For quite a while now, Browse mode, has basically stayed the same. For
all of what I know, it might have been this way forever - I did get in
touch with WE in version 6.0.
To claim, there has been no updates to browse mode, would be totally out
of range. It's enough to just mention the placemarker functions,
implemented with WE7. Still these have been to some extend, what we
could discribe as Minor updates or changes.
For at least a year, GW staff has told us, there will be a major update,
or even a rebuild of the whole, browse mode - sometime... NO! This is no
complaining message, I just try to sum up, the facts, as far as my
knowledge goes. And I do understand the reason for the REBUILD of the
Browse Mode, and that there is nothing in stone yet. That is actually
what all of this message is all about...
The problem, as it is by date, and has been for all the past, is that
Brose Mode is a part of the basic WE code. This means, that ONLY GW
staff has access to it, and ONLY they can change it. They are few, and
have limited resources. They also have to make priorities when comes to
what features to update, and maintain. But the WEB, is a quite dynamic
place. It changes often, and it does so, OVER NIGHT. Go to your favorite
webpage today, everything is fine, open it tomorrow, and you are stuck -
the webmaster had the joky idea in his head last night, to change one
tiny piece of code, and you are helplessly left behind. You go to the WE
mailing list, and sigh out your heart, and is told that somewhere down
the line, someone down the staff, will do something down the code... And
meanwhile? When we first were told that plans were for an update to
Browse Mode, last year, the web had this and that, that was
inaccessible. If we look one year, two years, or whatever ahead, to get
the rebuild, the web will have changed dramtically, and the whole
process will have to be repeated.
OK, enough for the summing up. Here is my suggestion: Up till WE6.1, the
WE code made up the whole WE software, and that was what you got, and
what you had to stick to. From WE7, the software has become FAR more
dynamic, by entering into the scripting world. This gives us big
opportunites, when comes to keeping the software UP-TO-DATE, and running
even under brand new circumstances.
GW Staff:
Why not simply remove the browse Mode from the basic code, and make it
all into a script???
Scripting the Browse Mode, would give several conveniences. First of
all, not only GW staff would have access to it, meaning that if they
don't have time to update, others might get the chance to jump in and
give a hand. Secondly, the update would be far quicker and more easily
done. Third, the users could benefit from the updates, even if they
don't have the money to run and buy a newer version of WE, at least to
some extend (most scripts can, for instance, be run as well under WE7,
WE7.01, and WE7.1). Fourth, scripting would open up for features, that
might not be possible, easily, to fit into the basic code.
How well would this way of doing things work? Well, I did use another
screen reader - back a few years ago - the German Blindows. They had
done a similar solution, having no browse mode implemented in the screen
reader itself, but bunddled it with a scripted software named
WebFormator. The scripted browse mode, simply kicked in, whenever IE was
opened, just like the Browse Mode of WE does. In practical, daily, use,
the user might not even notice the difference. But when comes to the
frequency, and time needed, to get out updates, everyone would benefit.
ALLRIGHT, you all might state - and I guess this is the first reply we
will get from staff members - but this will have to be in a later
version of WE, sometime down the years.... !!! NO !!!
Should be possible to get this done, already, with no new version of WE.
A script could be out, that simply OVERRIDES the 'built-in' Browse Mode,
that is implemented in WE as per date. Later on, yes, go ahead and
remove the built-in Browse Mode, but the script could be out far sooner
than a new version of WE. A bit of a job to built such a script? OH,
YES! But what a job to rebuilt the built-in code in WE? And when will
next version of WE come out? Again, no complaint, but let's face the
fact. Few things that the users put their screen reader on to
accomplish, is any more dynamically, and rapidly changing, than namely
the WEB. We've got scripts for far more stabile and non-dynamic tasks
than that, already. As time goes by, more and more of the web will
rapidly change. If GW have to rebuild their code for all of these
changes, they will soon find they have to run a whole staff on just that
one task. Putting it out as a script, will take away a good portion of
that pressure, from their shoulders, as stated in the four points above.
Well, what do you listers, think about this?
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