Hello, Some clarification: The Braille and Speak can produce documents on itself. My sister then wants to print these documents directly from the device to a printer. The dos machine is connected through thin ethernet to the linux box. I therefore want to create a setup where one can plug the serial cable of the Braille and Speak into the linux box and give the print instruction from the Braille and Speak so that the printer starts printing, using the linux printer driver to drive it. regards, Willem On Mon, 10 Jun 2002, Gil Andre wrote: > > Hi, > > Some parts of your message are not very clear... > > On Mon, 10 Jun 2002 12:18:40 +0200 (SAST), Willem wrote: > > She want to replace this printer with a new printer, > > prefferably, one of these multi-functionnal printer/ > > scanner/fax machines. > > Bad news: most of these are *not* supported under Linux, > only Windows. > > > I am almost certain that one will not find a new printer that can > > accept text as it will come from the Braille and Speak because these > > things need drivers. > > ??? > > Not necessarily. Most printers today can emulate (as a > last resort) an IBM printer, which can certainly accept > raw IBM PC/DOS data from the parallel port. Check the > specs of the printer you'd like to buy. > > Another possibility would be to use a Postscript printer, > or the "Ghostscript" filter, which can take any Postscript > file and print it on almost every single printer out there. > > For more information on printer, I recommend the "Linux > Printing" web site, at the following address: > http://www.linuxprinting.org > > This is the best site if you need info on how to print > something under Linux. > > > Currently she is using a 486 running RedHat with which the internet > > connection and email is handled. This box is accessed with another > > 486 running dos with a prose 4000 speech card. > > What kind of access is that? I suppose it's some sort of serial > link, running under a terminal software, am I correct? > > > I was thinking that one can by a new linus-supported printer and make the > > linux box "listen" on the serial port for data from the braille and speak. > > IF the above is true (serial link from one PC to the other) > THEN you don't need anything: your sister is simply connecting > to Linux, and all the printing can be managed by the machine > running Linux. > > Therefore, if she needs to edit a file to be printed and > sent, all she needs to do is this: > > login: xyz > password: (xyz) > vi (name_of_file) > (save file under vi) > enscript -jvG (name_of_file) > > If the Linux machine has been properly configured, then the > printer attached to it should print the file once the "enscript" > command has been used. That's all there is to it! > > If she wants to send a fax, there are command-line utilities > that should be able to "print" any message to a fax/modem, > attached to the Linux 486. > > As an aside, this is one of the greatest advantages of Linux: > since it is a "true" UNIX-like operating system, you can use > 99.99% of its functionalities through a standard, basic serial > console. Use OpenSSH over a network link if you are concerned > about the security of the machines -- otherwise, that's it! > > > Whatever i set up for her would have to be easy to use. > > Thanks for any ideas! > > If she does not have a lot of experience under Linux, you > should replace "vi" by "nano" or some other simple editor. > I use "nano" on my machine when I am too tired to remember > the commands of vi... <grin>. > > Hope this helps! > > Best Regards, > > > -- Willem van der Walt Information Services Directorate Department of Health South Africa tel: 27 12 3120700