Re: flexfax: Hylafax future (SAMBA)

[Shuvam Misra <shuvam@spacenetindia.com>]

| Ive watched the discussion on the windows client / printing thing .. and
| am pretty much against using samba to achieve this ...

I expect some of you will feel this way, but I've been using both for
some time now (about three years for Hylafax, and two for Samba) and I
feel that Samba is very simple. There are only a few things to remember
and only one file to edit if you start with the binaries. And this file
has just about five to six lines to edit if you want to set up a network
printer. If you're using Linux, I really think Samba is a very simple
thing to set up. Others who've done it the first time also agree.

| Now while the addition of a samba server seems straight forward, its like
| adding *another* full package to the system .. ie. not a helper package.
| Adding samba and the configuration that goes along with it is like setting
| up another hylafax server ... it has its own problems, compatibility or
| otherwise and more importantly .. Hylfax would rely heavily on Samba for
| this particular functionality ... If something changes in Samba .. and breaks
| HylaFAX then there not much you can do other than change HylaFAX ...

I feel Samba is les trouble than GS alone. Did you know that many
Windows PS drivers generate PS output which needs patching gs_init.ps?

And in any case, once you install Samba, you don't need to upgrade or
tamper with it. Samba's functionality is quite basic, and as long as
nothing changes with your Windows desktop OS versions, nothing needs to
change with Samba, I'd think.

| While the other road of making the dll's or wotever talk to hylafax properly
| is the more difficult solution .. I think its the way to go with this type
| of problem if it is implemented with HylaFAX...

I'd like to see someone say so, after trying to develop robust systems
software on Windows. I'm just being practical, not elegant.

Shuvam