OpenPrinting keeps old printers working, even on Windows • The Register
Ubuntu Summit The OpenPrinting project – together with Windows Services for Linux – enables printers that Windows no longer supports to work on Windows 11.
We know that there are some. Reg Windows is still the preferred operating system by many readers. It could be like the Vi and Emacs users in the 21st Century: a software-induced Stockholm Syndrome. It’s okay if you are one of them. The penguin is there for you. It can help Windows 11 users, and in particular.
Finally, Windows is losing some of its legacy support. For example, 32-bit hardware support is no longer available. A vertical taskbar is not allowed anymore (unless Explorer Patcher is used). Old drivers are disappearing. Maybe you have some ancient laser printers – old enough to vote – or an all-in-one device that still prints fine but doesn’t have a driver for Windows 11.
Linux is notably better at supporting really old hardware – and that includes really old printers. If the driver can still compile, it will not be removed. CUPS’s printing system is still being maintained even though it was sold to Apple in 2020. It is now under the OpenPrinting project.
Till Kamppeter, project manager, gave a brief talk about one of the new features of the project: printing from Windows via OpenPrinting within WSL.
OpenPrinting developers converted all of the project’s older drivers into new-style. Printing Applications They were packed for the Snap store in preparation for Canonical’s planned modernization Ubuntu’s printing subsystem.
Kamppeter’s slides [PDF] It’s easy to see how it works with a demonstration video. Canonical has made significant efforts to support WSL, including a demo video. The Reg As noted previously. This contrasts sharply with Red Hat’s approach where Oracle Linux was the first member of the extended family of IBM subsidiaries to appear on Windows Store.
The basic idea is that you download WSL from Microsoft Store, then install Ubuntu. You add the OpenPrinting “snap” (the term for a bundle of an app and its dependencies) and the snap with drivers for your old-but-still-functional printer, then point Windows at the WSL VM’s IP address. Presto – you can add, and then print to, a printer to which Windows itself can no longer talk.
The new app works due to WSL2 supporting systemd. Snap requires systemd. Ubuntu inside WSL is now able to run systemd. You can also install snaps on it. This means you can install the new OpenPrinting tools, drivers, and get things up and running in just a few mouse clicks.
Ubuntu is a great alternative to Windows. ®
