From Newsgroup: muc.lists.freebsd.stable

Hi,
Due to low code quality, known bugs, and a general lack of interest over
the past several decades, we are currently considering retiring the
entire lp* suite (lp(1), lpc(1), lpd(8), lpq(1), lpr(1), lprm(1),
lptest(1), pac(8)) from base.
Nothing is changing in FreeBSD 14.x or 15.x except the addition of a deprecation notice to the documentation. However, it is likely that
these utilities will be gone in FreeBSD 16.0.
It would be extremely helpful if those of you who are using base lpr /
lpd today could take the time to try out the lprng package / the
print/lprng port (which should be a drop-in replacement) and let me know
if there is any loss of functionality.
DES
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From Newsgroup: muc.lists.freebsd.stable

<<On Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:39:49 +0100, Dag-Erling Smorgrav <des@FreeBSD.org> said:

Due to low code quality, known bugs, and a general lack of interest over
the past several decades, we are currently considering retiring the
entire lp* suite (lp(1), lpc(1), lpd(8), lpq(1), lpr(1), lprm(1),
lptest(1), pac(8)) from base.

I did a lot of work on these tools about 25 years ago, and I have not
had any reason to touch them in nearly 20 as I use CUPS exclusively.
I expect that's true of most people who at one time used this suite.
I have been building WITHOUT_LPR=yes for many many years and have not
missed them.
-GAWollman
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From Newsgroup: muc.lists.freebsd.stable

On Feb 20, 2026, at 1:54rC>PM, Garrett Wollman <wollman@bimajority.org> wrote:

<<On Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:39:49 +0100, Dag-Erling Sm|+rgrav <des@FreeBSD.org> said:

Due to low code quality, known bugs, and a general lack of interest over
the past several decades, we are currently considering retiring the
entire lp* suite (lp(1), lpc(1), lpd(8), lpq(1), lpr(1), lprm(1),
lptest(1), pac(8)) from base.

I did a lot of work on these tools about 25 years ago, and I have not
had any reason to touch them in nearly 20 as I use CUPS exclusively.
I expect that's true of most people who at one time used this suite.
I have been building WITHOUT_LPR=yes for many many years and have not
missed them.

IIRC, CUPS also provides workalikes for lp, lpq, etc. too, so if you do switch over and you have existing stuff that relies on piping print jobs to lp, you're set (I have a billing box that does this for printed invoices and moved to CUPS a long time ago).
Just throwing that out there for anyone still using the old tools!
Charles

-GAWollman

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From Newsgroup: muc.lists.freebsd.stable


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On Friday, 20 February 2026 at 19:39:49 +0100, Dag-Erling Sm=F8rgrav wrote:

Due to low code quality, known bugs, and a general lack of interest
over the past several decades, we are currently considering retiring
the entire lp* suite (lp(1), lpc(1), lpd(8), lpq(1), lpr(1),
lprm(1), lptest(1), pac(8)) from base.

As others have noted, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Clearly it
*is* broke, but you're replacing it, not fixing it. And who are "we"?
And why are you removing it rather than replacing it?

It would be extremely helpful if those of you who are using base lpr /
lpd today could take the time to try out the lprng package / the
print/lprng port (which should be a drop-in replacement) and let me know
if there is any loss of functionality.

OK, good that you have done this. Did you coordinate (or at least
discuss) this with the other BSDs?

And why a new name? We didn't change "FreeBSD" to "FreeBSDng" when we
released 5.0 decades ago. And IIRC some other utilities have been
replaced with rewrites, without the name changing. And then there are
things like postfix and cups (shudder) that reuse the old names. So
if it HAS to be a port, why not call it print/lpr? If it isn't 100%
compatible (think of names hard-coded in scripts), what is the
difference? Why? And in which version of ports is print/lprng? I
don't find it in my tree.

Once an argument for FreeBSD was that it installed with all tools out
of the box. Removing things from base just moves towards the Linux
view of the world.

Greg
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From Newsgroup: muc.lists.freebsd.stable

Dag-Erling Sm|+rgrav <des@FreeBSD.org> writes:

It would be extremely helpful if those of you who are using base lpr /
lpd today could take the time to try out the lprng package / the
print/lprng port (which should be a drop-in replacement) and let me know
if there is any loss of functionality.

Sorry, it's actually LPRng (sysutils/LPRng), not lprng (print/lprng),
because that would have been too sensible.
DES
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From Newsgroup: muc.lists.freebsd.stable

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"LPRng" is what the upstream has been calling it. Originally it was an open source project with commercial support.

I should note that it's fallen out of support twice, most recently
continuing since 2019. (I abandoned it for CUPS when the original author stopped supporting it in 2005. Since CUPS supports both BSD lpr and System
V lp frontends, it's basically drop-in.)

As for fixing the current one, I think someone will need to step forward
and take over support; "a general lack of interest over the past several decades" in the original message doesn't suggest that's forthcoming.

On Fri, Feb 20, 2026 at 8:37=E2=80=AFPM Dag-Erling Sm=C3=B8rgrav <des@freeb= sd.org> wrote:

Dag-Erling Sm=C3=B8rgrav <des@FreeBSD.org> writes:

It would be extremely helpful if those of you who are using base lpr /
lpd today could take the time to try out the lprng package / the print/lprng port (which should be a drop-in replacement) and let me kno=

w

if there is any loss of functionality.

Sorry, it's actually LPRng (sysutils/LPRng), not lprng (print/lprng),
because that would have been too sensible.

DES
--
Dag-Erling Sm=C3=B8rgrav - des@FreeBSD.org

--=20
brandon s allbery kf8nh
allbery.b@gmail.com

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<div dir=3D"ltr">&quot;LPRng&quot; is what the upstream has been calling it=
. Originally it was an open source project with commercial support.<div><br= ></div><div>I should note that it&#39;s fallen out of support twice, most r= ecently continuing since 2019. (I abandoned it for CUPS when the original a= uthor stopped supporting it in 2005. Since CUPS supports both BSD lpr and S= ystem V lp frontends, it&#39;s basically drop-in.)</div><div><br></div><div= >As for fixing the current one, I think someone will need to step forward a=
nd take over support; &quot;a general lack of interest over the past severa=
l decades&quot; in the original=C2=A0message doesn&#39;t suggest that&#39;s=
forthcoming.</div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_containe= r"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Fri, Feb 20, 2026 at 8:37=E2=80= =AFPM Dag-Erling Sm=C3=B8rgrav &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:des@freebsd.org">des@f= reebsd.org</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style= =3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding= -left:1ex">Dag-Erling Sm=C3=B8rgrav &lt;des@FreeBSD.org&gt; writes:<br>
&gt; It would be extremely helpful if those of you who are using base lpr /=

&gt; lpd today could take the time to try out the lprng package / the<br>
&gt; print/lprng port (which should be a drop-in replacement) and let me kn= ow<br>
&gt; if there is any loss of functionality.<br>

Sorry, it&#39;s actually LPRng (sysutils/LPRng), not lprng (print/lprng),<b=

because that would have been too sensible.<br>

DES<br>
-- <br>
Dag-Erling Sm=C3=B8rgrav - des@FreeBSD.org<br>

</blockquote></div><div><br clear=3D"all"></div><div><br></div><span class= =3D"gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_s= ignature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>brandon s allbery kf8= nh</div><div><a href=3D"mailto:allbery.b@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">allbe= ry.b@gmail.com</a></div></div></div></div></div>

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