[cups] convert old printcap custom entries to cups help please

[Tim Mooney]

In regard to: [cups] convert old printcap custom entries to cups help...:

> In fact the original system designers used the lpr print system not as a
> hardcopy printer per se,  but as a text file queueing system for
> proprietary incoming streams of data.

I applaud the ingenious use of lpr and the filter system to accomplish
something interesting, but these days you would be better off looking at
some of the message queueing systems out there, like ZeroMQ, RabbitMQ, or
something of their ilk:

 	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message_queue

The state of the art for message queueing systems has advanced a long way
since your system was developed, so using one of these likely wasn't
an option for your original developers, but it certainly is now.

It won't be easy to convert your filtering system from LPR to a message
queue, but in the end it's probably the right move.

I know this probably isn't the suggestion you're looking for.  :-)
Good luck with your project, and if it's not too much trouble, post
to the list when you're done and let us know which direction you went
and what some of the trouble spots were.  I'm sure it will be of interest
to a few of us.

Tim
-- 
Tim Mooney                                             Tim.Mooney at ndsu.edu
Enterprise Computing & Infrastructure                  701-231-1076 (Voice)
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