John Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11

Completed my most challenging technical task of the year - printing Xmas card labels.

Bought a new printer this year.

Ran out of label sheets in 2023, and was determined not to use dayglo yellow labels this year. 1st trip to Staples - closed.

No updates to addresses, but my partner keeps trying to send me the list in Google Docs, even though I already have it in csv for the merge.

Re-used the Avery label project running it in a Win10 VM. Despite settings & preview looking good...

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11

...it printed the wrong orientation, burning a sheet of labels.

So export to PDF. Print from Document Viewer in Ubuntu. The DV print dialog doesn't
allow setting the paper tray to manual.

Install Brother drivers in Linux, even tho the printer was auto-detected and works great, just in case. Print dialog still doesn't allow setting the tray, even tho the printer settings allow it. Fine. Set the tray in the Ubuntu printer settings. Test on plain paper to see if it waits for manual feed....

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11

...it does. Plain paper print looks OK.

Print again and manual feed labels in via the MP (multi purpose) tray.

Labels print great!

Now, to avoid this debacle next year, I will use LibreOffice Writer's labels features and see if I can get that to work, with a mail merge from the csv file....

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️

if I can get that to work, the sole remaining function needing the Win10 VM is a utility for programming my Falcon-8 keypad. I feel I can get it to run natively under Ubuntu.

Earlier this year, I switched to tax software that runs on Linux, which can do my personal and corporate Canadian taxes. That went very smoothly.

Dec 11 at 4:06pmWeb
Show threadWilliam DentonDec 11
@johnefrancis Which tax software is that?
Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11

@wdenton those products are here

https://www.mytaxexpress.com/

Canada T1 T2 Software - NETFILE EFILE certified. Free download Canadian Tax Software - Arcadia Solution Corp.

Show threadWilliam DentonDec 11
@johnefrancis Wow, that site looks like it's from 1998, which for a while was a bad thing but now seems like a good thing. And they're based out of Kensington Market here in Toronto, which is great. You recommend it? Works well and securely?
Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11
@wdenton worked fine. Seems secure. Nobody appears to have hacked in and paid my taxes.
Show threadBob JonkmanDec 11

@johnefrancis

I didn't know there was CRA-approved tax preparation software for Linux! Is it FreeSoftware / OpenSource?

Several years ago we (LibrePlanet Ontario) wanted to build tax software, but met with CRA restrictions at every step.

https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:LibrePlanet_Ontario/FLCTPSP

#FreeSoftware #OpenSource
#LibrePlanet #LibrePlanetOntario

Group:LibrePlanet Ontario/FLCTPSP - LibrePlanet

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11

@bobjonkman commercial. But cheap.

https://www.mytaxexpress.com/

Canada T1 T2 Software - NETFILE EFILE certified. Free download Canadian Tax Software - Arcadia Solution Corp.

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 11

@bobjonkman the arguments for Canadian tax software delivered domestically are stronger today than they were 9 years ago.

Lot of hoops to jump thru to get a CRA certification, and I'm broadly OK with that. There is potential for harm, or at least making a big mess.