Badly out of date HPLIP

[geezer]

I just posted the following to the HPLIP launchpad answers forum

I would like to Thank the developers of HPLIP and those who support it.

I asked about HPLIP support for the HP Color LaserJet CM1312nfi MFP. I was directed to a web page that indicated support.

I purchased the printer yesterday and installed under Windows Vista first and then booted Kubuntu (Hardy Heron).

I unplugged the USB cable and plugged back in and a message popped up that the driver was installed. Looked in CUPS and sure enough the Printer was listed.

I was flying high.

Then I booted HPLIP and the printer was listed but was reported as unsupported. I tried many things yesterday to get HPLIP working with the printer to no avail. HPLIP just simply refused to recognize the printer.

Went to bed late and thought of many things to try and did so immediately this morning. HPLIP still refused to recognize the printer. Tried plugging into my router and setting it up as a networked printer. HPLIP still refused to recognize the printer.

Throughout all of this, applications were able to send output to the printer which printed great.

I was pretty upset by this time. Booted HPLIP clicked on the help button - I figured I would vent on why I had purchased a non-supported printer that was supposed to be supported.

Wrote down the HPLIP version number (2.8.2) and device manager version number (11.0).

The web site came up in Firefox. It took me about 1 minute to realize that I was using HPLIP 2.8.2 that came with Kubuntu and the current version was 2.9.2. The firmware version number on my printer indicated a date of 2/2008, which was about the time HPIP 2.8.2 was released.

The bulb came on.

I donwloaded 2.9.2 and installed. The install went perfectly. It recognized the Color LaserJet CM1312nfi MFP.

The new version also seems to have cleared up some problems I was having with a LaserJet 1220se and the old version of HPLIP not being able to communicate with it.

So instead of ranting, I wish to thank the developers for their ongoing efforts and great product. HPLIP is the reason I now have 3 HP printers connected to the same computer.

Why is the Kubuntu HPLIP version so badly out of date

I installed Hardy Heron when it came out and have kept it updated with all updates as they have been flagged.

I ran syntaptic and the version listed for HPLIP is the 2.8.2 that I had.

Shouldn't somebody update it??

[jglen490]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

Once Kubuntu freezes features, the only updates from Kubuntu are those things that fix problems (i.e., security issues) without the risk or possibility of screwing something up - massively. So once Kubuntu releases peripheral software such as print drivers, that for the most part work well, they're not going to release a later version. Also, how is Kubuntu supposed to test every printer with every new release -- simply not possible. Each user is welcome to take on the risk of loading new software versions that are not in the repos.

For the most part, HPLIP is low risk and when HPLIP shows a printer as being supported by a certain minimum release level, they probably mean it. Such as:

HP Color LaserJet cm1312nfi Multifunction Printer

Support Information:
Item Description
Minimum HPLIP version 2.8.10
Support level Full (See note11.)
Recommended? Yes (See note15.)

It is advisable to check exactly what software is on your machine. For the most part, HPLIP does a fine job for free software.

[geezer]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

Once Kubuntu freezes features, the only updates from Kubuntu are those things that fix problems (i.e., security issues) without the risk or possibility of screwing something up - massively. So once Kubuntu releases peripheral software such as print drivers, that for the most part work well, they're not going to release a later version. Also, how is Kubuntu supposed to test every printer with every new release -- simply not possible. Each user is welcome to take on the risk of loading new software versions that are not in the repos.

For the most part, HPLIP is low risk and when HPLIP shows a printer as being supported by a certain minimum release level, they probably mean it. Such as:

HP Color LaserJet cm1312nfi Multifunction Printer

Support Information:
Item Description
Minimum HPLIP version 2.8.10
Support level Full (See note11.)
Recommended? Yes (See note15.)

It is advisable to check exactly what software is on your machine. For the most part, HPLIP does a fine job for free software.

Yep - i can totally agree with everything you say. BUT - I find it difficult to believe that I am the only person needing to buy new printers to plug into a Linux box. Printer models are changing and being replaced about as fast as Linux is being developed. I have noticed that since I installed Kubuntu Hardy Heron when the icon notified me of an update, that the kernal has been through 2.6.24-16,17,18,19,21,22,23

Now I can personally attest to the fact that 2 or 3 of those updates did screw some things up which I suffered with until the next update or 2 which fixed them. Right now the system is running pretty good - the USB subsystem still needs work, but works tolerably 95% of the time. Unfortunately it seems like I really, really need it on the 5% - then a reboot works mostly.

So from personal experience, I still find it difficult to understand why HPLIP is left to stagnate when as you say "HPLIP is low risk".

I may suggest that the HPLIP developers set-up a (K)Ubuntu repository that I can hook to with Synaptic and get automatic updates.

[geezer]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

.................Also, how is Kubuntu supposed to test every printer with every new release -- simply not possible........................

Kubuntu doesn't have to - that is what HPLIP does for HP printers. I thank HP for actively supporting HP printers under Linux and Open Source their efforts. HP support for Linux is the only reason I keep going back to HP for printers - well also because the printers are so darned good.

All Kubuntu has to do is test HPLIP and automagically they have support for ALL of the HP printers supported by HPLIP and that is a loooooooooong list of printers.

Now if Brother, Lexmark, Epson, Canon, etc., etc did the same, then Kubuntu would be able to support all printers with up-to-date drivers and tools very easily.

[blobfish]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

I just helped my parents out with a brand new hp printer on hardy (8.04). I went to sourceforge and got the latest hplip version. It had a shell script to run and it went very smooth!!!! I was skeptical at first, but was left very impressed.

[geezer]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

I just helped my parents out with a brand new hp printer on hardy (8.04). I went to sourceforge and got the latest hplip version. It had a shell script to run and it went very smooth!!!! I was skeptical at first, but was left very impressed.

Yes - that's how I updated tpo the latest version and got excellant support for my new HP printer. The HPLIP s/w just keeps getting better and better.

The only problem I have with installing via their 'run' file is that then my aptitude db is incorrect. I used to update most of my s/w from source. Then the maintenance db got badly out of whack because of that. Now that aptitude & synaptic do such an excellent job, I hate to go the source route anymore.

I asked in another thread, but I'll ask here also just in case:

There is a s/w app that runs the configure file for an application, which compiles and installs the s/w. The app then builds the deb file and updates the aptitude db. I can pass the deb file on to others so that they can update without going through the configure/compile/install. But the main feature for me is that then the aptitude db is maintained properly and is up-to-date.

Can anybody remember the name of this s/w??

[blobfish]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

do you mean using checkinstall instead of install? I too am nervous about these install scripts messing up the package system. I didn't check too see if the hplip script worked with the package system. I am guessing it did, but I will check my parents machine if I think of it.

[jglen490]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

.................Also, how is Kubuntu supposed to test every printer with every new release -- simply not possible........................

Kubuntu doesn't have to - that is what HPLIP does for HP printers. I thank HP for actively supporting HP printers under Linux and Open Source their efforts. HP support for Linux is the only reason I keep going back to HP for printers - well also because the printers are so darned good.

All Kubuntu has to do is test HPLIP and automagically they have support for ALL of the HP printers supported by HPLIP and that is a loooooooooong list of printers.

Now if Brother, Lexmark, Epson, Canon, etc., etc did the same, then Kubuntu would be able to support all printers with up-to-date drivers and tools very easily.

I have installed a later version of HPLIP than what *buntu provides a bunch of times. The install always works. And if you uninstall the stock version of HPLIP from the *buntu release before installing the latest version, then apt/synaptic/dpkg will not ever be confused.

Again, once a release is out in the wild, extensive testing is required to release any new version of anything. Limited testing resources and much higher priority testing needs (in post release) mean a peripheral package such as HPLIP is simply not going to be tested and therefore not released until it is injected into the next major release cycle with a whole new kernel and a whole new release package of software.

Take another example -- OpenOffice.org. The release of Kubuntu will have a specific OOo included. Have you ever seen a point release, other than a minor point release for security fixes, of OOo after the major release? I don't know of anytime that has happened. Same thing with Koffice, or Abiword, or (insert a software name here). It just doesn't happen -- Canonical is not going to risk several thousand installs (or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands) based on a guess that a new version of some software not under their control won't send a bunch of platforms to the big bit-bucket in the sky. It's just not going to happen. You and I can take that risk, but I guarantee that they won't.

[blobfish]

Re: Badly out of date HPLIP

Canonical is not going to risk several thousand installs (or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands) based on a guess that a new version of some software not under their control won't send a bunch of platforms to the big bit-bucket in the sky.

And we thank them for that!