Olusegun,
Just for the record, Office was not ported to Android. Generally
speaking, programs can be ported between Windows, MacOS, and Linux, or,
Universal Windows Platform, iOS, and Android. These are essentially two
different classes of platforms: desktop and mobile. The core difference
is that they use different CPUs.
So Office was rewritten for mobile platforms. This then requires
compilation to a machine independent intermediate code layer. That
intermediate code must then be separately compiled to each platform or
use an interpreter, the latter of which compiles the code on the fly.
The bottom line is that programs that have been around since the dawn of
Windows have hundreds of thousands of lines of code exclusive to core
components of the operating system. There is no automation that can
rewrite the meaning of life for these programs.
Relatively speaking, designing programs for portability is a new-age
approach brought on mostly by the mobile evolution. And still, this is
no magic wand. This is why most of the biggest accessibility apps have
been developed for iOS and Android users then have to wait a year or two
before they're ported over to that platform.
Regards,
Tom
On 8/29/2018 6:27 PM, Olusegun -- Victory Associates LTD, Inc. via Talk
wrote:
David, I enjoyed reading your post; it did present some interesting angles
regarding my thought process.
I believe that the impossible is that which has not been tried. We could
all wake up tomorrow and hear an important announcement: Jaws for Android
is here! Shall we throw up our arms in the air in disgust? I doubt that.
If nothing else, many of us will play ball with it and see where its chips
land. After all, in Android Land, you can have as many screen readers as
you choose--Talkback, ShinePlus can be used in any Android toy;
VoiceAssistant and VoiceViews are still partial to their creators, Samsung
and Amazon in that order. I've never been a programmer; yet, I've seen
Windows apps being ported over to Android. A good example is Outlook,
another is Word and, yes, Excel is available on the Android platform.
I may be odd, but I do love and appreciate being able to use touchscreen
toys! I am, as of the present moment, equally productive on my Shiny
Android toys as I am using a keyboard with a computer. I taught myself all
that I do and I ask questions of more knowledgeable folks when I am stuck.
No, I'm not a guru and do not frankly wish to be one--nonetheless, if it
weren't for the legacy Windows app that are work related, I shall have
divorced Windows and keep on running with ONLY Android TOYS in my pocket! I
do a lot of travel, I see touchscreen terminals lined up forever at
airports. Sadly, they are not accessible. To get around that for the time
being, I bring all I need with me for my trips. Example, I check in and
print my own burden pass all the time before heading out to the airport.
I'm STINGY ENOUGH not to CHECK BAGS, so there's never an argument there. In
fact, I don't even go to the airline counter, I head straight to the T S A
security line. Oh, I have also CLEARED T S A security checks so i don't
need to remove my underwear, belts or shoes to pass through the screening
process. Guess I'm crazy lucky and I realise that not everyone is similarly
situated. The clearance I have is NOT FREE, cost $100 for five years, I
renew it again in 2023 if I'm still breathing and a bit less troublesome,
<LOL!>
There are a heck of a lot of things I can do with my touchscreen phone which
a computer or any currently available access technology DO NOT make
possible. For instance, if I don't wish to print my burden pass and carry a
piece of paper in my pocket, I can simply show it on my touchscreen Shiny
Android toy to a screener at the security gate, or at an airline check-in
counter. I'm one person who prefers 99% of everything electronically 'cause
the prospects of a misplacement is sharply reduced for me. Heck, for
international travels, I can CLEAR THE U.S. CUSTOMS electronically on my
touchscreen Shiny Android toy even before I board my flight back home. No
computer or access technology will help me do that, but my Shiny Android
toys do and they fit snugly in my chest pocket.
Thus, I can keep hope alive; it may or may not happen. Notwithstanding, I
sure hope that someone much more brilliant than I figures out a way to
resurrect Window-Eyes as a screen reader on the Android platform! In some
shape or form, we've been here before: Window-Eyes was dying, some of us
shouted it out from the treetops and were sent to the gas chambers so we
could be forgotten and never heard from. Fortunately, the doors of the gas
chambers DIDN'T CLOSE before we were vindicated. Should the hope I nurse
become a reality, this beggar who wishes for what is classified as
impossible surely wants to ride into town with happiness pushing a
Window-Eyes for Android cart!
Sincerely,
Olusegun
Denver, Colorado
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