08 Dec 2013 6:03 PM:

Sorry to hear about your printer woes but this is not a problem with Linux but with the device manufacturer not releasing a driver however more and more manufacturers are joining the free software federation and the situation is getting much better. HP fully support Linux so they are my preferred printer supplier but I've had no problem with Canon and Epson devices.

It is very unusual to find a printer that won't work. All I can suggest is you search your linux distributions forum for help or ask them for help. I don't consider this to be for experts only as I have had to do much the same on Windows machines in the past.

A solution I have used to access the advanced features of some printers is to install Virtual Box (which is a virtual computer) on your Linux machine and then install Windows in VB. This technique is also used by organisations who convert to Linux but who have unique applications that can't be ported. The Windows virtual machine is usually denied access to the internet so that it can't be targeted by cyber criminals. This might sound complicated but is very easy to do if you have ever installed Windows before. Installing VB is just  a matter of finding it in your package manager. I hope this is of some help to you.

Thread: linux or windows in state schools in andalucia

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08 Dec 2013 1:24 PM:

I need to disspell the myth that Linux is only for expert users. Linux is no harder for the average user than Windows. Indeed it can be made to look so much like Windows that the average user would take quite some time to notice. For new users I'd recommend Mint or Ubuntu. You will find it looks different but it does not take long to figure out. Certainly as the majority of domestic users just want a web browser, chat and mail client and office apps to knock out a quick letter or simple spreadsheet, watch movies, manage photos and listen to music they will have no problem.

As for your assertion that the UK education sector is not interested in Linux! You are in for a surprise. The UK IT education policy is changing. Turning out the next generation of MS office customers is going out and producing the next generation of coders and computer savvy technologists is coming in, the teaching platform will be linux and the tool will be the Raspberry Pi. It will take time to implement across all schools but it has already started in the private education sector. The political will is there and the industry demand is there also.

Microsofts dominance in the business sector (not industry which favours UNIX / Linux) is under threat. Again it will take time but large organistions have and are making the change (to regain control of their IT infrastructure and save large sums of hard cash) and market forces will encourage competing organisations to follow suit.

I will also disspell your assertation that there is no support for Linux. Linux is available from commercial suppliers that fully support thier offerings.
 

Thread: linux or windows in state schools in andalucia

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07 Dec 2013 11:20 AM:

Linux is already happening. It has  / is being adopted by many banks,  goverments and other institutions. The British army and navy use it as do thier American equivalents, many EU governments have / are adopting it notably Germany, France, Spain and the UK. It is extremely popular in south America and India. The Chinese have produced thier own version for government use. I wanted to link to the article regarding Munich Citys recent conversion to Linux but apparently I can't use links until my acccount is approved, you can find it on tech republics site.

Read the article before commenting. In particular note MS desperate attempts to retain thier custom also note cost of ownship of Windows.

It will become part of the UK educational curriculum where computer science will be taught with the aid of a device called the Rasperry Pi that runs Linux i.e. they will be taught CS not how to use MS Office.

Over 90% of the worlds super computers run on it. The majority of devices that run the internet use it. Your router will probably be running it. If you have a smart TV it will be running Linux. The movie industry uses it extensively for rendering animations (that includes all the clever effects not just animated movies). Android phones and tablets run on it. Increasingly Linux is the go to solution for mission critical computing. I could go on but I think that will do.

The default linux office suite can save documents in MS office formats although there are reports of the formating not being quite the same but if the layout is important you should distribute the document as a PDF (that is why we have PDFs) and Libre Office can do that too.

Finally if you need support you can get your linux from one the commercial suppliers such as Redhat, Suse and Oracle and buy a support contract.

 

 

Thread: linux or windows in state schools in andalucia

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05 Apr 2013 12:52 PM:

 Hi all,

I'm planning to move to Spain quite soon. I was looking at buying an urban property but recently I've found several rural properties that seem to be amazing value. Being well aware that there is no such ting as a free lunch I'm a bit concerned that there may be some cost associated with owning a rural property that I'm unaware of. So my query is are there any taxes that apply to owning a rural property on say 10,000sqm other than the normal taxes that you would pay on an urban property. Cash is not abundant and I'd hate to find a hidden cost after the fact.

 

Thread: Rural Property Taxes

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04 Apr 2013 7:45 AM:

Thanks David that explains it. Do you have any links to banks that are are selling properties direct. My primary sites are Idealista and Kyero, it would be helpful to have a few more.

Thread: Buyers Commission !!

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