I can report a smooth upgrade from JAWS 18 beta to the final release and no problem either with the installation of a Vocalizer Expressive 2.1 voice.
David Ferrin <ow...@jaws-users.com> wrote: > Keep posting this stuff mike as I don't always have a chance in any given > day to grab them myself. > > -----Original Message----- From: Mike B. > Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2016 9:22 PM > To: Jaws-Users List > Subject: [JAWS-Users] J18 Direct Download Links + What's New With J18 > > Hi All, > > Below are the download links for both the 32 & 64 bit versions of Jaws > 18.0.1835.400 plus what's new in Jaws 18. > > 32 Bit: > > http://jaws18.vfo.digital/1835P25AA9/J18.0.1835.400-enu-x86.exe > > 64 Bit: > > http://jaws18.vfo.digital/1835P25AA9/J18.0.1835.400-enu-x64.exe > JAWS 18 Features > Support for Vocalizer Expressive 2.2 Voices > > JAWS 18 supports version 2.2 of the Vocalizer Expressive Voices from Nuance. > Vocalizer Expressive offers very responsive, high quality, human-sounding > speech in a wide variety of languages and dialects. Current voices users are > familiar with such as Samantha, Tom, Daniel, and Karen have been updated to > improve responsiveness and clarity. There are also several new voices > available such as Susan and Nathan for United States English and Oliver for > British > English, just to name a few. For international users, Vocalizer Expressive > 2.2 also offers support for a number of new languages including > Bengali_India, > Bhojpuri_India, Bulgarian, Croatian, Kannada, Spanish_Chilean, Tamil, > Telugu, and Valencian. > > Just like with the older Vocalizer Expressive Voices, all Vocalizer > Expressive 2.2 voices can be downloaded for free from the > Synthesizer Downloads > web page in two forms, compact or high premium. > > Compact voices are smaller files and take up much less space on your > computer. Many users like them because they offer very good quality at > faster speech > rates. These are the same voices that are used on iOS devices from Apple, > like the iPhone. Due to their small size, compact voices are available in > one > file per language. For instance, if you download the compact voices for > English, you will get a single file containing all English speaking voices > for > all dialects, which gives you a wide variety of voices to choose from. > > You can also choose to download individual high-premium voices. These are > much larger files, but offer the highest overall sound quality. High-premium > voices can be installed along with the compact voices, so you can switch > between the compact or high-premium version of the same voice if needed. > > The new Vocalizer Expressive 2.2 voices are only available for JAWS 18 and > later. If you previously installed Vocalizer Expressive Voices that were > used > with JAWS versions prior to JAWS 18, those voices will continue to work with > earlier versions but will no longer be seen by JAWS 18 once you have > installed > your first Vocalizer Expressive 2.2 voice. In addition, we are anticipating > a release of MAGic 14 in the coming months which will also take advantage of > these newer Vocalizer Expressive 2.2 voices in the same way as JAWS 18. > > Improved Performance when Using JAWS and ZoomText Together > > JAWS 18 introduces greatly improved interoperability with the soon to be > released ZoomText 11. Users of both these industry leading products will > experience > more seamless operation when running JAWS 18 and ZoomText 11 together > regardless of the order in which they are installed as well as which product > is started > first. > > When JAWS 18 and ZoomText 11 are running together, users should note the > following: > > list of 4 items > . JAWS handles all speech functions except for ZoomText's App Reader feature > and speech directly from ZoomText, such as ZoomText scripts. > . All ZoomText magnification features will continue to work as expected. In > addition, ZoomText will now visually highlight and track during a JAWS Say > All, or when navigating using the Virtual Cursor. > . If there is a keystroke conflict, the JAWS keystroke is used instead. > Otherwise, JAWS and ZoomText keystrokes will continue to work as expected. > . ZoomText handles all touch related functions. > list end > > Since JAWS takes over all speech functions when running with ZoomText, this > also includes mouse echo. If you want the mouse to echo as it is moved, you > will need to enable mouse echo in JAWS as it is off by default. The easiest > way is to press the layered keystroke, INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, O. However, this > is only temporary and will revert back to off if JAWS is restarted. If you > intend on using mouse echo all the time, you can permanently enable it by > doing > the following: > > list of 3 items > 1. Press INSERT+F2, and select Settings Center. > 2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+D to load the JAWS default settings. > 3. From the tree view, expand the Mouse Echo group and press SPACEBAR on > Enable Mouse Echo. > list end > > Migrate Settings from Prior Versions of JAWS > > We have reintroduced the ability for users to merge all user customized > settings from the prior version of JAWS into the latest version. This > includes > any application and default settings, scripts, dictionary entries, graphics > labels, PlaceMarkers, flexible web rules, personalized web settings > including > custom labels, speech and sounds schemes, and voice profiles. When JAWS 18 > first starts after an install and it detects that there are custom user > settings > for JAWS 17 available, you will be asked if you want to migrate these > settings to the current version of JAWS. Choose Yes to migrate settings from > JAWS > 17, or choose No to start with the default settings in JAWS 18 and launch > the Startup Wizard. > > Once the settings have been migrated, a dialog box opens where you can > configure the JAWS startup options. This dialog box contains the same > options found > in the Start JAWS Options dialog box, which is accessed from the JAWS window > by opening the Options menu, Selecting Options, and then choosing the > Automatically > Start JAWS button. Once you have confirmed how you want JAWS to start, > choose OK to save and close the dialog box. > > Note: Due to significant changes to the settings file structure prior to > JAWS 17, custom user settings cannot be migrated from versions of JAWS older > than > version 17. > > Completely New Import and Export for JAWS Customized User Settings > > JAWS 18 now enables you to quickly and conveniently export all of your JAWS > user settings including application and default settings, custom scripts, > dictionary > entries, graphics labels, PlaceMarkers, flexible web rules, personalized web > settings including custom labels, speech and sounds schemes, and voice > profiles > to a single backup file which can be stored or shared with other JAWS users. > The JAWS settings backup files are saved with an SBAK extension. This backup > file can then be easily imported on any computer running JAWS 18 or later > and these settings will be used by that copy of JAWS. > > To export settings to an SBAK file, open the Utilities menu located in the > JAWS application window, open the Import/Export menu, and select Export > Settings. > The Export Settings wizard opens and guides you through exporting your > settings. During this process, you can choose to export all user settings, > or select > specific settings to export. By default, the SBAK file is saved to the > Desktop using the name JAWS<Version Number>SettingsBackup (where Version > Number > is the JAWS version currently running when using the export feature). You > can specify a different location and file name if necessary, as well as add > optional > comments to provide more information about why you are creating the backup. > Once the export is complete, the SBAK file containing your settings can be > shared with other JAWS users through email or a file sharing service such as > Dropbox, or stored on a USB flash drive. > > To import JAWS settings from an SBAK file, open the Utilities menu located > in the JAWS application window, open the Import/Export menu, and select > Import > Settings. The Import User Settings wizard opens and guides you through > importing the settings. By default, the import will merge the settings from > the > backup file with existing user settings and if a setting in the user folder > conflicts with a setting from the backup file, it will be replaced by the > setting > from the backup. However, you can also choose to simply replace all current > settings in the user folder with the contents of the backup or, when merging > and there is a settings conflict, you can choose to keep the current > setting. > > During the settings import, the current settings in your user folder are > automatically backed up. If you find that the settings that were imported > from > the SBAK file are not working as expected, you can restore the previous > settings. To restore, open the Utilities menu located in the JAWS > application window, > open the Import/Export menu, and select Restore Settings. The Restore > Settings dialog box opens where you can select the backup file to restore. > Choose > the Restore button to replace the current settings in your JAWS user folder > with the settings from the backup. > > Some instances of when you might use this feature include: > > list of 4 items > . You want to use the same JAWS settings on multiple computers, such as in a > training center or school computer lab. > . You create a lot of customizations and you want to be able to back them up > so you can easily import them when you install a new version of JAWS, > eliminating > the task of having to manually reconfigure everything. > . A friend would like to use some of your flexible web rules and voice > profiles. You could use the Export Settings wizard to only export these > particular > settings, send the resulting SBAK file to your friend, and if they are > running JAWS 18 or later, they can import the file containing your flexible > web > rules and voice profiles into their copy of JAWS. > . A script developer could send you a SBAK file containing custom scripts > and settings for an application that is used at your job and the Import > Settings > wizard will quickly import all settings and script files to the correct > locations in your JAWS user folder. > list end > > Restrict Virtual Cursor in Web-Based dialog boxes > > If a dialog box appears on a web page as a result of an action such as > activating a specific control, which can occur especially on pages that are > part > of a web-based application, JAWS now restricts Virtual Cursor navigation to > the dialog box. Sometimes, depending on how the web application is > implemented, > when focus moves into these dialog boxes, the content of the surrounding > page is hidden until focus moves out of the dialog box. However, in many > instances, > the dialog content merges with the surrounding page which can be confusing > especially when you only want to focus on the content in the web dialog box. > > JAWS automatically restricts Virtual Cursor navigation to the dialog box > when some action occurs that moves the focus into that dialog box. This > includes > navigating to an edit field in the dialog box with the ARROW keys and Auto > Forms mode is enabled, navigating using the TAB or SHIFT+TAB keys, or > activating > a control on the page that automatically sets focus to the dialog box. When > the Virtual Cursor is restricted, both speech and braille will only navigate > content in the dialog box until restriction is disabled. The Virtual Cursor > will be automatically unrestricted if you use the TAB or SHIFT+TAB keys to > move focus away from the dialog box, or you perform an action in the dialog > box that causes focus to be moved to another part of the page, or a > completely > new page loads. > > You can also use the INSERT+R keystroke when focused in a web dialog box to > manually toggle the Virtual Cursor between restricted and unrestricted. For > instance, you may wish to unrestrict the Virtual Cursor to review page > content outside of the dialog box without moving focus. > > Note: In some web applications, surrounding page content is hidden when a > dialog box is in focus, so unrestricting the Virtual Cursor to view content > outside > the dialog box will not always work in these situations. > > New Speech Option as You Move the Physical Mouse Around the Screen > > The new mouse echo feature enables JAWS to speak text under the mouse > pointer as you move around the screen using a physical mouse or as you move > your > finger on a trackpad. If you use a refreshable braille display, text under > the mouse is also shown in braille as a flash message. > > While totally blind users may not benefit very much from this feature, there > are some cases where it can be useful. For example, there may be times where > someone is trying to understand the positioning of text or the layout of > controls on the screen, and this could be helpful. You also may encounter > applications > that have controls that cannot be accessed with any of the JAWS cursors and > you must use the physical mouse to locate and activate them. > > For users that have some vision, the ability to also receive speech feedback > as they move the physical mouse is very useful. There are also more > improvements > coming for those who use both MAGic and JAWS together. > > If you find that you struggle to keep the mouse in a straight line when > moving vertically or horizontally, press and hold the INSERT key (or > CAPSLOCK key > in Laptop layout) as you move the mouse in a specific direction to lock the > mouse pointer to that position. For example, if you locate a menu bar or > group > of buttons you would like to explore, you could press and hold INSERT as you > move the mouse to the right. If you accidentally move slightly up or down, > the mouse pointer remains locked to the current position. > > Mouse echo is off by default. To turn it on, open Settings Center, press > CTRL+SHIFT+D to load the default settings file, expand the mouse echo group, > and > then press the SPACEBAR on Enable Mouse Echo. You can also configure the > following: > > list of 5 items > . Choose whether or not JAWS interrupts speech as you move the mouse pointer > over text. By default, JAWS speaks the new text moved to with the mouse > regardless > of what is currently being spoken. > . Specify the length of time JAWS waits before speaking the text at the > location of the mouse pointer. If you move the mouse pointer away before the > delay > has elapsed, JAWS does not read the text. By default there is no delay which > means text is read while the mouse is in motion so you do not have to pause > to hear the text under the mouse. > . Select the unit of text (character, word, line, or paragraph) you want to > hear when the mouse pointer pauses over text in a control. By default, JAWS > reads the current line of text under the mouse. This means that if you move > the mouse pointer into the document area of an application such as Microsoft > Word, JAWS will read the line of text under the mouse. As you continue > moving the mouse around the edit control, JAWS will read other lines from > the document. > If the control cannot provide the requested unit of text, then JAWS will > read all of the text provided by the control. For example, if you move the > mouse > into the edit control of the Windows 10 Sticky Notes app, JAWS will read the > entire contents of the edit field instead of the specified unit of text. > . Choose whether or not JAWS speaks descriptive information provided by the > control that contains the text at the mouse pointer. This information will > be spoken after the text at the mouse pointer is spoken. Note that > descriptive text is not always available. The default is to not speak this > information. > . Choose whether or not JAWS speaks the control type and state of the > control containing the text at the mouse pointer. This information will be > spoken > after the text at the mouse pointer is spoken. The default is to speak > control information. > list end > > Alternatively, the following layered keystrokes are available to control > mouse echo: > > list of 6 items > . INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, O. Toggles mouse echo on or off. > . INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, C. Sets mouse echo to speak the character under the > mouse pointer in controls that support navigating by units of text. > . INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, W. Sets mouse echo to speak the word under the mouse > pointer in controls that support navigating by units of text. > . INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, L. Sets mouse echo to speak the line under the mouse > pointer in controls that support navigating by units of text. > . INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, P. Sets mouse echo to speak the paragraph under the > mouse pointer in controls that support navigating by units of text. > . INSERT+SPACEBAR, E, QUESTION MARK. Speaks a brief help message describing > the commands in the mouse echo layer. > list end > > Note: When JAWS 18 and MAGic 13.1 are run together, the current mouse echo > settings for MAGic will be ignored in favor of JAWS Mouse Echo speech > settings. > When exiting JAWS so only MAGic is running, the original mouse echo settings > configured in MAGic will be used. In addition, if MAGic's Mouse Line Lock > feature is enabled, the mouse line lock functionality in JAWS is disabled. > > Lower the Audio from Other Programs While JAWS is Speaking > > In Windows 8 and later, you can now specify that the volume of audio from > other programs be lowered while JAWS is speaking. This is commonly known as > audio > ducking. For example, if you are listening to music or playing a video and > JAWS begins talking, the volume of the music or video will be slightly > lowered > so you can comfortably hear JAWS and then raised back to its current level > when JAWS stops talking. > > For JAWS users with a braille display, you can also choose to mute JAWS > speech (INSERT+SPACEBAR, S) while listening to audio from other programs and > still > use JAWS with braille output only, without the audio from the other programs > being reduced. > > By default, audio remains at the same volume as JAWS speech. To change this, > there are two ways. The easiest way is to open the Startup Wizard from the > JAWS Help menu and select the Lower the volume of other programs while JAWS > is speaking checkbox located on the Speech Settings page. > > Alternatively, you can change this option through Settings Center by doing > the following: > > list of 5 items > 1. Press INSERT+F2, and select Settings Center. > 2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+D to load the JAWS default settings. > 3. In the Search edit box, type "volume" without the quotes. > 4. Press DOWN ARROW to move to "Lower the volume of other programs while > JAWS is speaking" in the filtered search results in the tree view. > 5. Press SPACEBAR to toggle this option. > list end > > Finally, you can also press INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by D to quickly toggle > this feature. If audio ducking is off by default, it will turn it on, and > if it is on by default, it will turn it off. The current setting will remain > in effect until you press the layered keystroke again, or JAWS is restarted. > The audio ducking toggle can also be located using the Command Search > feature (INSERT+SPACEBAR, J). > > Note: Turning on JAWS audio ducking is most useful if both JAWS speech and > other program audio are coming through the same sound device. If you use > multiple > sound devices, such as a USB headset and external speakers connected to your > computer's sound card, you can configure JAWS speech to use the headset > while > other audio comes through the external speakers which you can then control > using the physical volume control. To configure the sound card JAWS uses, > from > the JAWS application window, open the Utilities menu, open the Sound Cards > submenu, and then choose the sound device you want to use for JAWS speech. > > Improvements with JAWS Touch Support > > JAWS 18 offers improved performance when using a touch screen device, such > as the Surface Pro tablet from Microsoft, as well as tablets with smaller > screens. > You will experience greater accuracy and responsiveness as you perform > various touch gestures including continuously moving a finger around the > screen > to explore. You can also now perform Windows gestures without the need to > first exit JAWS. The new four-finger rotate gesture causes the next gesture > to > be passed directly to Windows; similar to the Pass Key Through command > (INSERT+3). Performing a five-finger rotate gesture will now disable all > JAWS gestures, > except the four and five-finger rotate gestures, so you can use Windows > gestures until you perform another five-finger rotate to re-enable the JAWS > gestures. > > Other improvements to JAWS touch support include: > > list of 6 items > . JAWS touch gestures are now included in the Command Search feature > (INSERT+SPACEBAR, J). If you search for a command that can be performed > using a keystroke > or a gesture, both the keystroke and gesture are displayed in the search > results. You can also search for gesture-specific commands, such as toggling > the > Touch Keyboard, or cycling through Touch Navigation, Text Reading, or Speech > Settings gesture modes. The JAWS Command Search only includes gestures if > JAWS detects that it is running on a touch screen enabled device. > . It is now much easier to use gestures to switch between applications in > the task switching window that displays when you swipe from the left edge of > the screen. When the task switcher opens, flick left or right through the > list of running applications and when you locate the one you want, double > tap > it to move focus in to that app. > . Improved the experience when using touch gestures to log into Windows. If > the Login screen is active and focus is on the Password edit field, > performing > a double tap will immediately open the touch keyboard allowing you to enter > your password. Otherwise, flick right or explore until you locate the > Password > edit field and then double tap to set focus and open the touch keyboard. > . In response to user feedback, the default typing mode for the touch > keyboard is now Touch Typing, which means a key is typed as soon as the > finger is > lifted from the keyboard button, or you perform a split tap. > . If the gesture mode is set to Text Reading, you can now perform a > four-finger swipe down to begin a Say All in the currently open document, > similar to > pressing INSERT+DOWN ARROW on the keyboard. To stop reading, tap anywhere on > the screen. > . In response to customer requests, added a new option to the Touch Cursor > group in Quick Settings that allows you to choose the element type that is > navigated > to when using the flick up and flick down gestures. The available choices > are Regions (selected by default), Headings, List Items, Buttons, Links, > Groups, > and Form Controls. Note that not all apps support these navigation types; > they are typically available in modern apps and web applications. > list end > > Refer to the > Overview of JAWS Touch Support > document for more information and to review all the available JAWS > gestures. > > Launch JAWS on Tablets Using Hardware Buttons > > You can configure the Windows and Volume Up buttons on a tablet to start > JAWS instead of Narrator when these buttons are pressed simultaneously. This > is > done through the Ease of Access Center in Windows by doing the following: > > list of 4 items > 1. Open the Start menu, type "ease of access", and then press ENTER to open > the Ease of Access Center. > 2. Navigate to the "Make Touch and Tablets Easier to Use" link and press > ENTER. > 3. In the Accessibility Tools combo box, select JAWS 18. > 4. Choose OK, and then close the Ease of Access Center. > list end > > The next time you are in a situation where JAWS is not running, you can > press the Windows and Volume Up buttons together to quickly launch it from > anywhere > in Windows. If you are on the Secure Desktop or Windows Login screen, these > hardware buttons will always launch Narrator. However, once you are logged > in, these buttons will now start JAWS 18. > > Improved Google Docs Support > > JAWS 18 offers significant improvements when working in Google Docs. While > users will experience better performance overall, a few key enhancements > include: > > list of 6 items > . You can now type text into a document using Contracted Braille. > . Added speech and braille support for navigating tables inserted into > documents. > . Resolved several issues with JAWS not detecting live region updates. > . Addressed issues where JAWS was announcing extraneous information when > opening menus. > . Resolved several issues with menus and focus. > . Resolved multiple issues where focus would unexpectedly jump to other > places while editing a document. > list end > > More Dynamic Braille Auto Advance Mode > > Auto Advance Mode is equivalent to the Say All command for braille readers > and has been available in JAWS for many years. After performing the > appropriate > command on your braille display (left and right selector buttons on the > Focus series displays), the braille display is automatically panned at a > specific > speed through an entire document, automatically skipping over blank segments > and blank lines. In prior versions, users could configure how long JAWS > paused > before automatically panning the display. Once configured, the display would > pan at the same speed regardless of how much information was on the display, > so most users would set the timer for optimal reading when the display was > full. However, if the display panned to a short line containing only a few > words > with the remaining cells being empty, which could occur more frequently with > larger displays such as those with 40 or 80 cells, this could be > inconvenient > as the user would have to wait for the display to advance which could cause > an interruption with reading. > > To improve the reading experience when using Auto Advance Mode, JAWS now > pans faster or slower depending on the length of the current braille line. > The > display will pan faster for short lines so you can instantly move to the > next segment without having to wait once you have finished reading, but will > pan > slower for longer lines up to a maximum length of time which is used when > the display is full. This maximum value can be configured through Settings > Center > using the new Auto Advance Maximum Interval option. By default, it is set to > 5000 milliseconds, or five seconds. > > For example, if you have an 80 cell display and the current braille line > takes up the majority of the display, JAWS will pan the display after five > seconds. > If the display pans to a short line containing only a few words and the > remaining cells are blank, JAWS will pan the display within a couple > seconds. > > Updated Handy Tech Braille Display Drivers > > JAWS 18 includes updated braille display drivers from Handy Tech. These new > drivers fix issues with braille input and language detection for messages > and > introduces support for their latest displays. > > ARIA Improvements > > JAWS 18 ads support for several ARIA 1.1 features that are being used on > certain web pages. These include the aria-modal, aria-current, and > aria-placeholder > attributes, as well as support for partially visible tables. > > Changes to Sentence Navigation Keystrokes in the Desktop Keyboard Layout > > In the JAWS Desktop Keyboard Layout, pressing ALT+DOWN ARROW or ALT+UP ARROW > moves to the next or prior sentence, or opens and closes combo boxes. In > addition, > some applications also use these keystrokes to perform their own specific > functions which means JAWS users need to first press INSERT+3 to pass these > keystrokes > through to the application so they work correctly. For instance, ALT+DOWN > ARROW and ALT+UP ARROW are used in the attachments area in Microsoft Outlook > 2016 to open and close the list of actions you can perform with the selected > attachment. > > To avoid potential conflicts, ALT+DOWN ARROW and ALT+UP ARROW in the desktop > keyboard layout will now only move by sentence in Microsoft Word, > WordPerfect, > the message area in Microsoft Outlook, and when using the Virtual Cursor > unless focused on a combo box. If you want sentence navigation to work in > other > applications, you can use the Keyboard Manager to reassign the Say Next > Sentence and Say Prior Sentence commands, or switch to the laptop keyboard > layout > and use CAPS LOCK+N and CAPS LOCK+Y to move by sentence. > > To assign new keystrokes for sentence navigation, do the following: > > list of 6 items > 1. Press INSERT+F2 and select Keyboard Manager. > 2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+D to load the default key map file. > 3. Press TAB to move to the list view and locate the "SayNextSentence" > script. > 4. Press CTRL+A to open the Add Keystroke dialog box, press the key > combination you want to use, and press ENTER. Press ENTER once more to > confirm the > change and return to the list view. > 5. Locate the "SayPriorSentence" script. > 6. Press CTRL+A to open the Add Keystroke dialog box, press the key > combination you want to use, and press ENTER. Press ENTER once more to > confirm the > change and return to the list view, and then press ALT+F4 to close the > Keyboard Manager. > list end > > Take care. > Mike > Sent from my iBarstool. Dodgers, try again next year! > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: > http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > > > David Ferrin > You don't have to be crazy to run a list like this, but it does help. > > > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: > http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
