laser-lovers@uw-beaver.UUCP (11/09/84)
From: RSanders@DENVER.ARPA
Background:
===========
We have a VAX 11/750 running 4.1 BSD Unix. Attached to an RS232 port
we have an Imagen 8/300 with 512Kb memory (basic unit, $9950). 8/300
has version 2.04 "firmware" (i.e. floppy for 68000 in processor.)
Our primary use is for troff output of scientific manuscripts. Some
use of nroff & daisy mode for graduate theses.
We got the 8/300 in late September, approx. 3 weeks *ahead* of
schedule. We have run about 6000 pages through it sofar.
Problems (in pseudo-random order):
==================================
- Imagen wants 4.1 BSD to go away. All their current Unix software
development efforts are aimed at 4.2 BSD. I have fixed many obvious
(e.g. won't compile) source code errors in the 4.1 BSD code they
supplied.
- The serial packet protocol does not work with more than 1 job in the
queue. Jobs get scrambled, intermixed, and dumped by the dozens into
the infamous ipd/prob directory. Imagen software support tells me this
is a firmware problem that will be fixed in version 2.1.
- Version 2.1 firmware will be available "Real Soon Now" - the date
seems to be moving forward at about 1 week per week.
- Talking to different software support people will get you quite
different answers to quite basic questions (e.g. "Is this a known
bug?").
- In daisy mode, characters printed in the first column are cut in
half. This bug is supposed to be fixed in 2.1.
- In daisy mode, you can get almost anything but 66 lines per page of
output. The closest I can get is 65 or 68. This bug is supposed to be
fixed in 2.1.
- The simple serial protocol software required extensive hacking and
second-guessing to get running, mostly in impspool.c and ixs.c. This
is supposed to be a non-problem under 4.2 BSD.
- The daisy language gives mangled output with "nroff -T300" or "nroff
-T450", mostly because daisy doesn't support graphics mode. I have
written the appropriate nroff driver tables and sent them to Imagen.
- Don't no-scroll (control-S) the console for too long if you have job
reporting on. Eventually some output buffer gets full and the system
hangs - must reboot to get going again.
- Cut marks inserted by the Berkeley-hacked me, ms, and man macro
packages give the Imagen software minor, annoying hiccups. Removing
the cut marks has not affected the output on the Imagen or our Versatec
V80, and has actually improved our nroff output (cut marks threw the
line count off). Figuring out how to remove *all* the cut marks in the
me package is an adventure.
- If you don't have troff source code, you could have a hard time
supporting multiple output devices (e.g. Versatec and Imagen).
- The troff hacks supplied by Imagen for 4.1 BSD didn't work, so I did
my own.
- You can only use the standard Computer Modern font family (similar to
Hershey for you vtroff fans), with the software supplied by Imagen,
even though Imagen supplies fonts for a sans-serif family.
- No documentation is currently available for hacking your own driver
tables to take advantage of the other fonts - and it's *not* obvious
from looking at the source code, as one support person claimed.
- 19.2 Kbps RS232 link is not supported under 2.04 software, supposed
to be supported under 2.1 software. 9600 bps works fine.
- The simple serial protocol must use the 7-bit path under 4.1 BSD
unless you have CTS toggled flow-control in your RS232 hardware. This
is mostly 4.1 BSD's problem (i.e. no XON/XOFF with 8-bit ("RAW")). This
results in about 3 to 1 expansion of characters transmitted for troff
output.
- The documentation is scrambled. I got nothing specific to the 8/300
except the standard Canon LBP-CX stuff. The firmware described is
about 1.8. The software support people frequently tell me "the
documentation lied".
- The floppy disk goes in notch down, label facing the button. I
didn't discover this until a couple hours of flailing and a call to
Imagen *hardware* support. This tiny, but important detail is not
documented anywhere.
- The local rep for Imagen seems to only transmit orders and money
(both one-way of course), and is useless for anything else, including
purchasing small quantities of toner cartridges.
- The font examples supplied on our tape were all for 240 dpi. They
printed OK, just reduced in size. They did make us drool over all the
fonts we didn't get, of course.
- The "200 fonts" that come with the Imagen Unix tape are not 200 font
*families*. Each font family represents about 60 of those fonts (15
sizes times (Roman Italics Bold Special)).
- The 100 page paper tray is too small. I'm also worried about
it breaking with many users stuffing paper into it.
Good points:
============
- The 8/300 has excellent output. All the users here are very happy
with the speed and quality.
- The daisy output has been accepted for a Master's thesis by a
university that has been *very* picky in the past about anything not
typed by hand on an IBM Selectric. The ability to run almost any kind
of paper through the machine is a real plus here.
- The unit has been very reliable - no hardware problems.
- The software and hardware people have been extremely courteous, and
mostly very helpful over the phone.
- I like having the source code for everything on the Unix end - at
least I can hack it myself ("Please mother, I'd rather hack it myself"
- obscure reference to 60's TV commercial).
Other notes:
============
- HP LaserJet toner cartridges work just fine in the Imagen, are
available in small quantities from several computer stores in our area
(Palo Alto, CA), and are cheaper than the ones from the local Imagen
rep ($99 vs $100). Make sure the computer store people understand the
difference between *toner* cartridges and *font* cartridges.
- Shaking a dead toner cartridge only gets you another 100 pages
or so, and is not worth it if you have another cartridge handy.
The new cartridge will give your better ouput, besides.
- Don't try to stuff too much paper in the tray - you will get a paper
jam. Also be careful about wrinkling the paper as you stuff it under
the metal "ears".
Questions:
==========
- How about support for more than one font family under troff?
- How about more 300dpi fonts?
- How about graphics support under daisy? Shouldn't be *that* hard to
add.
Overall:
========
I would buy another one (we probably will anyway), and would
recommend the 8/300 to anyone with some Unix hacking experience. The
Unix software seems to be the low point - quality I would compare to
middle-level submissions to net.sources, rather than debugged software
from a commercial company in the software business. I think that with
time, most or all of the bugs will be worked out. Now if only I can get
around to the 4.1 -> 4.2 conversion...
Disclaimer:
===========
This message does not represent official anything or anyone, just my
observations and opinions.
-- Rex
RSanders.Pascalx@usgs2-multics (arpa/milnet)