web install_wizard distributing bold lies about device support (three other sources indicating non-support)

[Andreas Mohr]

Hello,

it's me here, suffering through my local RHEL5 installs again.

Intended to install HP P2015dn LaserJet, decided to not use a limited setup (likely plain PostScript) via limited builtin GNOME System -> Administration -> Printing dialogs.
Thus I checked for hplip package, result is: 1.6.7 already pre-installed, package availability 1.6.7
(which is - *drumroll* - 3 years and 1 month old, and incidentally happens to be a mere 2.5 months older than the version that _would_ support the P2015dn, or rather in fact _any_ P series printer at all - namely 1.6.10).

As the next step, http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/supported_devices/index.html then listed 1.6.10 as the first supported version for this printer, and both hp-setup <IP> and the GNOME wizard indicate non-support in a standard RHEL5:

hp-setup via a
error: Unsupported printer model.
message for my
hp-setup[26807]: debug: Model=HP_LaserJet_P2015_Series
printer

and the GNOME printing wizard by simply not directly supporting any P series LaserJets at all.

So we have 3 places indicating non-support, yet here we are having filled out
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/install_wizard/index.html
using
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux"
5.0
LaserJet
HP LaserJet P2015dn Printer

and now getting back the result page:

=====
You have selected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0 using the HP LaserJet p2015dn Printer.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0 supplies HPLIP 1.6.7 and it does support your printer.

As the version of HPLIP supplied with your operating system supports your printer, you may continue to use that version of HPLIP.

You may now optionally download the latest version of HPLIP to get access to new features and bug fixes.

Please click Previous to select a different operating system or printer.
=====

So, well, it would be nice to get your web site status bug fixed (preferrably by directly, consistently, feeding the data at http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/supported_devices/index.html into the install wizard check), but certainly Red Hat's RHEL5 printing support (non-)status is a MUCH bigger issue for me.

(I fully expect the web install of a current hplip version to work nicely indeed)

IMHO it is a VERY misguided strategy for Red Hat to have nothing else to offer other than a > 3 year old major printing support package, given that printing probably is the most complicated, variable and fast-changing area there is (and thus the number of new support features is expected to be overwhelmingly larger than the number of potential regressions).

As a side note, http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/gethplip.html doesn't seem to offer any means to directly get to the list of old releases, I had to manually remember the usual sf.net/projects/hplip project URL to get to the project and look it up there.
Not providing an older release link might be intentional though (perhaps you want users to always install the latest version and then actively complain if support broke when compared to older versions).

Thank you,

Andreas Mohr