Re: Window eyes 7.2 bootable cd

Wed, 12 May 2010 23:08:26 -0700

On my computer, there is installed several handfuls of software packages. Guess this is not an uncommon case, when you start to add up all security ware, and other features you install on a modern computer system. Out of all of these, only THREE - Windows itself, Microsoft Office, and Window-Eyes - 'stubbornly' insists on having a hard copy installation media. Well, and a few hardware came with their Drivers on CD - i.e Sound Blaster. But absolutely all the rest of the programs on my system has been installed from downloadables. This even in cases where the installation file is 2GB in size, that is, it wouldn't even fit on a standard CD, but would have taken half a DVD in capacity. Several of the software packages here needs their user specific licensing information. There is a couple of ways to verify - and they vary from one package to the other, which one is chosen. Some developers do all the user identification prior to making available the downloadable (much like GW does prior to burning the CD); others (like for instance the AntiVirus) deliver a standard installer, and then provides you a user specific license key, that has to be confirmed over the internet, through the installation process, so as to have the software start working. Whichever authorization method is chosen, still they managed to let you download, and install the software. OK, in some cases, particularly the ones where the file has to be user taylored, you will have to order it, then wait for the server to send you an E-mail, giving you a specific downloadable link, that holds your personal copy of the software. I did this just less than a week ago, and although it takes maybe a couple of hours before the server gets your copy ready, it happens even through the weekend/holidays, and it by far outranges the time it would take to have a CD shipped from the USA, to anywhere in the world, which sometimes might run into several weeks.
Yes, I do tend to agree with most people in this thread, that it is high time for GW to provide downloadable images for their software. The technical reason for not doing so, I have no clue of, but at least it is not impossible - neither unusual to do so, in 2010 (rather to the contrary). And, I can relate to the frustration, and feelings, of this somehow 'old-fashioned' way of destributing your software. Charging $20 for a CD to be send out - well discuss whether that is fair or not. Some other companies, who offers to send you a hard copy of your software, typically do so for half the price; but then again, they don't label the CD in Braille. Don't know how much a 3 by 5 inch sticker costs in the states, and how long it takes to print it, and put it in place on the cover. :) In short, don't let me argue the price of $20, for sending the CD out. But with a server-based downloadable, MOST of the delivery charges would disappear, even if GW has to put up an extra hard drive, just for taking care of the Imiging process. Just think of all the working hours, they would get freed up, and could spend on the real job - namely, to do further development. Of course, it does make a different day, when you are used to do programming, and bug fixing five days a week; and now get the chance of sitting down at your desk, preparing, burning, labeling, and packing five hundred CDs. Yes, I do get that point. :) Smile :) 


As for the bandwidth, I am not ALL that concerned. First of all, by far, 
people would only want to download their updates, just as they do today. So 
for that matter, things would stay the way they are. And, what then about 
the 5 or 10 percent of users, who wants to download their Image, when a new 
version comes out? Well, if they would have to put up with a couple of 
hours, waiting for the server to get ready their copy, I guess most users 
would agree that to be fair enough. And by then, maybe the most heavy load 
on the bandwidth, will have withered anyway. Even on other software 
packages, I have had cases where you would have to give it a retry for the 
downloadable. Get yourself a good download manager, and it would take care 
of necessary retries.



As for the environment, yes, I do agree fully. No need to have a ton of CDs 
shipped, that most people only would use once, maybe a few times, before 
they are thrown away, due to new CDS having to be shipped out. Besides, by 
using downloadables, the user might decide WHERE - or on which media - it is 
most convenient to store the immage. Now aday, with more and more users 
entering the land of netbooks, with no CD drive, the CD that GW ships, is 
more of a hazzle, than a help. In such cases, downloading your image 
directly to a memory card, or  an USB drive, would by far have been more 
convenient.



For those of us, who are old enough, in the sense of computer usage, we will 
stilll remember the 80's and early 90's when software was distributed on 
diskettes. Remember the days, when your word processor came on 15 diskettes? 
:) Then, some time around the mid-90's, we got the first CD distributed 
software. Wow, what a leap forward. Now you could throw out a whole shelf, 
from your office, as all the software now could be stored on far less 
physical space. But see, we don't live in the 80's, nor in the 90's. Fact 
is, we don't any longer live in the early 2000's. Now aday, you can 
actuallly 'backup' all your software on one, or maybe two, tiny memory 
cards; or simply leave them on your USB pen drive. This leaves your computer 
desk by far more tidy, and for those of us who have been used to spend hours 
on searching through a ton of hard copies, it makes a far more quick process 
in getting to our software, when a reinstall is needed. Allright, it does 
make GW 'outstanding', when they are just about the only CD left on your 
computer desk, these days. And, as so, I do see the advertising effect. :) 
Smile :) But, how about getting up-to-date? :)



I am sure, there is technical reasons - or could it be business obstacles - 
that makes GW persist on sending out that good old CD for each user round 
the world. But, just as assured I am there is, I also am convinced, there is 
a solution to the matter. A solution that would ensure their intrests just 
as much as the interest of the individual user.



And, GW, on sending out the CDS: I would have prefered you to label the CD 
itself, instead of the cover. Sometimes you happen to have a few CDs out at 
the same time, for instance when reinstalling a syste,  and then a labeled 
cover does help you little. Also, many users do collect their CDS in boxes, 
or purges, where only the CD itself does fit (not the cover), and again, the 
labled cover has no effect. I have seen other distributors label the CD 
instead of the cover, and believe me, that makes the storage and lookup far 
more easy. Hopefully GW will take this to heart, and adjust practice.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Clower" <[email protected]>

To: "gw-info-gwmicro.com" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 3:29 AM
Subject: Re: Window eyes 7.2 bootable cd



Chris,


I would like to receive an ISO of my 7.2 install as well. I have a hunch 
that GW still uses the tried and true method of CD creation for two 
purposes: 1) the user has a physical copy of the Window-Eyes installer and 
2) CD's eliminate the possibility of bandwidth congestion. The website 
always experiences availibility issues whenever an upgrade is released. 
Imagine how much more prolonged this period would be extended if users 
weren't downloading a 20 MB file but something 30 times that.


Just some food for thought.
Steve




On 5/12/2010 9:20 PM, Chris Belle wrote:

Exactly, no bad feeling intended here either.

Gw is always saying how they listen to their customers, and we're just
giving them the chance to better serve us.

Folks who pick the download option will save them money by not having
to do a mailout.

Even paypal takes a cut off the top just for spending your money, gw
should get a little grease for letting you process you stuff ahead of
regularly scheduled updates,

like for instance, you'd get a free iso download at the times you
would normaly have gotten a cd in the mail, but for when you want an
up to the minute option so you can install on that new w7 machine, why
not?

Just makes good sense to me.

Please take this in the friendly business request for service mode it
was intended, and not complaining or whining.

Hey yeh, and w7 the new horse in town has built in iso burning
abilities so you won't even need to get a third part option.

At 07:53
 PM 5/12/2010, James Mannion wrote:

Right,
but one would think there would be a way, which doesn't seem at all
uncommon as a solution implemented elsewhere, for one to be able to
plug in their individual number when installing and it could have a
validation process like I think it already does anyway?? I am not
trying to attack GW or cause trouble, but it does seem to me that th
method of having to be mailed a hard coded CD is inefficient. That is
not the way it works with other software I have licenses for (not
screen readers) but other software such as security software, etc.

On 5/12/10, Loy <[email protected]> wrote:
> Each CD is made for your particular serial number. To place an
image for
> download would cause a problem identifying  your copy as a
legitimate copy
> of Window eyes.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris Belle" <[email protected]>
> To: "chris hallsworth" <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
> Cc: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 7:49 PM
> Subject: Re: Window eyes 7.2 bootable cd
>
>
> This is strictly a marketing thing, it don't cost $20 to send out a cd
> 'grin'.
>
> So they are making some profit on that, nothing wrong with this, but
> I think it would serve the public better to let us grab images.
>
> But gw probably thinks it wouldn't look at good for them to nickel
> and dime after we paid for sma's and such and $20 is a nice round
number.
> to get a cd, but technically not necessary.
>
> But some of us wouldn't mind paying the same thing to grab an up to
> the minute image, they have to create them anyway, on a piece by piece
> bassis,
> because of everybody's authorizations and such, so why not let images
> be auto-generated?
>
> Like I said, I tutored someone back at christmas who was furious
> about having to wait to use his brand new 64 bit machine he'd just
gotten.
>
> He wouldn't have minded paying a few bucks for the privelege.
>
> It's just not convenient, in this day of high speed, everybody does
> downloads now.
>
> Or they have both options, we just need to bridge the gap so people
> running new
> operating systems can have it all too.
>
>
>
>
> At 05:01 PM 5/12/2010, chris hallsworth wrote:
>>The $20 is to cover delivery charges. The upgrade itself is free.
>>
>>
>>Chris Hallsworth
>>E-mail and Facebook: [email protected]
>>MSN: [email protected]
>>Skype: chrishallsworth7266
>>Twitter: http://twitter.com/christopherh40
>>
>>On 08/05/2010 1:01, MARKYMOUSE wrote:
>>>In one quick answer you cant you would think gwmicro would let you
>>> download
>>>a image of 7.2 cd what ever version you have but have asked and
they said
>>> I
>>>would need to pay $20 for a cd to be shipped to my house
>>>markymouse
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