Hello all, I've read all of the E-mails on the subject of the buyout of AI Squared, and that's what I think this is, with interst and some anger. Anger because, as many have stated, we likely will lose Window-Eyes, something I'm not a huge fan of. I know how to use this screen reader better than JAWS. This is also what I have at work and God knows we don't have money to buy the other one.
I also am angry because I think customer service will suffer. I've heard horror stories about that and am real concerned especially for those in the DeafBlind community who have communication challenges as it is. Will customer service be patient in these situations? I have my doubts based on what I know. Also, as companies get bigger customer service usually suffers. Just look at any company out there who has been swallowed up by another. Will this drive upprices? Unfortunately I think it will which means that a screen reader will be out of reach for many, especially if they need a Braille display. This will hurt those in the DeafBlind community who do not qualify for the National DeafBlind Equipmend Distribution Program (NDBEDP) better known as I Can Connect or ICC.What are these people supposed to do? I don't have numbers so can't say exactly how many people would be affected in this way. As someone stated previously, many businesses are afraid of open source software for security reasons. This means that JAWS could be the only source for the workplace which is not a good thing. Will this kil innovation? I think that is likely as bigger requires more layers in order for a new idea to reach market and layers upon layers is not a good thing as that means more time which is the enemy of innovation. As for antitrust concerns, I can see that being a concern due to anticompetitive concerns and monopoly. However, I wil just state my concerns in this area and leave any expansion on it to legal experts among us. I further think, as I believe my husband does, that this was done to get Zoom text as Mag-ic is not doing well for FS and they want into that market. These are my thoughts for now. Karyn Campbell, Illinois USA, [email protected] Using WE 9.4 on HP Pavilion running Windows 10 with Office 2013 and I.E. 11 as default browser and Asuss convertible laptop running Windows 10 with Office 2013 and I.E. 11 as default browser and Vipre Antivirus on boht machines. _______________________________________________ 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
