It's certainly the case that GNOME's keyboard shortcuts are closer to Windows XP than Mac OS X, although GNOME's graphical user interface is rather different to either. I work on Ubuntu Linux at home, Mac OS X at work, and constantly test websites in Windows XP, so you can imagine how confused I get.
I agree that your familiarity with JAWS and unfamiliarity with non-Windows operating systems would naturally prejudice you in favour of JAWS unless the other screen readers offered massive ease-of-use benefits. In the case of a complex systems like an operating system, such benefits are difficult to achieve: learning such systems is almost always a struggle. And in the case of complex software aimed at a minority of users, as with screen readers, most development effort seems to go into basic functionality rather than radical user interface redesigns. I think the immediate benefits of VoiceOver and free screen readers like Thunder is that they lower the cost of visually impaired access to the latest technologies and the cultural content and employment possibilities that rely on those technologies. Open source screen readers like NVDA and Orca offer an additional benefit by allowing users to participate in improving the software on which they depend. -- Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis On Fri, 2007-04-13 at 09:41 -0500, John Heim wrote: > Wow... I totally disagree that voiceover is easy to llearn when compared to > jaws. > > I am someone trying to make the transition from Windows to the Mac and I > think anyone who is considering doing the same should prepare themselves for > a struggle. > > I am not a windows bigot. I desperately want voiceover to succeed. For one > thing, I don't want to have to ask my employer to shell out $1000 for > another jaws license when the current one runs out. And I can show you > messages from the NFB's comp sci list where I got into heated debates over > their policy supporting jaws. I have argued that voiceover is proof that > their policy is wrong. > > However, I think voiceover is not as good as jaws. Jaws is more intuitive > and easier to use. To be fair, that opinion may be the result of my > familiarity with jaws and my lack of familiarity with voiceover. And some of > my problem with voiceover may be the result of my unfamiliarity with the Mac > operating system. I have to learn how to use the doc as well as voiceover. > > But I recently installed orca, this is a new screen reader for linux/gnome. > And I was able to get real work done almost immediately. The tab key did > what I expected it to, etc. Again, to be fair, gnome may be more like > windows than MacOS is. Apple probably prefers that windows and MacOS are > different. The developers of gnome might have made it windows-like on > purpose. > > I remember learning to use jaws and I didn't struggle nearly as much with it > as I did with voiceover. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rafael Bejarano" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS X by > theblind" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 7:06 PM > Subject: Re: Hi > > > > Hi Hanna, > > > > I understand your anxiety at the prospect of switching operating systems. > > I suggest going to an Apple store or asking a friend who uses a Mac with > > the Tiger OS to let you play on it. I don't know where you live, of > > course, but the folks at the Apple store in Chicago were extremely > > helpful and professional when I went there to learn about Tiger and > > VoiceOver. I think you will find that VoiceOver is a very easy to learn > > screen reader, especially compared to JAWS. > > > > Cordially, > > Rafael Bejarano > > On Apr 12, 2007, at 7:09 AM, Hannah Day wrote: > > > >> Hi all, I've recently joined this list as I'd like to learn about the > >> mac. I'm thinking of switching as I'm experiencing Windows problems, > >> including malware, sluggish performance, and so on. However, for someone > >> like me who is not only totally blind but also suffers from learning > >> disabilities, how could I go about learning to use the mac as I've been > >> a Windows user for several years. I currently do not own a mac yet by > >> the way, but I'm hoping to invest in one some day. Thanks, and I look > >> forward to hearing from you. Regards, Hannah > >> -- > >> Hannah Day > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > >> -- > >> http://www.fastmail.fm - A fast, anti-spam email service. > >> > >> > > > > > > > >
