's call whether to stay on the FreeBSD bandwagon or not. I think it helps to be informed about what FreeBSD is good for, and what the drawbacks are.

For me, Firefox was the only usable browser in FreeBSD that is capable of handling modern web sites. Having that disappear on me (due to the OOM issues) does punch a pretty big hole in FreeBSD's general-purpose usability for me. Special-purpose - it's still an incredibly useful option if one has the skills and patience to use it.

Every operating system has issues. Something like the issue you mention will get fixed.

I've been through many different linux distro's and each one had their own issues, which came and went.

Windows itself IS an issue. Rather than get better, it gets worse and worse.

The main problem with Linux is that its all patched together piece-meal into an operating system.
While FreeBSD is put together by one team, top to bottom. Much better way to go.

I've seen enough. I'll stick with *BSD.
 
Another option...

Does anyone know if I can install an older version of wine, whichever version I want, on FreeBSD 13.1?
Or if there's anything I can install to control the version of Wine being used?

Another problem I had was that the current FreeBSD (v.13.1) was using Wine 7.x.
Would have to check my notes, but I'm pretty sure Wine made some big changes, especially as relating to old 32-bit programs,
with Wine v.7.x.

I tried to install an older version of FreeBSD so that I could get an older version of Wine,
but seems it wouldn't find the repos so I was forced to stick with the current
(or fairly recent) version of FreeBSD.
 
Thank you Dave-D, happy to have the exchange of ideas. I have been wanting a test case of using WINE to support business applications more so than games. Install Suyimazu on your FreeBSD and then from inside Suyimazu install WINE. There is WineTricks to make modifications for running specific applications. Some success and some failures, I found when google searching on word Suyimazu
https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/...-success-need-help-with-the-next-steps.87515/
https://codeberg.org/Alexander88207/Suyimazu
https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/co...ling_and_running_suyimazu_nothing_but_issues/ February 2023, Enable Logging and send a report back to Alexander88207. I see I answered this 23 days ago. Cool to read my own answer.

Another alternative is to remove Centos7 linuxulator install and setup Linuxulator for using Ubuntu 20
Youtube channel, www.youtube.com/@robonuggie is great for learning FreeBSD stuff.

I am glad for your sticking with FreeBSD and making it work for your office needs. I am highly interested to follow your journey to get those Windows apps running on your FreeBSD machine. One method if you have the windows licenses, is to use Bhyve to run a Windows VM and thereby run your windows accounting applications naturally. Others can help you with this Bhyve Windows Setup. Maybe Robonuggie has a Bhyve setup video?
 
Here's my very brute force solution. Until recently, I had three printers attached to my FreeBSD server. All are HP Laserjets, all are capable of printing PCL and PS. The oldest one was a 5MP connected via parallel port directly to my server. The two newer one are recent (last 5-10 year) Laserjets, models P2055 and P400, both with double-sided printing, one also with color, both connected via Ethernet. A few months ago, the Laserjet 5MP finally failed (after 25 years of use!). I do not believe in buying inexpensive printers or cheap toner, as I see that as a bad long-term investment.

On the software side, I do not use CUPS, as I find it to be way too complex and unnecessary. Instead, I use just traditional lpr, with a printcap file. The protocol used over the ethernet is just lpr. A completely trivial queue setup (with no filters) already allows printing Text/PCL and Postscript documents, using the simple commands "lpr -P foo x.txt", "lpr -P foo x.pcl" and "lpr -P foo_ps x.ps". The only difference between the regular queues and the postscript queue is the handling of Control D at the end of the input file. For printing PDF files, I initially installed ghostscript and used pdf2ps, followed by "lpr -P foo_ps ...".

I messed around with setting up print queues that could control double sided printing and paper size/source (by using a trivial print filter that prepends some postscript to control printer features). I quickly gave up on that: It's just easier to edit the postscript file directly with emacs.

Later I discovered that the only printing of postscript and PDF files was being done by desktop/laptop clients (running Windows/MacOS/Linux), not by the FreeBSD server itself (it only printed text files), so I removed the support of printing postscript from the printcap file. Today I still have two perfectly functioning Laserjets, controlled by a simple two-entry printcap and lpd.

Disclaimer: I'm a former Hewlett-Packard employee, but (a) the three HP printers were bought before or after I worked at HP, and (b) I had nothing to do with printing while working there.
 
I never understood why i needed to install the HPLIP drivers for my Canon printer.
And needed to manual download .ppd files & try them all out until one was working recto-verso.
 
I'm currently building a whole new enterprise system based on FreeBSD. My biggest challenges are still trying to get some of my old software working, as follows:

1. Accounting -> Will likely use Tryton ERP.

Since Gnucrash crashed, I wrote my own double entry accounting program.
With time I discovered possible improvements, but it is nothing hard to do.

ERP is something more than accounting.
 
Gnucash is good. But you need to tune it yourself.
It crashed at the very beginning, I think when I tried to load CSV data.
I did not have the patience.

My program runs much faster, without lag, and is very stable.
Written in tcl/tk+sqlite3. It is really simple. There is a lot to improve,
I have new ideas, but since it works for my purposes, I do not improve it.

For the bookings I use mainly three tables:

(1) the first for the accounts plan, accounts distributed as tree
(node, parent, position, label and some metadata on each entry).

(2) the second has an entry for each booking and contains metadata for
the booking. Here is among others the date of the booking.

(3) the third refers to the second and the first, has many entries for
each booking, representing debet or credit in an account for that booking.
On each entry is the valuta date. It would have been good to put here
the currency name, but I did it in the above one.

I have a table for annual balances, other tables for configuration, some
tables have configuration scripts, for example for classifying entries
from my bank account and converting them in a booking in my system,
or for doing booking according to the calendar.

After having the db architecture, there are some routines to write,
for example for calculating balances (according to valuta or booking date),
or for representing the data / balance, or for manually entering a booking.

No GnuCrash needed!
 
Having basically the same problem, I would like to see any recommended printer models.
At a business, I have a FreeBSD 12.4 system running with the HP P1102w laserprinter for many years. It uses cups-filters and foomatic-db.
All it has to do is print generated postscript or PDF files. Without interactive cups webbased configuration (which I find pathetic) would be nice,..
 
Having basically the same problem, I would like to see any recommended printer models.
At a business, I have a FreeBSD 12.4 system running with the HP P1102w laserprinter for many years. It uses cups-filters and foomatic-db.
All it has to do is print generated postscript or PDF files. Without interactive cups webbased configuration (which I find pathetic) would be nice,..
You need to install print/foo2zjs for that one. I'd know, I have this exact model. Once you install foo2zjs, that printer will print anything you like via CUPS, easy. Even if you don't like the CUPS config, the end result is pretty reliable, it was in my case...
 
You need to install print/foo2zjs for that one. I'd know, I have this exact model. Once you install foo2zjs, that printer will print anything you like via CUPS, easy. Even if you don't like the CUPS config, the end result is pretty reliable, it was in my case...
I have this printer working a long time but it's getting mechanical wear, so I need another model. What this system has to do is pull a bunch of numbers out of a cashing database and generate 2 postscript files. Also pdf files for a on-screen example. 1 problem it always had is that the paper botton doesn't entirely comply with the output. I can't reach the actual bottom of a A4 document using postscript code.

The configuration problem with Cups and this printer is that you have to boot into Windows with specified service pack to disable th wifi. Otherwise is a open printer that everybody can spam via wifi. Also, as far as I know a graphical GUI to do the first configuration and retrieve the correct config files is mandatory. Even if you replace it with a identical model, you have to do it over again. Both things suspiciously look like commercial bugging, just like the Logitech USB mouse that goes off and on forever, wasting your boot-up kernel output.
 
I have this printer working a long time but it's getting mechanical wear, so I need another model. What this system has to do is pull a bunch of numbers out of a cashing database and generate 2 postscript files. Also pdf files for a on-screen example. 1 problem it always had is that the paper botton doesn't entirely comply with the output. I can't reach the actual bottom of a A4 document using postscript code.

The configuration problem with Cups and this printer is that you have to boot into Windows with specified service pack to disable th wifi. Otherwise is a open printer that everybody can spam via wifi. Also, as far as I know a graphical GUI to do the first configuration and retrieve the correct config files is mandatory. Even if you replace it with a identical model, you have to do it over again. Both things suspiciously look like commercial bugging, just like the Logitech USB mouse that goes off and on forever, wasting your boot-up kernel output.
You can specify the A4 format in CUPS, and you get all kinds of other printer options... Not to mention you can SSH into that printer's IP address, or disable the wifi using a USB connection. or even, disable wifi over the wifi connection, if you know what you're doing. :p

As for USB mouse, those are cheap and good... FreeBSD works reliably with any no-name mouse, in my experience, if that mouse is a USB mouse. Just how bad does Logitech have to be so that a $90 USB mouse doesn't work under FreeBSD? 😲
 
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