opened 07:30AM - 18 Feb 22 UTC
T: enhancement
help wanted
C: doc
P: critical
ux
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#…## The problem you're addressing (if any)
Recently [this PR was filed](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-core-agent-linux/pull/364), to disable CUPS by default in Qubes OS. Which was good, because the core security vulnerability did and does need addressing.
For native Linux users, they may see they cannot print and intuit "Oh, I should see if CUPS is enabled."
For non-Linux native users, networking, printing, and files management, are all handled by native apps (not with unique names, just "Print" and "Network" functionalities non-developers don't see as stand-alone apps). The concept that "Hey, I should get a different printer utility" never occurs to non-native Linux users, because those things "are just a part of" the walled-garden ecosystems of Windows and Mac OS.
### The solution you'd like
Create a Qubes Docs [How To ](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/#how-to-guides) item that documents how to print files. I'd recommend "How to use a printer with Qubes." Primary points to address should be:
**1. Qubes treats all external devices special.** Here's how (link to devices how-to).
**2. Welcome to Linux.** All OS functionality within Qubes OS, is done by the qube a user is within—and most of those, are Linux qubes. For Windows or Mac qubes, skip ahead to step 6.
**3. In Linux, CUPS is the name of the print utility.** While Mac and PC OS' come with basic utilities such as those for network management, files management, disk maintenance, and printing, all bundled in—in Linux environments they often exist as apps identified as 3rd party apps. For printing, CUPS is that utility.
**4. However, CUPS was disabled by Qubes OS as its installation default**, because it presents vulnerabilities. Provide some link to learn more about what those might be, or more simply explain "this is generally a good practice, to keep 'off' what you don't usually need."
**5. How to re-enable CUPS;** be that enablement on the command line or in the GUI, and at the Template or app-qube level.
**6. Now, do like you usually do, with steps 1-5 working.** Then, once they have a printer attached to an example qube and are ready to print from a common example app, how they would do that. While this may seem obvious, it will let the user know that this is the final end-point in their inquiry.
### How is this helpful to users?
Lots of us just need our treeware. ~3500 of the 17k respondents to Qubes' general survey, said they regularly use a printer "with a laptop." ~18% are students, ~12% academics, ~8% activists; yes, ~30% identify as technologists, but a not-insignificant amount likely still need to print.
