Linux Easter Egg - Printer on Fire!

1. Using LINUX 2.2.1 (havent checked others), with bidirectional printer support
2. Print from the network and force a printer jam (tear a corner off a piece of paper and put back into th printer)
3. Issue a print command
4. Watch the output of the console (says lp0 printer on fire!)
5. Should have seen me RUN to the printer

Spread the word and if you like this Egg!

User Rating:	7.0 7.0/10 with 554 votes
Contributed By:	Leonard M. Pheobus on 07-25-1999
Reviewed By:	Webmaster

Special Requirements: Linux 2.2.1

Please correct this Egg if you see errors.

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Comments

BubbaFett writes:

I've seen this one, got a hearty laugh, but... Can open source software really have eggs? /usr/src/linux/drivers/char/lp.c: static int lp_check_status(int minor) { unsigned int last = lp_table[minor].last_error; unsigned char status = r_str(minor); if ((status & LP_PERRORP) && !(LP_F(minor) & LP_CAREFUL)) /* No error. */ last = 0; else if ((status & LP_POUTPA)) { if (last != LP_POUTPA) { last = LP_POUTPA; printk(KERN_INFO "lp%d out of paper\n", minor); } } else if (!(status & LP_PSELECD)) { if (last != LP_PSELECD) { last = LP_PSELECD; printk(KERN_INFO "lp%d off-line\n", minor); } } else if (!(status & LP_PERRORP)) { if (last != LP_PERRORP) { last = LP_PERRORP; printk(KERN_INFO "lp%d on fire\n", minor); } } else { last = 0; /* Come here if LP_CAREFUL is set and no errors are reported. */ } lp_table[minor].last_error = last; if (last != 0) { if (LP_F(minor) & LP_ABORT) return 1; lp_error(minor); } return 0; }

88 of 99 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes

ElbowGeek writes:

The Printer on Fire reference comes from a time in which a printer really could catch fire. Back in the days of highspeed band printers, a paper jam could gum cause the electomechanical parts to overheat in rare instances. Hope this helps...

34 of 42 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes

nmx writes:

This is not an easter egg. The "printer on fire" joke is a long-standing one, and was used when there was an error with the printer but the exact error was not known.

35 of 47 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes

i was here writes:

i know another way to get that message. 1) get a piece of paper 2) dip it in gasoline 3) light it 4) put it in the printer 5) the rest is self-explanatory

39 of 68 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes

Arael writes:

A documented error message. Another one was "you don't exist. Go away" (IIRC it had something to do with deleting san account and still working on it?)

11 of 15 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes