Hi David! Welcome to the list! I've had a look in the system preferences and there is an option to set the resolution to 800x600 so that's not a problem! And as far as white on black goes you set it on the Mac itself so as far as I know whatever you are looking at will be that way unless I've got that wrong! And you can also change contrast hopefully they will work to your needs! Only a suggestion have you a apple store near you, if so they might be able to set one up to your configurations so you can see for yourself! Anyway I hth Colin! On 6 Oct 2010, at 18:02, Eric Oyen wrote:
> switching to the mac will more than likely help you even in the long run. > > until 3 months ago, I hd residual vision (screen mag or large print).I have > none now. > I can't speak for the color scheme, but screen magnification is a dream. you > can zoom in/out in a specific app or do the whole screen by a keyboard > shortcut on either way. in my case, I now use voiceover exclusively as I can > no longer even see light. > > like you, I have spent the last 2- years building my own equipment. > > believe me when I say, the mac mini is still a cheap alternative for its > price ($800 or so). its a nice low power/low profile machine that doesn't > take a lot of desktop space. > > anyway, I hope this helps. btw, there are a lot of people in here who use > macs at various levels of vision. a lot of them have superior experience to > me. do not be afraid to ask around. > > -Eric > > On Oct 6, 2010, at 9:39 AM, David Goodwin wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I'm a new member here, and like many before me am pondering whether to make >> the switch from a PC to a Mac. A browse of the list archives shows that this >> is a well-trodden path, but I have a few specific questions that don't >> appear to be quite so well-trodden. >> >> Firstly a little background. I have been using PCs for nearly twenty years. >> During that time I have built most of my home PCs (nearly always to a very >> high specification) and have passed through every Microsoft operating system >> from DOS to Windows 7. I am also a little nerdish when it comes to following >> developments and trends in IT. So, I'd like to think that I know my way >> around a PC in regard to hardware, software and peripherals. >> >> However, my experience with Macs is limited to a few months use about 15 >> years ago. I'm guessing that I should probably dismiss as out of date any >> views I might still be holding onto from that time <smile>. Having said >> that, in the past 6 months I have bought an iPod Touch, an iPad and an >> iPhone 4. These were bought after I had seen just how accessible iOS devices >> were straight out of the box. My experience with these iDevices has been a >> revelation and a joy, and probably explains why I am now considering the >> desktop switch as well. >> >> However, after 20 years, I know exactly how to get the most out a PC in >> terms of accessibility. The hardware I use, the operating system >> configuration and the choice and personalisation of third party applications >> has been fine-tuned to provide me with the best possible experience. But, >> that experience is still far from perfect, and raises new challenges and >> barriers as my sight continues to worsen. >> >> On the subject of my sight. I am registered as legally blind, but have >> enough residual vision to be able to use a PC without a screen reader or >> magnification. What I do rely on, however, is a large monitor running at low >> resolution (800x600) and a high contrast, white on black, colour scheme. >> Much of the software I use has also been chosen because I can tweak its >> appearance. I am aware that this arrangement becomes less satisfactory by >> the month. The move to using screen magnification seems a logical (and >> looming) next step. >> >> >> This is one reason why I am now considering a Mac. Although the initial >> purchase cost is significantly higher than a PC, the built-in accessibility >> features appear to offer a viable alternative to the commercial options >> available for PC users. >> >> So, finally, here are a couple of questions - firstly, just how consistent >> is the white on black colour scheme on the Mac? This has perhaps been my >> biggest issue with a PC for many years, as the number of applications that >> work with my preferred colours seems to fall by the year. Many applications >> stubbornly refuse to use any other colours than whose hardcoded into it by >> the developers, or at worst make a total mess of inheriting my preferred >> colours. In the latter case this can often result in white on white or black >> on black. Is this issue present on Macs? >> >> Also, would running at a 800x600 screen resolution still be an option (at >> least until the time when I finally surrender to screen magnification)? >> >> Finally for now, and not really on an accessibility issue, does the Mac Mini >> offer enough performance? Sorry, I know that this question is kind of >> subjective, but I have had some experience recently on a net-top PC (atom >> powered) that has made me all too aware of how much I hate slow start-ups >> and the lag between clicking on an icon and actually being able to use that >> application. I'm not planning on doing any resource-hungry tasks, so it is >> mostly web and email use I am worried about. >> >> I am sorry for the long post, but hopefully the background stuff will help >> you to appreciate where I am at. >> >> Thanks >> >> David >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> > > Eric Oyen - N7ZZT > Phoenix Arizona > Geocode: > 33.488462 -112.234926 > N33° 29.3077', W112° 14.0956' > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
