Examination of a Linux Gui, w/color commentary

[travis at scootz.net]

> However his "idea" that the whole thing
> should just discover your network and list for you only the available
> options is tad bit off as well.

Why is making networks easier to use a bad idea?

> How would it know that you had
> permissions to actually print to each printer?

It should be able to check that you have permissions and not add it to
your list of printers if you can't print to it.

> What if it "recommends"
> the wrong or sub-optimal printer?

You go into your list of printers and change the default.

> What if it finds 2 identical printers
> in two distant areas of the building and confuses the user about which
> one should be used?

While the printer models could be the same they should have some kind of
name. It's up to whoever set up the network to name the printer's properly
(3rd floor Deskjet whatever, Joe's LaserJet II, etc)

> This all sounds (to me) too much like the mindset
> of "the software should think for me and make all my decisions as well"
> that (I thought) so many linux users despised?

I think the problem linux users have with any kind of auto config is that
it doesn't config stuff the way THEY want. And that's fine, just turn off
the auto config. Apple does it with Rendezvous, and that's just an
implentation of Zero Conf that is available for Linux and is open source.