[isilofi]

You very often also need some backchannel from the printer, e.g. for toner levels, available paper sizes, installed options. But there is a more important point:

Printer manufacturers also don't think like this. They desperately want to know what you are printing, order overpriced ink for you, sell additional services like print-by-mail, etc. All that won't work without lots of permissions for the printer support apps.

If it just were about the conversion path (print job, settings) -> (printer data stream), a PDL, filter program and a sandbox would be totally sufficient and nobody would ever need a "printer support app". If a printer needs such an app, it is already using too many privileges anyways, printer support apps should never be needed actually.

Edit: typo.

[rigid]

> Printer manufacturers also don't thing like this

at this point, what are they gonna do? Not provide windows drivers?

[vulcan01]

My family has an HP printer. My father uses Windows, and has had to install an HP app to scan documents. My Mac, on the other hand, can connect, print, and through the built-in "Printers & Scanners" panel in System Settings, or through the Print Center app.

I think this is probably a solved problem. Windows would have to support whatever API Macs use.

[monocasa]

CUPS runs fine on windows as it is.

The problem isn't a technical one.

[isilofi]

Provide drivers using the old model and a set of instructions to enable that.

Edit: I guess instructions won't even be necessary, as far as I've understood, there will just be a warning. And users are already trained to just ignore those.

[amluto]

> You very often also need some backchannel from the printer, e.g. for toner levels

Fine. That runs in a separate sandbox with access to the printer and the ability to display a UI. No other privileges.

> Printer manufacturers also don't think like this.

This is irrelevant. The whole article is about MS forcing a certain model on printer manufacturers.