> A home web server is probably STILL the easiest way to get files to heterogeneous computers and phones and tablets and...
Similarly for printing, I would love a local web app that I could submit PDFs to and get a printer to print the pages. I could imagine scanning working in reverse. I tried googling a bit but alas it seems no one has done it.
Some higher-end printers have HTTPS or LPD (or even FTP) printing built into them. As far as using a web app to queue to a printer that's working on a local Linux machine or so, the webapp could be as simple as just a file upload form and app backed by incron with the right command assigned to the event I think.
For dumb printers we use CUPS, even cheap printers (Oki B412dn here) just plug into the network and are found by most things (even Windows these days).
I also use CUPS on a Pi to put a dumb printer on the network, but I still routinely have issues with my devices not finding the printer or not scaling the page properly.
This is why I was thinking that a plain web app with a known good driver could solve these problems.
Similarly for printing, I would love a local web app that I could submit PDFs to and get a printer to print the pages. I could imagine scanning working in reverse. I tried googling a bit but alas it seems no one has done it.