The biggest and most overlooked problem with PC’s today is the proprietary printer driver.

Installing a printer is one of the most difficult tasks there is when it comes to personal computing.  This is all because that all printer manufactures insist on their own bloat-ware called a ‘Print Driver.

You would think that after all the years computers and printers have been around, there would have been a push to standardize printer drivers.  From everyone I have spoken with, installing a printer is one if not the worst experience when updating or installing a new operating system.

Just recently I upgraded my laptop to Windows 7 Professional.  I have a one year old HP LaserJet P006.  This is not a color or multi-function do everything printer, it only does one thing: Print!  I came to find out that HP decided not to create drivers for Windows 7 for this printer and the Vista drivers didnt work.  After much searching I finally found a Universal Driver that allowed me to use this printer.  I then went to install my other printer which is an HP Ink Jet Multi-function, and much older of a printer.  Well to my surprise, HP did have this driver for Windows 7…162MB download.

It has been my experience that the software that comes with most printers is very bloated, and resembles something that belongs on Windows 3.1.  Can you imagine how much smaller Windows would be if they didn’t have to include a hundred or thousand print drivers every-time they release a new Operating System.

Enters Google

In conjunction with Chrome OS, Google is attempting to standardize the world of printers and their associated drivers.  This is something that Microsoft has promised for quite a while, I, personally hope Google has better luck in their efforts.  I can’t help but imagine a world with a opensource printer driver where the phrase ‘Plug n Play’ was reality and not just a wish.

For most of us, when we install a new printer, we are not interested in installing more applications, we just want the damn thing to print.