Microsoft to kill off third-party printer drivers in Windows::Go native or go home: End of servicing plan rolled out for legacy printer drivers in fresh update
Huh. Will this stop HP no ink no scan tomfoolery?
If you can print without installing hp software, yes.
I been amazed by epson. Bought an ecotank, with scanner and use it through the network. I didnt had to install epson software for use either the printer or the scanner.
Doesn’t that mean they just need to move their bullshit into the printer firmware rather than in their driver bloat software?
Or if they decide not to use the standard drivers and keep things customer-hostile, maybe their printer won’t work at all without their own software package.
I’m in the Brother laser printer gang, so I don’t know how egregious they are with this stuff already.
Depend which bullshit you mean. If you mean the no ink no scan, yes they can move it to the printer. If you mean the you stop the subscription, we disable your cartridge even if they aren’t empty, it will be difficult.
If the user uses usb, the printer will face the microsoft owned driver. If you uses it through lan, it will be able to communicate with HP’s servers.
Then I guess, it could be done through usb too, like sending settings to the printer.
Maybe they could require a wifi connection back to the mothership before the printer itself will do any printing. Or just say fuck it and ship their printers with wifi/ethernet only.
Hopefully the consumer market wouldn’t let them get away with that crap, but on a technical level I have to think there are so many ways to mess with it. Just look at all the other enshittification going on around us.
They could do it, just removing usb port. I dont doubt they will find a solution. Who knows maybe they will just bribe Microsoft.
? there’s nothing about this that would stop the hp no ink no scan thing. the drivers just talk to the printer/scanner, the scanner can still refuse to do things if it wants to.
For this they must access the network, and internet directly. So if you use it through USB, it won’t work, as the software communicates with the printer through the driver.
If you access to it through wifi/ethernet, the printer can communicate directly with HP’s servers and do their shit.
What they could do, is to make wifi/ethernet connection mandatory, even if you use usb.
I’m not sure what you think is happening here, the outrage is because HP printers won’t scan if they have no ink, there is no network connection going on here.
Since mid-2022, HP has been fighting a class-action lawsuit alleging that certain all-in-one printer models won’t scan or fax without ink and that HP doesn’t properly disclose this to shoppers. On January 13, 2023, the complaint was dismissed but allowed to be amended (you can view the amended complaint here: PDF), and on August 10, a Northern District of California judge dismissed HP’s motion to dismiss the amended complaint PDF.
HP Envy 6455e and HP Deskjet 2655 purchasers Gary Freund and Wayne McMath filed the complaint, which states that HP printers are designed to enter an error state when low or out of ink, preventing usage until the installment of a new ink cartridge. The plaintiffs are also peeved that HP marketing and advertising doesn’t clearly disclose this, the complaint says. The complaint also notes that an HP support agent has said that HP printers are “designed in such a way that with the empty cartridge or without the cartridge the printer will not function.”
if this makes you realize what is going on, it would be helpful if you amended your more upvoted answer to state that, so that people don’t get misinformed
I was commenting about this : https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-10755577/Printers-remotely-disabled-customer-cancels-ink-subscription.html
If you stop your subscription to instant ink, your cartridge you received through it, are disabled, even if they stay filled.
Cool, so that’s a different thing and also relies on your printer having it’s own network connection which most do these days. It has nothing to do with drivers.
It would be helpful if you updated your original comment to stop the misinformation now
They’ll just bake that logic into the printer directly
Yes, but for be able to turn off the printing function if you stop the subscription, they need to have the printer communicates with their server. If the user uses USB it won’t be able to. But they can make an Internet connection mandatory either WiFi or ethernet even if you use USB.
No.
– According to the article, it’s just removing them from Windows Update. Microsoft doesn’t want the hassle. Vendors could still make you use them
— I like the description of a new printing standard Microsoft will directly support, but since it’s owned by the vendors, they can probably require customer-hostile “features”–
No that won’t be done by the pc software most likely.
So Microsoft is no longer sending third party printer drivers thru Windows Update. You’ll have to download the drivers yourself from the manufacturer, or hope the printer supports PCL/PS generic drivers (which they all should, but often don’t).
If your first response is “but Linux”, remember that PCL, PS and TXT drivers are the majority of printer support in Linux, seconded by the HPLIP driver.
Brother products will work 100% as always though. 👍
Unless your my wife who complains about it because it doesn’t print neatly on her crazy sticker paper
To be clear, the end of servicing applies to drivers provided via Windows Update. Manufacturers will, according to Microsoft, “need to provide customers with an alternative means to download and install those printer drivers.”
So what does this mean for my old laser printer dating back to the early 2000s? Will I not be able to use that anymore?
It’s still perfectly functional, so it would be a bit of a shame and a waste of money to have to replace it.from the article:
"To be clear, the end of servicing applies to drivers provided via Windows Update. Manufacturers will, according to Microsoft, “need to provide customers with an alternative means to download and install those printer drivers.”
so no, this is click bait for what amounts to a nothingburger
linux
If it’s supported on Linux, A Pi Zero 2 W print server would be a cheap path forward.
I’m currently using it as a network printer via CUPS (so yes, Linux)
But to my knowledge that still requires the appropriate drivers to be installed on Windows 🤔Yeah, that’s true.
Only if you use Windows though 🙂
For a moment I thought this was a great decision. Forcing printer manufacturers to use single protocol and unifying the whole thing. But naaah, Microsoft just doesn’t want to deal with it.
Sounds like someone at Microsoft finally got fed up with the “fix my printer” jokes
Microsoft Cups-365tm
