Hi Linette, VFO stands for Vector Freedom Optelech. The last two names are short for two adaptive technology companies, Freedom Scientific being the one we've all heard a great deal about. Vector is short for Vector Capital, the source of capital funding for the new company. I learned all this through various podcasts in the adaptive technology community.
Hth, Rod -----Original Message----- From: Talk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Linette Sukup via Talk Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2017 10:33 PM To: David <[email protected]>; Window-Eyes Discussion List <[email protected]> Subject: Re: WinEyes and licensing Kurzweil 1000 has a variety of languages that can be selected when the program is being installed. Couldn't something like this be made available for upgrades of Window-Eyes? By the way, what does VFO stand for? Peace. Linette On 2/2/2017 2:29 PM, David via Talk wrote: > Vaughn, > I just wanted to hook on to one point you made. And that is the one > about the free Office Offer of WinEyes, in comparison with the paid-for > versions. > You said: > > " > > Part of my complaint is that the Window-Eyes for Office programme, which is > free to those who use it, get permanent access to the full install, but > paying customers do not." > > (End Of Quote). > > See, if you happen to own one of the required versions of Office, you > can download WinEyes in English, German, french or Norwegian, or any of > the other supported languages. Do you fork out enough money to pay for > your screen reader, you all the sudden are forced, bound and locked to > ONLY one language; even if you are in want of a change down the road. In > addition, you are told that now, since you paid for the product, you no > longer can install it on how many computers you want. Oh no, now you > have a limit to your installations - at least in parts of the world. The > reason, that is given from GWMicro and up, is that if they let you > install an English copy of WinEyes on a computer located in Scandinavia, > that would lead to people making pirate copies. Huh? sorry, but how come > the Free Offer does not lead to piracy? Since they can give it away in > all languages, why can't they give the paid-for customers free choice of > languages? In fact, why not simply release ONE version of WinEyes, > holding a setting that determines which language would be the active > one, at any given time. Other manufacturers can, so why has such never > been an alternative with this screen reader, or with Jaws? > > To me, and I guess a few other International users, the whole thing > becomes even more illogical, all the time the free offer can be > downloaded and installed in whatever language you might want. > > Now that most customer service seem to be gone, at least for the moment, > I start to wonder what would make people pay for the product. If the > free offer does give you better functionality and higher choices, and > the paid-for version no longer receive all that much individual support, > I really am reluctant to what benefit the 50, 100, or 175 dollar > upgrades do give us any longer. And the day people stop paying? Is that > the day they are awaiting, before the plug could be pulled, now fully > supported by the fact that money stopped coming in? > > Sure, some users might feel it is worth to pay, simply due to them > thereby supporting the further development. But for many users, economy > is an issue, and when they already have paid who knows how many > thousands through the years, and now no longer receive much benefit of > keep paying, where would that take them? My guess is, if they want to > see the big multitude continue to pay, there might be a need for some > revision on the whole licensing and offering of the product line. As a > matter of fact, since you have paid for your product, why give you a > download window at all? Why not simply give you some kind of a log-in > credencial, and then let your copy of the product be made available for > downloading, anytime you might need it in the future? Fact is, they > already do that with your free upgrades, like the recent one. I haven't > seen any notice come up, that told me the upgrade would need to be > downloaded within a given time scope. If you don't upgrade for two > weeks, the upgrade will be ready for you still. But if you want your > original, paid-for instalation copy, then you all the sudden are under > loads of restrictions. > > Perhaps I am missing something. But to me this simply does not make > logic sense. If you are under no real restriction long as you go free, > why then is it that you are loaded with restrictions any time you pay? > Shouldn't it be, and isn't it with many other products, the opposite way > - Freeware with restrictions, and pay to have all your benefits? > > Let's just hope, whatever comes next in the way of WinEyes, Jaws, or a > combined product, that they come up with better licensing terms, which > to a much higher extent reflects the fact that a great number of users > now aday are multi-lingual. And let's hope they make it low-cost and > beneficial, or simply just go free altogether. When NVDA manage to offer > people greater flexibility, and as time goes by becomes more > full-fledged, it does pose a stress on the expenses tied to either of > the mainstream screen readers. > > I still feel that a good product deserve its reasonable pricing. As > such, NVDA has not yet reached the level of becoming a real alternative > for the more advanced group of users. But WinEyes, Jaws and the rest of > the mainstream readers, might have to undergo some kind of revision if > they want to advocate their high pricing. When one and same product can > be had with better advantages for free, than the paid-for copies, I am > afraid that is a slow pull of the plug. > > OK then, we do not know if something is on its way. Maybe the licensing > already is being revised. But as things stand today, it makes you wonder > why not spend your next fifty dollars on an upgrade of your computer > hardware, and then go for the free Office-version of WinEyes. A couple > of paid-for upgrades, or one SMA, and I guess you almost could get hold > of a full version of one of the supported Office versions. > > On 2/2/2017 8:23 PM, Vaughan Dodd via Talk wrote: > >> Hi Don. >> >> Glad that at least one paying customer is getting a level of support that >> should be expected. >> >> My experience is frustrating. >> >> I no longer request the DVD, as the last one took more than six weeks to >> arrive. I like the option of requesting a personalised downloadable edition >> of the full release. >> >> My grumpiness with this is that I recently asked for an extension of the >> period before my serialised link expired. I've been given 36 hours from two >> different sources. IN other words - two personalised links, each >> available to me separately for 36 hours. >> >> I have laid a complaint with the AI Squared sales people. >> >> The Window-Eyes specific technical support has gone. The second link I >> received which expired (as did the first one) before I opened the email came >> from VFO technical support. The physical address is in St Petersburg. >> Surely: it would have made sense to rationalise sales ahead of technical >> support, and emails from all over the place direct me to GW Micro.com - what >> a lovely place that once was! >> >> Part of my complaint is that the Window-Eyes for Office programme, which is >> free to those who use it, get permanent access to the full install, but >> paying customers do not. >> >> Don: agree with you that VFO is a funnyt name. Why is it not VFOA, so that >> AI Squared is acknowledged. >> >> In polite company: VFO stands for "very frustrating organisation" and in >> less genteel gatherings, substitute frustrating for another adjective. >> >> >> Vaughan. >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Talk >> [mailto:[email protected]] On >> Behalf Of Don Smith via Talk >> Sent: Thursday, 2 February 2017 5:26 p.m. >> To: 'Window-Eyes Discussion List' >> Subject: Just in passing >> >> Hi Folks: >> >> First, I think fo is the strangest name for a company that I have ever heard. >> >> >> >> However, I called the other day to purchase a cd with win eyes on it and >> although, it seemed they were a little muddled at first, but, then put me on >> to another person. >> >> They were busy and I left a message re my request thinking would they take >> care of it. >> >> Well got a call today and all is ok, the cd is being sent and that is to >> Canada >> >> Don >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/vaughan.dodd001%40msd.govt.nz. >> 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 >> >> ------------------------------- >> This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential >> and subject to legal privilege. 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The Ministry of Social Development accepts no responsibility >> for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the >> Ministry. >> >> ------------------------------- >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/trailerdavid%40hotmail.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 >> . >> > > _______________________________________________ > 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/linettesukup%40att.net. > 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 > _______________________________________________ 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/rod_hutton%40hotmail.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 _______________________________________________ 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
