Re: PC Magazine: It's Time to Get a Mac

ZnU wrote:

In article <37cbg.73487$_S7.21398@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"ed" <news_test@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


In news:6MSdnQA7Pf831_DZRVn-gw@xxxxxxxxxxx,
GreyCloud <mist@xxxxxxxxxxx> typed:

ed wrote:


In news:0001HW.C092A6D900027F74F0407530@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Tim Murray <no-spam@xxxxxxxxxxxx> typed:


On May 18, 2006, Super Spinner wrote:


How is connecting to a printer or the web easier on a Mac?
(The latter may be safer, though. ;-))

As far as printers are concerned, I find installing and configuring
printers far easier in OS X, and when I'm roaming around a building
with thousands of printers, that's rather important.


network printing is one of the areas where windows really shines
compared to os x- the ability to automatically download and load the
printer drivers is priceless.


You gotta be kidding! Getting a network printer to work on XP is a
pain and it isn't straight forward or logical.

what do you find so hard about it?


If the printer is part of a domain you're already connected to it's not so bad; just type the name. If you're setting up an IP printer manually, though, well....

Here's the first walkthrough that comes up:

http://uis.georgetown.edu/software/documentation/winxp/winxp.network.prin
ter.html

I'm particularly a fan of step three (where, in order to set up an IP network printer, you tell Windows you're configuring a local printer attached to the computer).


That is the confusion that M$ has entered.

Step 14 is also rather entertaining. That's the step where you have to select your printer model from a very long list of models, in a tiny little pane that can't be resized.

And oddly, if you have the vendor CD it still screws up.


I also rather like that one has to take a break from the printer set-up wizard to use the port setup wizard, and when one is done, there are two things the user has to worry about in Windows if anything goes wrong: the printer configuration and a network port configuration.

For the same of comparison, here's how to set up an IP printer in OS X:

1) Go to System Preferences -> Print and Fax

2) Click the plus button under the printer list

3) Click 'IP Printer'

4) Choose a protocol (LPD, IPP, HP Jet Direct)

5) Type in a queue name, IP address, and the name and location you want displayed for the printer

6) As soon as you type in the IP, OS X will query the printer to find out what model it is, and automatically make the right driver selection.

7) Click 'Add'.

That's it. Seven steps rather than 23, and they actually make sense, even.


It did make sense and was very straight forward.


--
Where are we going?
And why am I in this handbasket?
.