🚀 go-pugleaf

Andreas Kohlbach <a...@spamfence.net> writes:

> On Fri, 26 Jan 2018 13:00:02 -0800 (PST), hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
>>
>> On Thursday, January 25, 2018 at 4:54:22 PM UTC-5, Andreas Kohlbach wrote:
>>
>>> When I read some 80s magazines, for example about dot-matrix printers,
>>> the ads say "Has all you'll ever need".
>>> 
>>> I mean back in 1986 to have a 24 needle printer must have been awesome
>>> and you might have though, how could this can get any better.
>>> 
>>> Well you didn't know about laser- or ink printers back then, although
>>> technology existed already. ;-)
>>
>> I am disappointed that my old dot-matrix printer no longer operates.
>> (Not sure why, it simply doesn't print.)  It was my first personal
>> printer after using a typewriter for years.  I really liked that I
>> could have multiple fonts without physically changing the typeball,
>> also could do italics and boldface.  (Double-height and double
>> width was possible, but cumbersome.)  
>
> Getting any error messages from the OS (I hope you use CP/M? ;-) or the
> printer if it has a panel itself? A friend had a Citizen Swift (24
> needles) in the later part of the 80s and I seem to remember it already
> had an LCD display panel.
>
>> I liked that it was simple enough to send printer command via a
>> simple BASIC program, so I could print simple stuff without 
>> bothering with the word processing.  For instance, I had batch
>> commands to print a return address, and could optionally add my
>> phone numbers.
>
> I suppose (not having a printer here) you still can.
>
> Those having Linux and any printer set up, what happens if you open a
> terminal and type
>
> echo "alt.folklore.computers" > /dev/lpr
>
> ?

Nothing interesting:

home> ls -al /dev/lpr
/bin/ls: cannot access '/dev/lpr': No such file or directory


-- 
Dan Espen