🚀 go-pugleaf

Bjorn Larsen writes:
 
> I run a printer spooler that accepts PostScript code from
> PCs, VAX/VMS, Unix, NOS/VE and Macs.
> 
> It spools output to a big variety of PostScript printers; most
> with Adobe RIPs: Apple LaserWriter, LN03R, LPS-40, LPS-20,
> Agfa Matrix SlideWriter, QMS 100 ColorScript, TI MicroLaser,
> Linotronic 100/RIP3, and others.
 
Is this spooler commercial, freeware, local, or what?  Bjorne,
you mention that you do ProcSet substitution.  This begins to
sound like the sexy "Document Managers" mentioned in the
Structuring Comments document and Glenn's Green Book.
Just what all can it do?  Does it parse and use PPD's?  Does
it handle document font requests?  What platforms does it
run on?
 
And while I'm at it, what other spoolers are available for
various platforms?  I use Pipeline's devps stuff (the same
people who produce the PostScript Language Journal), heavily
customized to fit my needs.  It doesn't do document management,
but I did add a filter to auto-sense various kinds of
PostScript files (%!, MS Word, Word Perfect 4.2) and translate
those that don't match using a text-to-PostScript utility
provided by Pipeline.  If the "-l" switch was given to lpr, my
auto-sense routine complements its decision, to allow printing
of non-standard PostScript files and to allow me to get
listings of a conforming PostScript source.  I also added
back-channel capture to a Sunview window, so I could see my
error messages in realtime.
 
The devps product is primarily for converting dvitroff to
PostScript, which I don't use since dvitroff doesn't come with
Suns.
 
The spooler is a small part of the product, and essentially
consists of filters to put in printcap.  These include one to
convert CAT files to dvi (I couldn't get this part to work;
probably something weird about Sun 386i COFF-format font files,
I use thack instead), two to convert text to PostScript, and a
script to read the arguments passed from lpd to dispatch to the
appropriate filter.  The latter is what goes in printcap,
aliased to different names (ps.if, ps.tf, ps.nf).
 
The rest of the package is a variety of handy utilities for
such things as printing font samples, getting AFM files back
from the printer, and overlaying ghosted text across a page. 
 
The original package runs about $300 for source.  It's not for
users who don't feel comfortable with hacking around with
printcap, serial ports, and shell scripts.  I think Legatto
sells a Sun binary all integrated and ready for use for roughly
the same amount.
 
What do you get with TranScript for $1800 (source from Adobe,
or binary from Sun)?  At the time I was researching it, it
didn't sound like enough to warrant a 6x price difference.