ANN: PyKota v1.16 is out

[Jerome Alet]

Hi there

I'm pleased to announce that PyKota v1.16 Final is out.

PyKota is an entirely Python written, GNU GPLed, centralized, full
featured, internationalized, and easily extensible, print quota and
accounting solution for CUPS and LPRng under Unix like systems like
GNU/Linux.

PyKota can store its datas either in PostgreSQL or in OpenLDAP, and
integrating PyKota with an existing LDAP directory is really easy thanks
to PyKota's unprecedented flexibility.

After several months of developpment, this release includes many many
improvements :

  - New CUPS backend wrapper, which allows point & click
    installation into CUPS and supports device enumeration. The old pykota
    filter is now deprecated for use with CUPS, unless for dumb printers.
    This CUPS backend also allows immediate hardware accounting, instead
    of delayed by one job hardware accounting.
    WARNING : installation is still partially manual for CUPS 1.14
              (for example under Debian Woody)
    
  - Printers Groups are implemented and can be nested.
    See FAQ for explanations.
  
  - Printers and users can now be automatically added to the database
    on first print in a completely configurable way.
    
  - Six languages are now supported : English, French, Spanish,
    Portuguese, Brasilian Portuguese and Swedish.
    
  - Web interface is now partially internationalized.
  
  - Web interface can now display print jobs history per printer,
    per user, and per user+printer.
  
  - Preliminary documentation on how to use OpenOffice.org
    to create personnalized reports for PyKota + PostgreSQL.
          
  - Spanish installation guide for SuSe + CUPS + PyKota + PostgreSQL
    added to the documentation. Doesn't yet document v1.16 though. This 15
    pages guide was generously contributed to the project by Dennis Romero
    L.
    
  - User's email address can now be set at user creation time.
  
  - Improved database caching mechanism.
  
  - Several environment variables are now exported to accounters,
    requesters and mailers.
    
  - Includes a script to send email+winpopup message to users
    over quota.
    
  - Includes a script to wait for Appletalk printers being ready.
    
  - New option to automatically convert all usernames to lowercase.
    
  - Jobs history contains more fields than before.
  
  - Documentation is now licensed under the GNU GPL too (was GNU FDL).
  
  - Major code refactoring and cleaning.
  
  - Usual bug fixes.
  
The complete list of changes is available from :

  http://www.librelogiciel.com/software/PyKota/action_News
  
IMPORTANT : Before upgrading from an older version, please :

        - Double check the toplevel README and the FAQ.
        
        - Upgrade your PostgreSQL database or LDAP schema as
          explained in the initscripts/ directories, if needed.
          
        - Double check the sample configuration files for new
          options and features.
          
Learn more about PyKota, see live reports or screenshots, download the CVS
version or buy yearly Official Packages subscription from :

  http://www.librelogiciel.com/software/PyKota/action_Presentation

Chat with us, ask for help, report problems or successes, on the mailing
list at :

  http://cgi.librelogiciel.com/mailman/listinfo/pykota

Or through IRC :

        /server irc.freenode.net
        /join #pykota
        
Plans for next releases, unsorted :

    - Make LPRng support on-par with CUPS support again,
      allowing immediate hardware accounting for LPRng too.
    
    - Improve documentation.
    
    - Explore PyKota database + OpenOffice.org interactions.
    
    - Allow more ways to limit printing, like by combining
      page + balance quota for example (thanks Henrik !)
      
    - Web based administrative interface.
    
    - Allow to see the printers groups history too
      (actually only individual printers history is
       shown)
       
Thank you for reading.

Jerome Alet

-- 
"A non-free program is a predatory social system that keeps people 
in a state of domination and division, and uses the spoils to 
dominate more." - RMS