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List:       konsole-devel
Subject:    Re: [Konsole-devel] [Bug 127285] Honor VT100 Remote Printing
From:       lars.doelle () on-line ! de
Date:       2006-05-21 21:33:05
Message-ID: 200605212333.05799.lars.doelle () on-line ! de
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Michael,

i have a patch on an archive tape somewhere that does it. I can dig it up \
for you.

I neverthenless hesitate to include it into the konsole - if it is about \
konsole's usability, as i believe, the solution to build it in is not the \
right way. Typically, were such a feature is used, it is actually about \
creating a multiplexer to tunnel data forth and back on the terminal line \
for various reasons.

Very typically are mere technical applications, e.g. a konsole build into a \
technical device, which is controlled over the remote line, too. Now the \
number of such channels vary, as does the programs accepting or sending \
data - there are not only printers that can be attached to terminals, but \
also "readers", like balances or bar code readers to be concrete.

I have seen this in more "commertial" applications, where they even allow \
to pass any command lines over the back channel. Thus, what the "printer" \
is on the other side, might vary extremely.

The alternative would be a complete separate program, say "ptytunnel", that \
hooks between the konsole and the telnet/ssh/serial line. One could for \
instance say "ptytunnel ssh me@host". Now ptytunnel could have a \
configuration and filter out perhaps configurable escape sequences, \
switching channels, starting program that communicate with device, etc. \
Often a remote application would like to know, whether the attached device \
is ready or available at all, etc, etc.

Likely, printing demands can vary. If it is only a file to print, ok, [4i \
goes to the spooler, if a real printer is attached (think of a PDA-like \
device), [4i might only switch channels, but does not close, etc.

To cope with all such diversities, my preferred solution is actually to \
have such a feature not being integrated into the konsole, but to have it \
as a separate program, much like "writed" is separate from the konsole. The \
advantage would also be to allow to run any terminal program on top of it, \
much like any terminal program runs on top of telnet or ssh. I have looked \
in sf.net and freshmeat.net, but such a program does not appear to be \
available.

Michael, I'm currently too busy with other stuff, so i cannot spent the \
week it needs to code such as thing. If you know a C-programmer who thinks \
such a thing would be fun, i can help with a specification and technical \
details.

I do understand that you ask for something simple, that you want the banana \
but not the gorilla. I thus can dig up the patch for the [5i and [4i stuff \
for your personal use these days, but i'm not in favour to integrate it \
into the konsole. There, my preference is clearly a "ptytunnel" solution as \
sketched above.

-lars
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