I'll take a shot at some of this: Please see my notes below:
Greg Kearney
535 S. Jackson St.
Casper, Wyoming 82601
307-224-4022
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Apr 24, 2008, at 10:06 AM, David Poehlman wrote:
Rick,
I agree with you. I think that the fact that VoiceOver is imbedded
into the
Mac OS is a terrific thing, but I have yet to hear a podcast that
demonstrates that the accessibility offered in VoiceOver is at
least equal
to one of the major Windows screen readers like WindowEyes or JFW.
I don't want to diminish the value of having a screen reader as an
integral
part of the operating system. This is huge, but I have yet to see
anyone
demonstrate that the great access we have to things like the web,
spreadsheets, and applications we use on a daily basis like Skype,
Messenger, and the list goes on, is at least equal to what we have
in
Windows.
By access, I don't mean simply that it talks and reads the
screens. I mean
things like can you go to a web page and jump directly to the third
button
on the page? Can you go directly to the third form. Can you bring
up a
list of forms or edit fields in a list so you can choose the one
you want to
jump to directly? Can you set markers on either a per page or
domain level?
While we do not have the notion of jumping to the third item on a
page, and unless you knew the page very well I'm not sure what good
that would do. We do have both a URL and item chooser menus for
pages which provide that kind of navigation.
Can you open a word document with tables and comfortably read
through those
tables in a meaningful way?
I have not had any particular difficulties reading tables in
TextEdit the Mac's built in word processor which is file compatible
with MS Word.
Can you open up a spreadsheet and define monitored cells that will
automatically speak their value when they change whether they are
visible on
the screen or not?
The only accessible spreadsheet application is Table you could make
a cell a hot spot and then have it read each time it is changed. Hot
spots are available system wide.
Can you read mail in Outlook or equivalent email client in html or
text and
have it automatically read the message for you when opened?
Yes our email program is called Mail and you can set it up to read
each mail message as it is opened.
Do you have the same level of access to your multi-track recording
software
as Windows users have to Sonar?
Do you have an equivalent solution for scanning and reading to
K1000, or
OpenBook?
There is K3000 it is expensive but it can be used with VoiceOver
just as K1000 is. I would like to see a Mac version of K1000 myself.
In addition it is possibnle to run K1000 in a mac with VMfusion and
no Window's screen reader.
Do you have an FTP client that is as accessible as FTP Voyager, or
FileZilla?
yes both Transmit and CyberDuck are fully VoiceOver compatible FTP
clients.
The list could go on and on, but I think these are the sort of
questions
Windows users would like to see answered in a straight forward and
honest
way. These questions are not meant to be confrontational in any
way. They
are just examples of the sort of things I would want to know if
someone were
to do a podcast on VoiceOver.
Honestly speaking, the few podcasts I have heard were cool, and it
was
awesome to see an OS have a better solution than narrator, but the
sort of
access I witnessed, and the amount of maneuvering folks had to do
to get
something's done, to me at least, seemed like Windows access a few
years
ago.
I know VoiceOver is still a baby compared to the Windows screen
readers and
if development continues, could some day catch up to them, but so
far, from
what I have heard and seen in podcasts, it does have a long way to
go. I am
not saying it won't get there but for someone to say access is now
equal
with VoiceOver is still a stretch. Of course I would love to see
development continue by Apple and some day be able to say that I
can switch
to a Mac if I want to and not miss a thing in terms of
accessibility.
Hopefully, someone will do a podcast that will prove me wrong.
Warmest regards,
Rick Alfaro
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rick Harmon
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 1:54 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [BCT] Mac tutorials
Ok all you mac users. I've been asking for several months now for
mac
tutorials demonstrating lepard, voice over and programs on the
mac. No one
has stepped foward.
So here's your chance to show how voice over shines. Let me know
if anyone
is interested in contributing.
Rick
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