Archie, do you think Freedom Scientific or GW Micro could get away with selling products that don't > work with some applications? Yes, I know people are switching to the Mac, and using VoiceOver.
I have to admit, it is easier than Jaws, and way easier than Window Eyes.
um. they do. I have had to troubleshoot more than my fair share of windows machines where Window eyes or JAWS has gone on the "blink" and won't work anymore. not only do you have to reinstall the speech subsystem, but you also have to acquire a new license number to boot ( as the software detects this as a new install and won't allow you to use the old registration information). for nearly $1,000 just for JAWS alone, they should bedding a much better job of supporting their "product" instead of milking a government cash cow.
If my eyesight fizzed away, I would be furious if only some apps worked with my screen reader.
I am low vision, and in my unique case, most of the Universal Access tools are useless.
well, your case is definitely unique. for 22 years, so was mine (stuck in a low partial world of very large print and high contrasts).
I suspect the OP is really unhappy his vision has failed. To find out his computer only works
with some apps, must be really annoying. When a person jumps over to the Mac, at what point
do they find out VoiceOver has limitations?
whatever gave you that idea? </sarcasm> I've actually been on mac for a bit more than a year when my eyesight became completely unusable. so I didn't just jump into a mac blindly. as far as being upset, you bet I am! However, I am not going to let a little blindness stand in the way of my being able to surf the web or get my e-mail. Admittedly, voiceover does have some limitations, but it doesn't cost almost a grand and a lot of hassle to install, making it a far better choice for me in the long run.
Then again Archie, I am a sightling, what do I know? Say what you want against my opinion,
I understand. Most of my efforts to be a good advocate have gone to waste. Seems sighted
people don't make really good advocates. So I don't do much of it anymore.
wait a minute? I thought you said you were partially blind. did i read that wrong? as for advocacy, there's 2 kinds: 1. useful advocacy and, 2. lip service. I have encountered far too much of the latter and not enough of the former. too bad you gave up though. perhaps you had some useful info. I'll never know.
Apple is wrong. A screen reader should, um, read the screen. Period!
this statement belies the fact that you don't understand how each OS works at its application layer.In windows, the screen reader gets between the OS and the screen (i bit brutish, but it works... sort of). in OS X, each application runs in its own dedicated thread and any information it provides to the screen goes directly there. it would have to share that information with voiceover in order for voiceover to produce output. I am still new to OS X, so I am, by no means, even close to being an expert.
in all honesty, voiceover is a far better integrated package than window eyes or JAWS could ever be (and a whole lot less complicated to learn). in the case of mozilla, if they want to be accessible in OS X, they have to abide by the rules that apple sets forth.
-Eric
