Hello All: I’ve read through all of the discussion on this list about AI Squared being acquired by VFO. Let me share some thoughts, both as a Window-Eyes user for around 20 years who also uses JAWS extensively, and as a former Adaptive Technology Specialist who worked in the field with all products for almost six years.
Personally, this decision makes me sad and yes, a little angry. I bet many of us chose Window-Eyes over JAWS because we didn’t want to be forced to use JAWS. We chose Window-Eyes because the company which made it, GW Micro, offered superior customer service and technical support. I can tell you that while working as Adaptive Tech Specialist, I experienced a few horrible tech support calls with clients when calling Freedom Scientific. I don’t believe I experienced any such calls when working with GW Micro. Many on this list assert this merger is going to lead to a lack of competition which will mean higher prices and reduced consumer choice. Nothing could be further from the truth. Besides JAWS and Window-Eyes, there are many screen reader choices out there. You have NVDA which is free and quite good. You have the Mac with VoiceOver built in, so there’s no additional cost for the screen reader. And you have Dolphin and System Access, as well as solutions for those who choose to work with Linux. If things move forward in a good way for consumers, this merger may not be too bad for screen reader users. Two things I strongly encourage the new company to do are first, put together the best of both Window-Eyes and JAWS into a robust screen reading solution that works with a wide variety of products. While the gap has narrowed significantly, I still believe that JAWS works better with at least some of the Microsoft office suite of programs, especially Microsoft Access. JAWS in my opinion works better with Visual Studio, which is important to those working in software development fields. Both programs work quite well with several internet browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome. Window-Eyes has a far simpler scripting platform to work with and allows for development of apps in Visual Basic, which is easier to work with than the proprietary language used by Freedom Scientific. Window-Eyes also doesn’t require proprietary versions of software synthesizers like Eloquence. So, take the full office suite capabilities and visual studio access of JAWs, combine with easier scripting and non-proprietary voice synthesizers and you’ll have yourself a pretty darn good screen reader. Of course, let’s not forget, Window-Eyes has always been the more stable of the two and that needs to carry over into the new company. Second, bring over the things that make it possible for people with less means or who aren’t being funded by an employer or rehab agency to get a top notch screen reader. This means keep Window-Eyes for Office or whatever the new company chooses to call it. And, maintain the installment plan which GW Micro had for many years allowing a customer to pay for Window-Eyes in installments. And, maintain the excellent customer service and technical support that has been a hallmark of GW Micro and AI Squared. While I much prefer Window-Eyes personally, both products have a lot to like. Personally, I feel this merger is less about the two screen readers and more about giving VFO a good Screen Magnification product in ZoomText, since I don’t believe Magic has a very large market share in the screen magnification world. Just a few thoughts on this huge day in the adaptive world. All of us who are Window-Eyes users need to hold the new company’s feet to the fire and let them know we won’t stand for unstable products or poor customer service and technical support. Ray Campbell [email protected] Blog: farmers-boy.livejournal.com Twitter: @packerbackerray Facebook: www.facebook.com/packerbackerray Join me in supporting the Illinois Council of the Blind through our GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/icb2015. _______________________________________________ Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. For membership options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/archive%40mail-archive.com. For subscription options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com List archives can be found at http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com
