On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 18:15:31 +0000, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote: > 1. Formerly (but still Bookworm), I had an HP LaserJet 5MP connected with a > USB-to-parallel adapter. I saw this character special device: > > crw-rw---- 1 root lp 180, 1 Dec 3 08:53 /dev/usb/lp1 > > I would typically print with something like "cat file > /dev/usb/lp1". Now, > though, with the new laser and a straight USB connection (no wireless), I see > these in /dev/usb: > > crw------- 1 root root 180, 0 Dec 3 08:53 /dev/usb/hiddev0 > -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 9796 Dec 21 13:01 /dev/usb/lp1
I can't address your other questions, but this one is pretty clear. That /dev/usb/lp1 is just an ordinary file. Whatever content you're redirecting to that location is just going to disk. Or virtual disk in memory, if your /dev is a memory-based virtual file system. It's no longer a character special device at all, and it has no connection to your printer.
