OOPS, Ooops, oopse.
Well, if we are talking about misinformation, let's please keep things a bit
straight here. One thing is, that sometimes things are not well enough
communicated. OK, I did not read the initial of this threat, so can't speak
if this has happened here. But, let me just point out a couple of things,
which came directly from noone else but GW, and which may give you a
slightly different idea.
First of all, you refer to the official website of GW, informing about the
so-called free offer. They were in such a hurry in introducing it, that not
even the local dealers got to know about things, prior to letting the public
know it. The result was, they did not have time to have things properly
translated, and hence made use of the Google translator, or a similar
electroknic translation service. Reading the result they presented in my
local area, not only was the translation so lacking in phrasing that you had
to guess half the story, and many places that was in the events where you
were dealing with legal things, like to which extent this was a fully or
somehow restricted version of the screen reader. Hence, reading one of those
translated versions of the announcement, was no less than a hit-and-miss,
try-guessing-what-we-are-telling-you project. In adition, the electronic
translation is what all spammers are using these days, and the presentation
GW made in the localized version, was simply so similar to any spam message
thrown onto your mailing inbox, that it likely would have blown a few users
off the potential customer board. Had GW given the whole matter another day
or two, prior to announcing the stuff, leaving local dealers the chance of a
proper human translation, maybe one or two misinterpretations of what the
whole deal is all about, would have been sorted out.
Next, please have a second read on that page of GW's. Oh, well, how free
anything is, and wonderfully well. You now can get a free screen reader! :)
Hmm, yeah, well. The free speech they provide in localized languages, is
simply that bad, that people never could be productive with it installed as
the only synths. None of the Scandinavian synthesizers provided - either by
Microsoft speech, or the ESpeak synth - is anywhere good enough for daily
productivity.
OK, the webpage promise us the gold from Sanadoo. You are told, that you can
buy the extra synths, for instance the Vocalizer and Vocalizer Expressive
series. No problem, you download and install the free screen reader, and go
to Help, and Get more voices. You now are taken to a website, where they let
you deicde all the voices you want to buy, they take your credit information
and all that blah-blah; only then to tell you, since you live outside the
States, they are not going to sell you anything. You then read a bit more on
the announcing website, and find something mentioning about going to your
local dealer, to get the extra voices. Sure, you pick up the phone, and are
told by the local dealer, that they don't sell the extra voices, and
currently therefore, you are left with a "so-called" fully functional, free
screen reader. Now boys and girls, how misleading and wrong is the
information that even GW themselves give out.
Let's please try to keep things proper here, and tell that if GW wanted to
give a professional touch to their release of this whole free deal, they so
thoroughly and greatly failed in the international market - or at least in
part of it. If they wanted things to be made fully clear, they should at
least have done their homework. You guys are criticizing some third-party
person or organization for not doing their proper research ahead of
spreading the word. Be it as it is. But really then, shouldn't we also
expect that GW had done their part in spreading correct, and properly
translated material. After all, noone ever knew about this upcoming offer,
so what in the world was so hasty, that not even the announcement could have
waited for another day, to have it all correctly translated, leaving little
chance as possible, for any misunderstanding? And, local people have already
several months ago, pointed out to the staff at GW and their local dealers,
the need for access to the extra voices outside the USA, even in the fully
paid-for version of the screen reader. That now, all the potential users of
the free-version, also wanted their licenses for the extra voices, should
have been absolutely no surprise for the GW staff. Well, then, why is it
that they spread the misinfo on their page, that we can get it through local
dealers, when this definitely is not the case? And, when they are presented
with the issue - upon the release of the free-version - we are met with an
ear-deafening silence from any of the staff members. Come on, and please
tell me if GW has done anything but to increase the chance of mistreating
the information of the screen reader, at least in parts of the world.
Allright, as I said, I have not read the actual article being the basis for
this thread. Yet, I do want to call to mind, that misunderstandings can
happen, and specially when the very GW staff has done such a poorly job in
getting the word properly spread. Sorry, but there is many a user, who would
not be first-handed natively speaking English. Having a trash-like
translation of your announcing the new product, is calling for the first
long line of misunderstandings, and lacking information in the stream. Next,
GW not even knowing enough about their dealers, but simply just presuming
that they are selling the voices, tells me a whole lot about what priority
the international market has in this whole deal. Is all of this new? Only
thing that is new, is the free-deal approach. The rest, is nothing that
would be new to the GW staff, as they have been made aware of the things,
way long before the whole free-deal ever came around.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Skarstad" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 08, 2014 5:35 PM
Subject: Re: Functionality of the Ms Office version of Window-eyes
The good news is all this information is easily found online. Lets look at
the website, http://www.WindoweyesForOffice.com
GW Micro, in collaboration with Microsoft, is excited to provide people
who are blind, visually
impaired, or print disabled with a completely functional* and free license
of GW
Micro's
Window-Eyes screen reader.
Notice that phrase "completely functional"? No mention of only working
with office. No mention of not working with anything else accept office.
When I see the words "completely functional" that means just what it says,
completely functional. I fully understand some of them might choose to use
other screenreaders, I mean after all, not everyone uses Window-eyes. But
at least do GW Micro the courtesy of getting the facts straight.
That just irritates me to no end.
You know what I say, if Lewis has the resources to do so, I say print out
and read some of these messages at his next meeting, and set these jokers
straight. They obviously have no idea what they're talking about. and if
they get their facts incorrect about Window-eyes, imagine what other
misinformation it's possible for them to spread because they don't check
their facts? Scary thought, people.
On 2/8/2014 11:10 AM, Michael Massey wrote:
Well, now whoever spread this misinformation about Window-eyes only
functioning with Ms Office needs to relisten to and reread the
information that Gw Micro released clearly explaining the partnership
with Microsoft and the inclusion of a fully functional version of
Window-eyes. This misinformation is what I consider to be an indirect
slap in the face to Gw Micro. Do those who spread this misinformation
really believe that if Gw Micro so highly promoted the partnership would
release a version of Window-eyes only to fully function with Ms Office?
No way. Louis, I know you’re smart enough not to stick your foot in your
mouth in this situation, and besides, I don’t think a dirty foot would
taste too good, smile. I could write a lot more, but much of what I feel
like writing could get me removed from this list, smile.
Mike M.
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