I think you'll find the most significant number of feature
enhancements and so forth upon major releases of the OS. However, if
there is a significant bug that seriously impacts users, they would
address it in one of the interim updates. So, there is no set schedule
and there shouldn't be, it should be based on need or tied into a
significant release. So, the existing schedule has worked well and to
be honest there sometimes are changes you wouldn't realize as being
significant in that perhaps some new feature was not added, but
something under the hood was fixed. I doubt you'll see VoiceOver
become stagnate in the foreseeable future.
On Nov 4, 2008, at 12:01 AM, Mueller, Matt wrote:
I would have to agree that VoiceOver certainly isn't going to be
removed. One thing I do find peculiar, however, is the update path
and outlook for VoiceOver. You must excuse me (and correct me as
well) if I am mistaken in my facts or interpretation. I am still
quite new to VoiceOver and the Mac. Version changes of Windows
screen readers often bring with them a fair number of added
features--ways of making parts of the GUI easier and more efficient
to navigate and use. I don't see that with VoiceOver. Even with my
admittedly limited use of Tiger and now Leopard I don't see many
significant changes. Granted Braille support is very significant
and the additional audio cues are an improvement as well. Mostly the
updates seem minor and not even all that frequent. The last I
remember was 10.5.2 restoring list view on the Dock. So are updates
to VoiceOver really all that unique? Is it reasonable to expect
more frequent updates and improvements just because it is part of
the OS, and can a major update always be expected when the next OS
is released, say 10.6? I suppose I see improvements in such areas
being a function not of OS updates but simply Apple's commitment to
accessibility and their user base. I guess my ultimate question as
someone who is beginning to invest time and money in the Mac
platform is simply this: What are the chances of stagnation given
Apple's primary and sole focus is not providing access technology?
Any thoughts on this are welcome.
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