[Printing-architecture] RHEL 8 and system-config-printer GUI removal

[Printing-architecture] RHEL 8 and system-config-printer GUI removal

[Zdenek Dohnal]

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Hi all,

Red Hat released new RHEL major version, 8, where desktop team and
cockpit team led initiative for removal of GUIs system-config-* projects
like system-config-printer.

These teams decided that GNOME control center for clients and CUPS web
interface (or cockpit using CUPS web interface) for servers are valid
alternatives, so system-config-printer GUI is not needed. The library
for dbus methods used by control-center, scp-dbus-service and udev
subpackage (tools for automatic printer installation) stay in the release.

Because of that development (work priorities were shifted) I would like
to ask if someone would be interested in working in cooperation as
system-config-printer upstream - for GUI part especially, where there is
request for IPP everywhere support. I'm trying to at least maintain the
project, but unfortunately I cannot find much time to implement new
features in the present.

Have a nice day,

Zdenek

-- 
Zdenek Dohnal
Software Engineer
Red Hat Czech - Brno TPB-C



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Re: [Printing-architecture] RHEL 8 and system-config-printer GUI removal

[Till Kamppeter]

On 20/05/2019 12:43, Zdenek Dohnal wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> Red Hat released new RHEL major version, 8, where desktop team and
> cockpit team led initiative for removal of GUIs system-config-* projects
> like system-config-printer.
> 
> These teams decided that GNOME control center for clients and CUPS web
> interface (or cockpit using CUPS web interface) for servers are valid
> alternatives, so system-config-printer GUI is not needed. The library
> for dbus methods used by control-center, scp-dbus-service and udev
> subpackage (tools for automatic printer installation) stay in the release.
> 

With this and with the conversion of scp-dbus-service to C which will 
(hopefully) happen this summer we could split system-config-printer into 
2 projects, one would be the core part, completely in C 
(/lib/udev/udev-configure-printer is already in C) and the other would 
be the GUI, continuing in Python. We can try to get the student to also 
convert /lib/udev/udev-add-printer).

> Because of that development (work priorities were shifted) I would like
> to ask if someone would be interested in working in cooperation as
> system-config-printer upstream - for GUI part especially, where there is
> request for IPP everywhere support. I'm trying to at least maintain the
> project, but unfortunately I cannot find much time to implement new
> features in the present.

Ubuntu also uses GNOME Control Center as default printer setup GUI and 
so a default installation of Ubuntu Desktop also does not contain the 
system-config-printer GUI (The Debian packages are split appropriately), 
so Ubuntu also does not make use of the system-config-printer GUI.

SUSE is also not using the system-config-printer GUI. Server users are 
using the CUPS web interface, as with Red Hat, desktop users use YaST, 
it is unmaintained, should it not suffice any more, one could perhaps 
recommend GNOME Control Center there, too.

So with this one question for me is which distros will continue using 
the system-config-printer GUI, so that we should ask there whether they 
would overtake maintainership.

If you want to get the hosting out of your personal GitHub (and also out 
of Red Hat) we can move system-config-printer into the OpenPrinting 
GitHub, at least in the Core (C) part I would also contribute stuff and 
for sure I will also open GSoC projects.

For the GUI (Python) part it depends on which and how many distros want 
it. It is simply only one, they could host and maintain it themselves. A 
hosting on OpenPrinting makes sense as if a maintainer abandons it it 
does not need to get re-hosted when anotherone takes on. I simply change 
commit permissions.

    Till

Re: [Printing-architecture] RHEL 8 and system-config-printer GUI removal

[Zdenek Dohnal]

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On 5/20/19 2:08 PM, Till Kamppeter wrote:
> On 20/05/2019 12:43, Zdenek Dohnal wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Red Hat released new RHEL major version, 8, where desktop team and
>> cockpit team led initiative for removal of GUIs system-config-* projects
>> like system-config-printer.
>>
>> These teams decided that GNOME control center for clients and CUPS web
>> interface (or cockpit using CUPS web interface) for servers are valid
>> alternatives, so system-config-printer GUI is not needed. The library
>> for dbus methods used by control-center, scp-dbus-service and udev
>> subpackage (tools for automatic printer installation) stay in the
>> release.
>>
>
> With this and with the conversion of scp-dbus-service to C which will
> (hopefully) happen this summer we could split system-config-printer
> into 2 projects, one would be the core part, completely in C
> (/lib/udev/udev-configure-printer is already in C) and the other would
> be the GUI, continuing in Python. We can try to get the student to
> also convert /lib/udev/udev-add-printer).
>
>> Because of that development (work priorities were shifted) I would like
>> to ask if someone would be interested in working in cooperation as
>> system-config-printer upstream - for GUI part especially, where there is
>> request for IPP everywhere support. I'm trying to at least maintain the
>> project, but unfortunately I cannot find much time to implement new
>> features in the present.
>
> Ubuntu also uses GNOME Control Center as default printer setup GUI and
> so a default installation of Ubuntu Desktop also does not contain the
> system-config-printer GUI (The Debian packages are split
> appropriately), so Ubuntu also does not make use of the
> system-config-printer GUI.
>
> SUSE is also not using the system-config-printer GUI. Server users are
> using the CUPS web interface, as with Red Hat, desktop users use YaST,
> it is unmaintained, should it not suffice any more, one could perhaps
> recommend GNOME Control Center there, too.
>
> So with this one question for me is which distros will continue using
> the system-config-printer GUI, so that we should ask there whether
> they would overtake maintainership.
>
> If you want to get the hosting out of your personal GitHub (and also
> out of Red Hat) we can move system-config-printer into the
> OpenPrinting GitHub,
Ok, we can do that. I would like to still have commit access though, so
I could help with some issues+merging. I'll initiate the process next
Monday.
> at least in the Core (C) part I would also contribute stuff 
Actually I thought I gave you commit access to s-c-p.
> and for sure I will also open GSoC projects.
>
> For the GUI (Python) part it depends on which and how many distros
> want it. It is simply only one, they could host and maintain it
> themselves. A hosting on OpenPrinting makes sense as if a maintainer
> abandons it it does not need to get re-hosted when anotherone takes
> on. I simply change commit permissions.
Sounds reasonable, thank you for the help!
>
>
>    Till

-- 
Zdenek Dohnal
Software Engineer
Red Hat Czech - Brno TPB-C



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