and where di you download it from? Gabriel Vega Certified Technical Support Specialist:A+, Network+ registered Linux user number 405256. Phone: (602) 488-9862 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Larry Wanger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS X by the blind" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2005 11:49 AM Subject: Re: The $199 question
> Hi, > > My questions have beeen raised I guess in the email I sent a while > ago. Other than accessing word documents in Text Edit, I've not > found anything to open Excell documents and can not access news > groups. I just tried to download OSXNews and for the life of me can > not get it working. I downloaded it and an icon appeared on my > desktop. I tried to open that and got a foldder with different files > in it. I can not figure out how to install it and can not find oa > help file on the web site or in the filees that downloaded so I'm > unsure what to do. > > It was suggested that II have a PC and a Mac available for me to > use. I am doing that and will continue to do so. However, its just > kind of botthersum to do so. If I could just get subscribed to the > newsgroups I need then all would be much better. having access to > Office apps or tto iWork or Appleworks would be really nice but that > isn't going to happen. > > Right now if I could gett some help with this OSXNews program and get > that up and running that would be ggreat. Long-term, having some > assurance that Apple is going tto come up with some ways to make VO a > better product it would be great. Frankly, I think web access with > VO stinks badly and I can't figure out how the let it go at this. > Just some simple steps would dramaticly improve this program and I'd > like to talk to someone over at Apple about this without being told I > need to fork over $200. man did that piss me off!!! I can't stress > that enough!!! I just can't begin tto understand how some moron over > there at Apple thinks it necessary to charge that much for me to > dialogue with them about some user type issues and to get some > specific help. Itts bull. If I didn't have to wait on hold for 15 > or 20 minuttes I'd call right now. I will blow a gasket though if I > set there on hold that long. I will do it though. > > > > > On Dec 27, 2005, at 11:12 AM, David Poehlman wrote: > > > What is so hard about os x news? also, why do you have to > > completely kill the pc? Why not just use a pc for what you need it > > for and the Nac for the rest? > > > > What kinds of usage questions do you have? > > > > -- > > Jonnie Apple Seed > > With his: > > Hands-On Technolog(eye)s > > > > > > On Dec 27, 2005, at 12:45 PM, LARRY WANGER wrote: > > > > "I find it interesting that you insist you can't do > >> things that folks have repeatedly stated is perfectly doable." > > > > I'm unsure of how to respond to this. I've tried suggestions that > > folks have offered. However, some of those have involved learning > > how to interact with the Mac in terminal mode. Just another layer > > to learn and work through and frankly getting a new computer and > > switching operating systems to a format widely proclaimed to be far > > better than Windows should not involve so many more steps. You may > > pass this off as someone who is not a tech oriented person or > > someone who just doesn't understand computers who tried this and > > decided it didn't work. The truth is I've spent many hours and > > worked very hard to find solutions and make this work. Like it or > > not, I had far fewer problems when I was using Jaws and Windows. > > Yes, security was a concern and Windows just presents a lot of > > problems but the trade-off is that I was able to use it effectively. > > > > > > > > > > Check out my blog at http://lsw999.blogspot.com/ > > > > Larry Wanger > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Travis Siegel" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac > > OS X by theblind" <[email protected]> > > Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2005 10:37 AM > > Subject: Re: The $199 question > > > > > >> OSXnews works just fine with voice over, and it's download page > >> isn't difficult at all to navigate. It's been mentioned here > >> before multiple tines. I find it interesting that you insist you > >> can't do things that folks have repeatedly stated is perfectly > >> doable. > >> But, to each his own. > >> > >> However, I find the procare thing a bit disturbing. When I got > >> my mac, I was clearly told that procare would cover amy questions > >> I might have, including voice over related ones. I'd call apple > >> back, and ask if what you were told is true, it's possible the > >> person who said that wasn't properly informed as to the current > >> state of affairs. > >> On Dec 27, 2005, at 12:17 PM, LARRY WANGER wrote: > >> > >>> Well, one of the very apparent differences between my past use of > >>> Windows based screen readers and my new experience with VO is > >>> kind of surprising to me. There just isn't support available > >>> from Apple. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Here is some background. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> I've asked a few times about different programs that I could use > >>> to meet my needs with my Mac and access to class newsgroups that > >>> I use in conjunction with courses I take as well as insuring > >>> that I have access to normally used file formats like Word, > >>> Excel and PowerPoint. You guys have offered some good > >>> suggestions. I can use text edit for word documents. I should > >>> be able to use iWork or Apple Works as well for many of these > >>> purposes but I've tested both products, Made by Apple I might > >>> add, and neither works with VO. Additionally, I was able to > >>> activate the Office 2004 test drive that came on my Mac and none > >>> of the applications in that suite of programs was accessible > >>> either. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Beyond this, I called the University technical support line to > >>> ask what programs they support for use with newsgroups on the > >>> Mac and they were able to suggest Thunderbird and or Onterage > >>> which are available. I tried Onterage as said with the Office > >>> suite and it would not work and could not get Thunderbird to > >>> allow for access either. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Finally, out of frustration, I called Apple and tried to ask > >>> questions, thus the subject line of this message. I was told > >>> that because I have the Apple Care plan that I could get tech > >>> support but the questions I was asking about VO are usage and > >>> therefore I would need to pay $199 to talk with someone. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Guys, this is beyond ridiculous. I've been patient and worked > >>> very hard to make the Mac work for me. I really like it too but > >>> the bottom line here is that the computer must meet my needs and > >>> it shouldn't be a project to make it do so. I've spent now > >>> nearly 2 weeks with it and clearly know what I need it to do. > >>> Unfortunately, I'm not getting it to do that. Many of you will > >>> argue that I should be patient and keep working with it. > >>> However, the bigger issue here is that for Apple to make it in > >>> the blindness community and to be a mainstream product, they > >>> must realize that probably 99% of blind people...or anyone else > >>> for that matter, won't have the patience and tech skills to > >>> continue to work with it. It must be user friendly and ready to > >>> go right out of the box and folks, it isn't!!! > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Perhaps in the future the Mac will make it but its not working > >>> for me right now. Someone made the argument that it's only been > >>> six months since VO has been available and eventually it will > >>> get there. I'm sure this is the case but that won't help me at > >>> this moment when I need it to work for me now. I'm really > >>> unsure on what to do at this point but its clear that while I > >>> can use the Mac to read and write Word documents, I can not work > >>> with Excel or PowerPoint documents and I can not yet at this > >>> point subscribe or work with newsgroups for my classes. Someone > >>> suggested using Snownews but remember, not all of us understand > >>> this advanced garbage that was on the page there and I could not > >>> even tell which version to download. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> I'm trying to balance maintaining a clear overall picture of my > >>> experience here which has been relatively good with the major > >>> short- falls that I find with some specific issues I've got. > >>> Realize though that one buys a computer to perform specific > >>> tasks for them. I clearly know what I need to do with it but > >>> the Mac thus far is not allowing me to do so. I'm increasingly > >>> unhappy with it and may in fact need to return this. I expect > >>> some of you to have some sharp reactions to this.How could > >>> anyone go back to a PC after experiencing the Mac? I can see > >>> that point but if the computer won't do what I need it to do and > >>> Apple wants $200 each and every time I want to ask a question > >>> then what is the point. I might as well keep paying Freedom > >>> Scientific or GW Micro the high price for a screen reader and > >>> get support as part of that package. I fail to see how Apple > >>> defines tech support verses user questions but maybe someone has > >>> some insight on that as well? > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Check out my blog at http://lsw999.blogspot.com/ > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Larry Wanger > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Check out my blog at http://lsw999.blogspot.com/ > >>> > >>> Larry Wanger > >>> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > >
