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Microsoft to kill off third-party printer drivers in Windows (www.theregister.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

29 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

They could do it, just removing usb port. I dont doubt they will find a solution. Who knows maybe they will just bribe Microsoft.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

? 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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They'll just bake that logic into the printer directly

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

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.