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Re: [LUG] New Printer part three

 

On 26/10/2020 15:46, comrade meowski wrote:
On 26/10/2020 13:35, Neil wrote:

In the end I bit the bullet and installed HP Smart on the smart phone. I had to set my self up with Google store or some such first. I just hope I can remember the passwords.

Anyway, using that app I was able to get the printer set up. It was so easy last time, but that printer was linked by USB cable, so I suppose it was easier to find.

As far as I can see, it would not be possible to set it up without the smart phone. What a pain.

Well clearly you'd record the new credentials you've just created and wouldn't just trust your memory... would you? If so, good luck with that. You are using a password manager right? Clearly this is one of your funny jokes because what kind of person wouldn't just automatically store all their credentials in a password manager?

As everyone keeps pointing out, you could have just used a USB cable. You don't get one in the box any more because manufacturers are too cheap to even include one in the box by the way.
I queried this many years ago with a lecturer on IT and legislation and asked simply 'If a printer /requires/ a USB cable to function [in the years since since I asked the question to install] isn't it 'not fit for purpose' if supplied without the requisite cable?' She agreed the point. Therefore the purchaser could be stubborn and demand a cable on that legal point. I don't believe the manufacturer can assume everyone has a spare USB cable, it's up to them to supply it.
That other cable is an American power lead by the sounds of it. As you can see HP are too cheap to give you a USB cable but are also too stupid not to ship European and US power leads in every box. Well done HP.
Or possibly a European plug, HP being an American company may [wrongly] assume the UK has the same electrical standard as Europe, and as you say be too dumb to check.

But far more interestingly you've let slip a detail - you apparently _do_ own a smartphone. It's clearly an Android if you had to set up the Google Play store and if you had to set up the Play Store it's because you didn't have a Google ID registered on it. Which leads to the even more interesting question of how were you managing to even use an Android smartphone previously _without_ a valid Google ID on it? That shouldn't even be possible - Android will force you to register the phone to a valid Google ID on the first use setup wizard run.

It's actually fairly easy, a friend refuses to give Google his details. Upon first install you /can/ skip the Google ID bit and later in Settings tell Android to install apps from 'other locations', or however they word it. Then simply install the app from an APK (either downloaded or off a memory card).

Kind regards,

Julian


--
“The great tragedy of Science — the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly 
fact.”

― Thomas Henry Huxley


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