Regarding the scanner working or not, Vuescan is a great option on Linux. Sure it's commercial but it is another way to bridge the gap and assist in the move away from Windows.
I've been using UNIX and then Linux for just over 30 years. I have <i>never</i> used Windows as my day-to-day Desktop.<p>My total annual use of Windows is probably under 5-10 hours. That is PER YEAR. And even that is generally due to pure laziness on my part.