🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan5.163428.252@dymaxion.ns.ca>, bg@dymaxion.ns.ca writes:
>I need software to support a laser printer with a fax board on VMS.
>
>The problem is, the printer fax board doesn't allow me to continuously
>retry sending multiple faxes all day until they get through or the
>retry count is exceeded.
>
>Here are the specifics:
>- prefer PD/Shareware or under $1000
>- OK if some assembly required, but we don't want to spend enourmous
>  quantities of development dollars on this
>- symbiont must be able to talk with non-DEC Postscript 2 printer
>  (NEC Silentwriter 2 -- Model 97fx) with a fax board
>  - OK if product does not support fax if it is user-configurable to
>    receive arbitrary messages from the printer and perform actions
>    based on message content (e.g. mail notification if "fax retries
>    exceeded")
>- would like to be able to poll fax success/failure and requeue
>  print job to retry at intervals until retries exceeded
>- need interactive notification of job success or failure due
>  to retries exceeded

Hihowzigoanay?  Having just gone through an approximation to this myself, I
can give you a few things not to bother with.  DEC's CPS software won't work
for you without a lot of trouble.  I've done some work with an NEC
Silentwriter 95 (but addressing none of the FAX issues).  Several man-weeks of
effort later, it prints.  Kind of.  Gray Matter Software from somewhere around
Washington state has a postscript symbiont, which is about $1500.  There is a
symbiont called LASER that somebody else on this list will likely mention.  It
ships with sources.  I believe it is mentioned in the FAQ info.  DEC has a
follow-on product to CPS, called DCPS, which may work better with 'foreign'
printers than CPS.  It was announced in November.  I have a copy on order, but
haven't seen it yet.
_______________________________________________________________
Harvey Brydon         | Internet:   brydon@dsn.SINet.slb.com
Dowell Schlumberger   | P.O.T.S.:   (918)250-4312
Software is like sex.  Software for free costs more than software for money.