Martin Geddes is having printer troubles. Specifically, how do you attach a bluetooth enabled laptop running Windows XP to a USB printer via a Linux server? He uses that as a jumping off point to talk about the stupid network, commenting that "I thought I “got” this stupid network stuff. But I still casually accepted these stovepiped connectivity solutions sprouting in front of me!"
What you need, Martin, is Universal Plug and Play. It’s networked, built on TCP/IP, and is automatically discoverable on your LAN. Profiles for many devices, including printers exist. And, your PC already supports discovery of UPnP devices. If you don’t want to dump your shiny new Canon printer, you can get one of these to add UPnP to your printer.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
