On 2019-05-11, Lew Pitcher  wrote:
> Doug Laidlaw wrote:
>
>> On 9/5/19 5:47 am, Markus Robert Kessler wrote:
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> during the last days I tried to install a Printer / Fax from HP (M127fn)
>>> on several different platforms.
>>>
>>> On every OS it seems the same: You can only get these printers to work
>>> when installing a mandatory proprietary "plugin". This plugin originally
>>> comes from HP and you will never see the sources. It's just a binary
>>> "run" file which you may trust and invoke, or not.
>>>
>>> As if this was not bad enough, the run file seems to have moved to a
>>> different location some days ago, and, hence, on e.g. Mageia 6
>>> installation failed completely, and on Raspbian Stretch I had to do an
>>> "apt-get update" prior to being able to proceed.
>>>
>>> But even after that I got complaints about not fitting pgp checks and had
>>> to continue even though the plugin potentially was manipulated.
>>>
>>> So, at least, this has nothing to do with OpenSource philosophy.
>>>
>>> I am wondering why so many people running Linux for higher security, are
>>> nevertheless agreeing on having non-OpenSource components like this on
>>> their machines.
>>>
>>> - Has anyone found out, what this "plugin" exactly does? And, to which
>>> locations the installer ("run file") writes or modifies files?
>>>
>>> - Are there alternatives as true Open Source drivers?
>>> I know that high end laser printers can be accessed via PCL or PS
>>> protocol, but not so with HP Fax Lasers.
>>>
>>> Any ideas highly appreciated!
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>>
>>> Markus
>>>
>>>
>> You probably know about the Linux Printer Driver Web site.  It is so
>> long since I looked at it, that I can't quote the URL.
>
> It used to be linuxprinting.org, but that got absorbed by the Linux
> Foundation, and is now http://www.openprinting.org.
>
> Linux "Printer Drivers" (that is, "Postscript Printer Definition" (PPD)
> files) can be found at http://www.openprinting.org/drivers

But PPD files are about as far from closed source as you can find.
So I have no idea what the OP is talking about with hplip being closed
source. It isn't.


>
>> My wife has an HP laptop, and I used to have one.  It takes ages to
>> start up.  It is too big to be portable, but I can't imagine customers
>> being happy with the delay.  I initially chose Brother printers, because
>> they support Linux.
>>
>> I own a Raspberry Pi, but haven't used it as a normal computer.
>
>

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