RE: [h-e-w] Windows Emacs using Window print routines

[Gallucci, David]

I agree completely!

-dg


-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden
[mailto:address@hidden
Behalf Of Peter Kaiser
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 10:34 AM
To: Emacs for Windows
Subject: Re: [h-e-w] Windows Emacs using Window print routines


> Emacs can print fine through any printing program that you want to
> use.  As far as plain functionality goes (as opposed to convenience
> while installing), it doesn't need to incorporate a new incompatible
> and non-portable printing module.

Actually, I think the original poster's point is well taken.  Emacs already has 
functions on Windows 
that are absent on other platforms, and that's a perfectly appropriate approach 
to handle things 
that people want to do on every platform, but which the platforms handle 
differently.  Basic 
printing is one such thing, and should be included in GNU Emacs.  This isn't at 
all contradictory, 
and it makes just as much sense as having GNU Emacs use Windows displays under 
Windows.  Or are 
there ancient purists who think we should still be using VT100 terminal 
emulation within command 
windows?

GNU Emacs should be able to print simply, just like, for instance, Windows 
Notepad: drop down a menu 
and select "Print", and if a default printer is defined, the contents of the 
buffer -- or a region 
-- are printed.  (Or, of course, invoke the equivalent function 
programmatically or with M-x.)  Why 
must I install more software (printfile, lpr, whatever) to do something for 
which Windows provides a 
direct interface?  That's how it works on Unix/Linux; it just happens that 
there, the interface is 
*normally* a separate spooler program (e.g., lpr).  That's the Unix way.  The 
Windows way is through 
the interface that's an integral part of Windows.

Emacs should handle printing the Unix way on Unix, the Windows way on Windows.  
Printing is 
extremely basic functionality: the user shouldn't have to install additional 
software simply to 
print things.  This has been a stark omission in GNU Emacs for years, and it 
should be rectified.

Pete