Bug#187011: [Pkg-cups-devel] Bug#187011: cupsys: Defaultprinter doesn't propagate over network

[Jeff Licquia]

On Fri, 2005-08-05 at 17:07 +0200, Harald Thingelstad wrote:
> The cups system should export and use the default printer in a network
> automatically. This is the expected behaviour, and administrators should
> not have to look up in a bug database to find the fix.
> 
> So please fix.

I sympathize with your situation, but you have to understand: there is
no such thing as "the default printer in a network" for us to use.
There is only the default printer for a particular print server.

If you have only one print server with local printers on a network, I
can see the utility in asking that server which printer is the default,
and using the same setting for all other print servers.  But this breaks
down immediately once you add a local printer to a second print server.
In that case, whose default printer is the "right" one?  The software
has no way of figuring that out.

Moreover, delays in bringing up print servers can cause one print server
to become "the only print server with local printers on the network".
What should happen when the second one comes up?  Should the default be
discarded?  Or should it be kept--thus making it possible that the
"default" printer could change depending on the order the servers come
online?

The best way to fix this problem is to be explicit, and the best way to
be explicit is to use /etc/cups/lpoptions.