Kinda similar, we could use LPT1 on DOS as a file and write to it or even just do a "copy" on the command line ( remember "copy CON LPT1" ?). This was pretty much the default way to print, with applications sending ESC sequences to pretty up the page.
The problems were to do with handling problems like printer jams, out of paper etc which require, in essence, a partial resend and was tricky. Print spoolers on all platforms managed some of this complexity.
The greater memory on printers and the ability to locally retry a page make it simpler today, but only in the most casual settings. If you want to print anything substantial, treating a printer as a file is not really a good idea.
>The problems were to do with handling problems like printer jams, out of paper etc which require, in essence, a partial resend and was tricky. Print spoolers on all platforms managed some of this complexity.
The only system I'm aware of that managed that was AFP on IBM mainframes. Certainly the Windows print spooler doesn't. It assumes the printer handles a paper jam and just waits until it is ready to accept more data.
The problems were to do with handling problems like printer jams, out of paper etc which require, in essence, a partial resend and was tricky. Print spoolers on all platforms managed some of this complexity.
The greater memory on printers and the ability to locally retry a page make it simpler today, but only in the most casual settings. If you want to print anything substantial, treating a printer as a file is not really a good idea.