zsd@PIG.DREA.DND.CA (Jim Diamond) (03/09/90)
We're thinking of buying an Apple LaserWriter NTX for either our 3130 or 4D/50. Our sales people tell us that we need a $1500 software option to run these. It wasn't clear from my queries whether or not someone was trying to sell me troff software, which we don't want. Rather, we want to be able to print postscript and ASCII files; Can anyone tell me if there is any reliable public domain (or even cheaper) software available to run such a printer with the spooling software (?!) which comes with a 3130 or 4D system? Further, does anyone know where I can obtain software which will allow us to spool files to a printer on our ethernet? Thanks. Jim Diamond zsd@pig.drea.dnd.ca
blbates@AERO4.LARC.NASA.GOV ("Brent L. Bates AAD/TAB MS294 x42854") (03/09/90)
Someone is trying to sell you something you probably don't need.
I have run all sorts of printers off our 3130, using both the serial
and parallel ports. I just read the manuals to set up hardwired
serial printers and also on parallel printers. If you already have
PostScript files from some some where you just use lp to send them
to the printer. If you don't have PostScript files you will either
have to write some kind of script to do what you want or get something
like TeX or Transcript to get the Postscript files.
I had a NEC 890 SilentWriter connected to both our parallel and
serial ports just last week. (We have a Tektronix 4693D color copier
and when we weren't using it I had the laser printer plugged into
the parallel port and when we needed color copies, I used the serial
port instead.) In /usr/spool/lp/etc/util there are some printer
utilities one is mkcentpr. I used it to get things started and then
when to /usr/spool/lp/interface and changed the interface script
file to delete the SGI filter, so that files would be sent to the
Centronix port unaltered. I had to some similar things for the serial
port all of which are in the manual. Appendix C of the OS 3.5 manuals
(manual says Version 2.0) or Section 7.9 of the OS 3.6 manuals (manual
says Version 3.0). If you have the older manual, use it, the documentation
is much better than the new manual. SGI eliminated a lot of useful
information in the newer manual.
--
Brent L. Bates
NASA-Langley Research Center
M.S. 294
Hampton, Virginia 23665-5225
(804) 864-2854
E-mail: blbates@aero4.larc.nasa.gov or blbates@aero2.larc.nasa.govbaskett%forest@SGI.COM (03/10/90)
The software in question is Transcript. It is from Adobe. You don't adsolutely have to have it but it provides a lot of useful utilities. It does make life easier. It is grossly overpriced. That is not our fault this time. We make no profit on it. It is the sort of software that you would pay $49.95 for if it were for a Mac or a PC. Forest Baskett Silicon Graphics