Re: what we have to contend with:Fw: From today's Tech Update

[Dan Eickmeier]

I agree with what people have said here about the mac and voiceover.   
You spend the money on a mac, you get VoiceOver, and as the OS is  
updated, Voiceover may get updated as well.  No haveing to pay every  
couple of years to maintain a JAWS or window-eyes SMA,and  if the oS  
gets updated, no waiting for updates to the screen reader either.  On  
Nov 2, 2008, at 3:02 PM, David Poehlman wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 10:50 AM
Subject: Re: From today's Tech Update


I can think of one good reason to continue with Windows or perhaps  
two even
if everything else is equal.  the first reason is a matter of  
preference but
many users may find it compelling.  Consider speech.  As far as I  
know,
Eloquence, Via Voice and Dectalk are not available for Macs.  I've  
heard the
new synthesizer Mac has added and I am not impressed.  It has the same
problems I've heard with all of the newer type of synthesizers,  
incorrect
inflections and more words pronounced oddly or slurred than I find
acceptable.  According to the promotional material, the synthesizer  
also
simulates breathing before long passages.  I don't want a  
synthesizer to
pretend to breathe.  I want it to read during the time it is  
designed to
pretend to breathe and not waste my time.  The new Mac synthesizer  
may be as
responsive as Apple claims, I have no way to know since I heard a  
recording
of it and didn't use it.  However, many blind people may very much  
want to
continue to use the speech they currently use in Windows or when  
upgrading
to a g u i operating system from something else. What about hardware
synthesizers such as Double Talk or Tripple Talk that blind people  
may want
to use. Do they loose access to them if they use a Mac?

The second reason is one Mike mentioned.  I am not saying this is or  
is not
the case.  As with Mike, I pose the question but in a different way.

I currently use four screen-readers.  I usually use JAWS but I have a
Window-eyes demo on my machine, NVDA, and I use System Access to Go  
when it
does something better than the other screen-readers.  Since I  
haven't used
Macs, I can't evaluate this but the question arises as to whether  
having
access to so many options provides better access to certain programs  
or to
certain web sites.  There are times when I get markedly better  
access to a
web site using something other than JAWS and times when JAWS  
provides the
best access.  There are times when a feature in JAWS gives me more
convenient access to some aspect of a program.  As with Mike, I am  
skeptical
that development of a screen-reader facing no competition will equal
development when there is meaningful competition. Also, I question  
whether
any single screen-reader can possibly deal as well with a large  
number of
programs as having different screen-readers with different  
characteristics
and variations of features.

Isn't it interesting how many people complain about Microsoft being a
monopoly yet they are not the least bit bothered by the fact that  
there is
literally only one screen-reader for the Mac?  This is inconsistent.

I'm not advocating that anyone use any particular operating system.   
I have
consistently said that people should use what meets their needs and  
what
they like.  But I am not convinced that using Windows doesn't have
advantages.  Using a Mac may have advantages but that doesn't mean  
that
Windows may not have advantages not found in the Mac.  It's  
unfortunate that
so many Mac users discuss the Mac with missionary zeal and religious  
fervor.
It lowers their credibility.  I don't see Windows users doing the same
thing.  Whenever anyone is too fanatical about anything, I become
suspicious.

Gene
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jude DaShiell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 9:23 AM
Subject: Re: From today's Tech Update


Apple has lots of user's groups in existence and not everybody who  
uses
one of Apple's computers is connected with one of those groups or  
attends
meetings regularly to their cost.  Also not every Apple user knows  
about
http://www.macupdate.com/ or http://www.versiontracker.com/  
either.  The
windows users could even come up with more software too if they  
camped out
on http://www.versiontracker.com/ too because that site offers  
software
links and information for both sets of operating systems.  By now  
we all
of us know about the mac accessibility email lists which is more  
than many
sighted people know.  Those same sighted people who use mac's can  
use the
same software those of us who use VoiceOver use because VoiceOver  
works
the way it does.  So sighted users can use unison as well as I can.  
That's
an accessible newsgroup reader that works with VoiceOver but not  
all mac
software does yet. As to the complaint about mac's and viruses, rest
assured Apple and those in the user's groups keep current with actual
threats and all of them know it's only a matter of time until those
threats become actual viruses.  But here's something to think about  
for
now.  One of the computer publications did a poll of security
professionals and learned that when those security professionals  
have to
do their work given a choice of a windows machine or a mac, the mac  
would
be their machine of choice.  One more thing to keep in mind, Snow  
Leopard
will fix the problems Apple found after Leopard got released and  
some of
those will be security optimizations.  So Apple isn't standing still
either.  So long as Apple continues offering better operating  
systems than
Vista and I'm alive I see no reason to spend money on windows.