I'm not disputing what documentation says, I'm meerly stating what
Narrator is and that is all its intended to be, yes there is no
dispute that Microsoft did (to their credit) intend to develop
Narrator further until they saw the resources required etc to
continue, at least we have something which partly helps.
On 11/07/2007, at 2:57 AM, Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis wrote:
Actually many, though not all, Microsoft documents explicitly
describe Narrator as a "screen reader", though they usually state it
is basic compared to third-party alternatives. e.g.:
http://urlx.org/microsoft.com/31d64
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms971307.aspx
But that's partly because, like VoiceOver, Narrator relies on the
native accessibility framework rather than employing video intercepts
or special API hooks. (Only partly; Narrator doesn't have many
options in terms of customization either.)
--
Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis
Dane Trethowan wrote:
Ok, well second to this, Microsoft bundle Narrator as "assistive
technology" and they actually state that Narrator is not intended
to be a Screen Reader.
On 10/07/2007, at 5:58 PM, Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis wrote:
Microsoft already bundle a screen reader with Windows (Microsoft
Narrator). It's just not a very good screen reader. It's actually
comparable to VoiceOver in some ways. From what I can understand,
the truly key differences are that Apple's Accessibility API was
developed years after Microsoft Active Accessibility and that more
Mac applications use Apple's widget set and so get accessibility
for free than Windows applications use Microsoft's widgets. Both
Apple and Microsoft persist in making software that fails to use
their own accessibility framework fully (e.g. iWeb and Office for
Windows).
Limitations of current accessibility frameworks and applications
failing to use them properly or provide other means of access, is
actually a much bigger problem than any limitations with VoiceOver
or Narrator, since it inhibits both commercial and free and open
source solutions from plugging the gaps.
Whether or not software companies can be held directly to account
for failing to take reasonable means to make their products
accessible, companies and especially the government can be held to
account for buying inaccessible software and excluding people from
disabilities from employment. The corporate and public sectors are
worth far more money to Microsoft than individual users with
disabilities at home.
If web development is any indication, software architected to be
usable to people with different abilities from the ground up should
be better for all users in the end. Avoiding accessibility issues
can be false economy and the "majority of users" can be an
ultimately self-defeating target, abstracted from the real variety
of human ability and the aging populations of the developed world.
--
Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis
Dane Trethowan wrote:
Yes Ian, that's all quite accurately summed up and I certainly
think that $2,500.00 is an outragious price to pay for that screen
reader, that's why I won't buy it but on the other hand, if
Microsoft don't want to develop a Screen Reader then in no way
should any pressure be brought to bare upon them to do so,
Microsoft are a company who market products to a majority of users
and unfortunate as it is, the majority of Microsoft users are not
blind just as the majority of Apple users are.
On 10/07/2007, at 1:31 PM, Ian Blackburn wrote:
hi all
regarding this thread with M$ Dollar and screen readers it might
be all right for people to say m$ should not make a screen reader
but I live In australia and it costs about $2,500 for Jaws and
only about 1300 for a PC that is about $4000 that is too much I
can buy a imac 17 inch for about $1700 I think it is unfare of M$
and the us government to preclude m$ makeing a screen reader and I
would not care less if Freedom Scientific or GW micro went out out
business.
some people can get grants for equipment but not all and 68% of
the working age blind in Australia dont work
If Apple can do cross subsidization to make screen reader so can m
$ nd it is about time the US government helped them.
regards
Ian
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Dane Trethowan
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Skype: callto:grtdane12
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Dane Trethowan
From Melton Victoria Australia
Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
phone uk 0121 288 4976
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Fax +61 3 9743 7954
mobile/sms: +61425 777 508
Skype: callto:grtdane12
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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