Re: Why Access Matters (was) Re: Microsoft Messenger for Mac 7 has been released!

[James Jolley]

I see what your saying now but even so, its not a microsoft problem.  
Surely there must be mac users testing? We can't keep blaming  
companies for everything.On 30 Apr 2008, at 14:40, Josh de Lioncourt  
wrote:


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.