Are you forced to buy windows in order to solve certain tasks on the internet e.g. like certain banktasks and to update garmin gps maps and other

[Kenneth Marcy]

On 7/31/2014 9:57 AM, David Fletcher wrote:
> On Thu, 2014-07-31 at 09:32 -0700, Kenneth Marcy wrote:
>> On 7/31/2014 8:31 AM, user1 wrote:
>>> Are you forced to buy windows in order to solve certain tasks on the
>>> internet e.g. like certain bank tasks and to update garmin gps maps etc
>> National and state tax return preparation on your own computer using
>> Linux continues to be a challenge not only in the USA but in other
>> countries as well.
> I'm part way through completing my tax return now, but waiting for the
> final document I need to complete it.
>
> So far I've had no issues at all with using HMRC's on line tax return
> with Mint 17 and Chrome. Let's hope this applies through to completion!
Yes, indeed, I do wish you success in your tax return preparation, and I 
thank you for lending support for my point about tax preparation 
software operating on the tax payer's own computer. Unless I am 
mistaken, and please correct me if I am, the tax preparation software is 
running on Her Majesty's machines, whatever their operating system may 
be, and your machine, controlled with Linux, is operating as a terminal 
attached to the Royal Revenue and Customs system for the duration of 
your return preparation process. If this is not correct, and the actual 
tax calculation software is running under Linux on your machine, please 
provide what details you are able to describe the process.
>> An interesting question is whether the appropriate governmental entities
>> should provide timely appropriate software for personal tax return
>> preparation.  Whether that software should be created by the government
>> entity itself, or under contract with a private organization, whether or
>> not commercial, is an adjunct question.
> As stated above, this appears to be what HMRC have done, on their web
> site.

A government entity providing access for taxpayers to computers 
controlled by that entity via its closed binary operating system and its 
closed binary tax preparation software is a situation quite distinct 
from open source tax preparation software running on the taxpayer's 
computer, the finished return from which is transmitted to waiting 
government machines.  The ability of citizens to see, read, and 
understand the tax laws they must obey, as well as the software code 
that implements their obeisance and compliance, is rather a different 
matter than being a subject of an electronic financial cloud.


Ken