Open Source Software to the Rescue
So I have this scanner, an old HP ScanJet 4300C. It still works fine but it is suffering from the old ATI AllInWonder syndrome -- each version of the card only has driver support for one or maybe two OS releases. This ScanJet is still kicking, but there is no driver support for Mac OS X or Windows Vista from HP.
I have known about the linux SANE Project for quite some time, but I never suspected that it would be my saving grace. With zero driver support from HP I turned to third party solutions. Lo and behold, my scanner was completely supported by SANE and there were OS X packages that I could install. The packages installed flawlessly and the scanner just worked.
Kudos to the SANE Project developers and to Mattias Ellert for making it painless, easy and flawless. HP deserves a Colbert Report style wag of the finger for shoddy support.
