Whether there are alternatives or not is irrelevant. The point is that access to Microsoft products is a requirement for some users, and a lack of access to those products will continue to be used by the anti-Mac crowd to try to discredit the platform and its viability for the blind. And while we do have alternatives for the MSN/Live Messenger services, I don't know of an accessible alternative for the Microsoft Office Communications one. If anyone does know of one, please let us know.
And, while i personally would have little use for Microsoft Messenger for Mac, that doesn't mean that others out there will not. I believe it is important to have as much access to as many products as possible, and remember that there are others who live outsid our own sphere with differing needs, desires, or preferences. Complacency when it comes to access helps no one.
Part of what makes the Mac and VoiceOver such a great thing is that it gives blind computer users a choice besides Windows. This is true of various flavors of Gnome under Linux as well. More chocies for various types of applications will help strengthen and mature the VoiceOver community and our Mac experience. Stagnation is never a good thing.
Josh de Lioncourt Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lioncourt Mac-cessibility Site: http://www.Lioncourt.com ...my other mail provider is an owl... On 30 Apr, 2008, at 3:09 AM, James Jolley wrote:
Really, does it make any difference? we have alternatives. Microsoft are hardly worth bothering with anyway, why do you think we switched? I switched because Windows is a waist of time and I wanted something more reliable.
