Ubuntu comes with drivers for most of your peripherals, except printer drivers, which normally are installed separately.  In a previous blog I have written favorably about the Canon MX850 compared to the equivalent HP ink-jet all-in-one printers.  Having a good feeling about Canon, I went to their web site and made an email inquiry about a printer driver for Ubuntu.  Here is their reply, “While considering the desire to provide the best possible support for Canon’s products, Canon must make decisions on which products to support when new operating systems are introduced.  Currently, Canon has decided to support only the Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh operating systems.”

Pardon me, Canon, but Ubuntu and Linux are not new operating systems.  They’ve been around almost as long as Windows, and the Apple operating system is based on Linux.

Have no fear, though, this happens occasionally and what you’ll find when you go looking for a solution is other solutions.  Searching further, for Canon printer drivers, there is a free solution, the CUPS-BNJP Printer Driver, which mimics the Canon BNJP printer protocol for the Canon Pixma printers and works over the network. This also works with the XSane scanning software provided with Ubuntu to allow scanning of documents.

CUPS-BNJP is based on CUPS, CUPS works with other printers besides Canon.  It was built for the Fedora distribution of Linux.  Since Ubuntu uses the Debian distribution, there may or may not be an issue in using CUPS with Ubuntu.  We can check that easily.  If you go to Applications->Ubuntu Software Center->Get Free Software->System Tools and scan through the list of available software, you’ll come to two choices: Printing, Printers.   If you click on “Printing,”  a CUPS printer driver is available.  “Printers” on the menu system gives you a GUI interface between CUPS and the printer.

CUPS uses your web browser to view print jobs, manage your printers, and for online help.  However, it makes use of the command line for its configuration.  The printer GUI in the Ubuntu Software Center. according to the software description,  seemed like it depended on some other software for configuring remote printers on a LAN,  if you don’t want to install a series of dependent software, or if you prefer not to use the command line interface, you probably want to check out a commercial solution, TurboPrint 2 for Linux.

TurboPrint 2 supports ink-jet printer’s from: HP, Bother, Epson, and Canon for all Linux distributions.  For the modest cost of $29 you can be ensured that you printer will function, and pick up a nice set of additional features with the software.

TurboPrint2 features include: high print resolutions, color management that matches screen document color to printed color, printer status monitoring to track print progress and errors, like a low ink cartridge, printing on both sides of the paper, print preview of what your about to print, and intelligent ink management to save ink and extend cartridge life. The one remaining question that I had is will it work on a printer attached to your network, and it will.  This intelligent printer utility has Windows and individual manufacturers printer drivers beat hands down.

The company provides a trial version to see if it will work on your system. You can download from the web and hook it up and if everything works, then purchase the software.  What’s not to like!

Given I was not sure about the Cups-BNJP distribution with Ubunutu,  the GUI configuration tool appeared to need additional software to pick up my printer on my LAN,  which meant there may be some additional configuration issues beyond just downloading the software, and  a free trial of TurboPrint was available, I decided to go with the TurboPrint option and give it a try.

TurboPrint Control Center and Printer Monitor

I downloaded the correct distribution for Ubuntu from their website. Clicked on the install button, the install wizard came up and installed the software.  The installation was painless.  The only thing that made me pause was the request to add a printer before other functionality was available.  This is done with the “Add” button in the Print Control Center.  My model Canon was recognized immediately on my LAN and that was it.  I printed a test page, checked the level of my ink cartridges, and was suitably impressed.

Considering I didn’t have to read any documentation, install several pieces of software,  or potentially do a command line configuration of the printer.  I was up and running in 5 minutes,  and had some one to turn to for support if any problems cropped up, it certainly is worth the $29 asking price for Turbo Print to me,  so much for printer drivers.

My recent problems with my main computer, detailed in another post, has allowed me to compare enclosures from different manufactures, and get a better idea of what I prefer in computer cases.

Computer cases come in four basic sizes.  A microATX Desktop size, either horizontal or vertical, for those who perfer tiny computers to put on their desk.  These require microATX motherboards.  And then there are three full ATX motherboard sizes: a miniTower, about 8.3″ high; a mid tower, about 17″ high, and a full tower, about  24″ high.

I only use full towers, yes, I know they are big, but I have the room in my office, and more important, my fingers are not the most dexterous.  I need the extra room to squeeze my fingers into the tight holes to plug-in all those cables.  As an aside, I highly recommend magnetic screw drivers when assembling computers to retrieve dropped screws.

I have recently worked with two different  brands of full tower computer cases, the older Antec P180 case, and the newer Gigabyte 3Dmars enclosure, by uninstalling and reinstalling components multiple times, I have some comparisons, and recommendations, if your purchasing a new computer case.

I purchased my original Antec P180 case about two years ago.  I was trying to build an extremely quiet, fast, graphic computer.  That meant I would have a lot of heat from the power supply,  graphic card, and the computer chip.  I wanted a large case with quiet,  120mm fans, there are three in the Antec case, and I decided the heavy steel enclosure would help deaden the sound.

The Antec case had problems.  There was a separate bottom compartment for the power supply.  I don’t like separate compartments, where non-standard size components cause major headaches.  I had purchased an extended, in length,  750W power supply that caused me to reconfigure the power supply auxiliary fan out of the compartment.  The power supply then barely fit into the compartment.   And I don’t know why Antec put the power supply compartment  at the bottom, so heat would rise into the rest of the computer.

The most anoying problem was the power switch was hard to operate.  Apparently steel and plastic don’t fit well together causing separation in the power switch.  It wouldn’t come on, you had to jiggle it, keep it pressed in, and then maybe it would come on.  In the end, I had to resort to shorting the power contacts on the motherboard with a screwdriver to start the computer, ugh.

The drives used screw-in rubber grommets that matched up to holes in the detachable drive compartment to suppress noise.  The DVD’s required you to mount rails to the sides of the DVD that clicked into the case.

The Gigabyte case was the newer case.  It had one big, huge enclosure.  There is plenty of room for easy assembly.  The power supply went in smoothly, in the top of the case, so heat leaves the enclosure without passing across the motherboard.  A better layout.  The case was a very sturdy aluminum, so it was lighter, but just as sturdy as the Antec steel case.  The power switch worked, oh joy!   One of the design features was scratch-resistent edges, so no cut fingers.  It had holes for liquid cooling, if I wanted to go that route.  There was a flip lid to anchor the plug-in boards, no screws.  Anyone who has had to screw in audio and video boards, knows what this means in not having to fish around for dropped screws.

The DVD slid in on the case rails without any screws, and was held in place with slide pressure pads, easy.  The hard drives had their own enclosure and were screwed into the side of the enclosure with big thumb screws.  Everything went into the case smoothly.

The Antec case arguably was quieter, but there’s something to be said for easy assembly.  The Gigabyte case gets outstanding reviews from users, including myself, it makes computer assembly a joy.  For years the name in computer cases has been Antec.  I’m here to report they have lost some of their luster, and I’ve switched.   My next case will be Gigabyte case.

I feel like a complete idiot, but if this can help one other person who builds their own computers, I’ll take the heat.  I searched all over the Internet to find the answer to this problem, and could not find anyone who had the solution, so here it is.

First the story… I had previously built my own computer, I had purchased a new PNY NVIDIA 8800 GTS “hot” video card, plugged it into the PCI Express x16 slot of a new Asus motherboard, fired it up, and, wahla, cool graphics.  I like computer games, especially playing them with my 9 year old son.  It ran without a hitch for two years.  We had a good time.

I purchased a nice hi-def TV.  My thought was, I would hook the computer graphics card to the TV, and play computer games on a big screen in high definition.  My son was excited, and so was I.

Right after I got the TV, before I could hook the computer to the TV, I came home from work one evening, and “Murphy” struck.  My computer wouldn’t start.  Not only did it not start, but when I turned the computer on, I got a long, uninterrupted, continuous, wailing sound.  My ears hurt.  I got nothing on the monitor.

I could not pinpoint the problem.  I thougth maybe the motherboard had stopped running, I bought a new motherboard,  no dice.   I thought it might be crapped out memory, I bought new memory, no dice.  I thought maybe it was the CPU chip, bought a new chip, no dice.   I was eliminating options. Maybe my power supply lost a voltage rail, I bought a new power supply, no dice.  I figured it was the video card, I bought another expensive video card.  Plugged it into the PCI slot, and no dice.  I sent the motherboard back.  They tested the board, said it was ok, and sent it back to me.

By now, I  had purchased enough new components to have a new computer.  But instead, I now had two computers both with the same problem.  I needed someone to give me a fresh perspective.   I called up my son-in-law, who also builds his own hot computers with overclocking, and said “help.”  I figured if he has an extra computer, I could plug the components in one at a time to find the culprit.  Before we did that, he went through, what I would do, the checklist of, did you do this, and that.  We thought it might be overheating, no, and then he said, “Did you plug the power into the video card?”

I answered, “What power?”

He said that the new video cards need to have their own power.

Sure enough, I looked closely at both video cards and saw a power connector.  I didn’t know they had their own power, I had always just plugged the video card into the PCI slot.  I never looked for a power connector on the video card.  Long story short, that was the problem.  I put the cards back in the computer, plugged in the power to the video card, and wahlah, I was back in business with two computers.

After thoughts:  Credit the Asus motherboard, I ran without a power cable to the video card for two years without a problem.  Which is why I plugged the new card into the computer without hooking up the video power.  As near as I can figure, I plugged the new hi-def TV into the same voltage regulator I used for my computer.  This must have dropped the power just a bit, just enough to make the video card become underpowered, and shut down.  I don’t have another explanation.

So if you ever have a long wailiing sound, and the computer won’t start… check your video card power.

I feel compelled to write about all-in-one printers.  I have been using these multifunctions printers for some 20 years now, and always an HP.  After all, HP invented the market.  The multifunction printer does it all, fax, scan, copy, and of course, print your computer documents.  If you get a network ready model, you can print through your wireless network, and run one all-in-one printer for all the computers in your home or small business.

These printers last four or five years before they go out of alignment, a belt slips, or the paper feed messes up.  When your printer died, it use to be a no-brainer.  You go out and buy the latest HP.

But after my six year old HP died, I wanted to rethink that logic.  Since I end up doing the maintenance on the printer, I knew the HP printer well.  I only ever owned an HP, so I was use to their quirks, but I was dissatisfied.  What didn’t I like about the HP.  The HP seems to be built with ill fitted plastic parts.  It feels and looks like plastic, and what I wanted was something that looked like a high-quality printer, think Lexus versus Chevy.  The HP ink cartridges are the highest priced on the market.  Everyone knows HP makes money on the ink cartridges, not the printer.  I never liked having to pay for cartridges that seem to run out of ink just when you had an important job to print.

And finally, the final straw was the software.  HP software ranks low in my eyes, right alongside Symantec software.  (Don’t get me started.)  It’s not the drivers themselves, it’s the way the software application works: how it installs, how the network installs, how sometimes the driver just disappears and needs to be reinstalled, the scanner never worked properly, and still doesn’t to this day.  These quirks were exasperated with the change to Vista.  Generally, HP software is a pain to install and use.  It makes you work to get your printer up and running, and in the end, I got tired of it.  It has trouble installing on a wireless network.  My thought was maybe there is a better printer than HP on the market.

I looked, and started reading the reviews.  I almost bought a Kodak.  The plus was the low price of its ink cartridges.  Yep, $12 versus the HP’s $35.  The reviews said you needed special photo paper to print high-quality color, a minus, which brought me to Canon.
The Canon MX850 had the highest Amazon ranking of all network all-in-one printers on the market, 4.5 stars from 145 reviews, wow.  The HPJ4580 only made 4 stars with 14 reviews.  I took a chance, gave up my HP problems, blew all my HP software off my computers, and went with the Canon, and I’m glad I did.

I finished installing and setting up the Canon MX850, and I am gushing over the Canon.  It’s print quality is superb, it’s color quality is superb, it handles 17-28 lb paper.  The HP sometimes struggled with lighter copy paper.  It’s parts go together precisely, like Lexus, not loosely like the HP.  It looks and feels well engineered.  I get smooth noise on print, not clunky noise with the HP.  The ink cartridges go in smoothly with a click and a light to signify proper install, not a plastic catch that forces the cartridge, like the HP.  The ink cartridges cost about $20, not bad, compared to $35.  The printer is easy to use.  The menus make sense and are logical laid out.  And finally, which prompted this article, the software is a joy.  It installs easily.  it takes care of a lot of things behind the scenes.  it installs quickly.  The HP seemed like it took forever to find the printer on the network.  The Canon found the printer quickly and just said finished with the install.

Right now, I’m a happy camper.  I wish I had gone with Canon six years ago.  Of course, I don’t think they were available back then.  It looks to me like Canon built a better mousetrap in the interim.

News Flash!  IBM to buy Sun.  It appears IBM is trying to consolidate the market for servers by purchasing Sun Microsystems for a whooping $6.5B in cash.  This is probably a knee-jerk reaction to Cisco systems announcement just this week that it will start selling servers.  The Internet giant, Cisco, entering the market is a serous threat to the existing market competitors.

That market before this week was mainly Dell and HP on the low side, Sun in the middle and IBM at the high end.  Both Dell and HP had been in pricing wars, and have been gradually reducing server pricing to gain market share, thus reducting margins.  We believe IBM is trying to consolidate the market, surround Cisco with both the high end and middle end systems, and at the same time increase IBM dominance in the market, before Cisco can gain a toehold.

IBM in the past had dominated the large mainframe market, but we think this market is gradually subsiding, just like it did when Digital started coming out with minicomputers to replace IBM mainframes.  In this case, IBM probably sees Cisco as a threat to their high end market share, and are afraid history may repeat itself.

We see Dell and HP continuing to occupy the low end with IBM and Cisco, with instant credibility, taking over the high end.  Although obviously not without a fight from IBM.  It should be an interesting battle, for those in the middle are doomed to eventually die.