Search the archives of this list, and you will likely find the discussions of those days. A few people actually wondered if that was what would going to happen, that it would mean the slow death of WinEyes.
Unhappily, developing a good screen reader, maintaining its features and functionality over time, and ensuring it is up-to-date - it all takes resources. You've just got your product working with some of the big businesses, like MSOffice, Facebook, Google or something else. You go home on Friday afternoon, hoping for a bit of relaxing through the weekend. Only to realize, Sunday evening the business lets out some kind of update, that simply breaks all your work of the last three months. Now see what your bank account tells you, about the money and staff you have to spray into that screen reader product of yours, just to have it up running again. What's more, maybe you even had been working with the business for all these three months, namely to sort out a way for your screen reader to perform well and seamlessly. All the more so, you feel bewildered why they never bothered to let you know about the changes. Remember the days when MS and GW teamed up. They told us it would result in the screen reader team getting closer to the engineers of MS, which would benefit the end-user. A few weeks later, a certain (and rather minor) case came up. Some users reported an issue. GW came back, and told us that Windows as an OS, would not let them fix the problem. Couple more days, and one of the app developers loaded an app to app central, holding a very few lines of code; and the problem had its fix. Now, there you had it. GW was "closer to the engineers". Close enough that they would not fix the issue. An app developer, who had some fun as a hobbiest, fix the whole thing in no time. Then came the days when all the merging was taking place. Every time we were hearing the reasurance that this would benefit the end-user. Wonder how much each such merging cost. Money, oh for sure. But even just for the staff to get adjusted to whatever new circumstances would be the case. New servers, new logos, new judicial papers, new organizing; well name it what you feel like. Had they rather spent the money and resources on getting the screen reader smoothened out, who knows what the end result would have been. Thing is, if you cannot compete - then why don't you just team up with your competitor. Great to see that the team got jobs anywhere else, first GW did go down. But too what extent that is going to be the greatest benefit for the end-user, I have my doubts. Add to it, that first the people moved from GW's facilities into those of MS, they are no longer free to think and develop. They now are on the pay-list of MS, and people much higher in that system will not necessarily have too much thoughts about screen reader development. I could be wrong here, and please don't take my words badly. But sometimes I do wonder if Microsoft, Apple, Google or any of the other big industries out there, really would have bothered a screen reader at all, wa it not to bring some honor to their business name. I mean, you've got a good product, and if you could make it shine as somehow accessible, wouldn't that be an extra gain in the market? After all, when was it Apple started to climb? Was it somehow when they opened up for some accessibility in their products? Not saying it had anything to do with their successs, but it sure did not exactly hurt, did it. And who of the big companies today, would be in business - did they not provide some means of accessibility. You've simply got to comply with that kind of requirement, if you want to succeed. Especially so, since local and International legal stuff sets certain standards that your product has to offer. If Microsoft for one, really had a free choice, would they even have invented Narrator? OK, perhaps they would. I am not the one who would know the answer, but you sometimes wonder. Because, if they really did include this screen reader out of a desire to make their product accessible, I would have thought it much cheaper - and far less resource demanding - to simply build your product the accessible way, from bottom and up. Why first spend untold resources in developing something inaccessible, only to then start having to figure a way of making it accessible afterwards. MS have known their code for Windows as an OS for three decades. Why is it not until now, we really see any movement of getting a screen reader that is more than just a mere toy-like feature of the software. Sure would have been nice, did all companies make their products accessible from the very beginning. But I guess the students do not even learn about accessibility, when they are tought programming or designing in school. And for most of them, they might not even bother, should the teacher try to mention that there are blind people on this earth. How many times, for instance, have you asked someone to describe a product over the phone or by Email, only to get the reply: "Look at the picture." It simply does not occur to most people, that less able-bodied persons lead a close to normal life. No complaint here. Simply just trying to illustrate the fact, that dreaming of anyone making too much out of accessibility, hardly ever will turn out to be anything but illussive dreams. Fun to dream, but just keep in mind that life is about realities. Smiles. David On 7/7/2019 6:55 PM, Pamela Dominguez via Talk wrote: > I remember, many years ago, somebody sent out an April Fools email > that said Microsoft was buying GW Micro, then they said "April > fools!" A while later, they teamed up with Microsoft so you could get > a free window eyes if you purchased MS Office. So, that made it sound > like it was starting to actually become a reality. But in the end, I > think the free window eyes is what made GW Micro go down the tubes. Pam. > > -----Original Message----- From: Olusegun -- Victory Associates LTD, > Inc. via Talk > Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2019 9:30 PM > To: 'Window-Eyes Discussion List' > Cc: Olusegun -- Victory Associates LTD, Inc. > Subject: RE: Microsoft Talks Raising the Bar on Accessibility > > Sky, perhaps I am terribly selfish, stupid, and a fool to boot; Microsoft > should have bought Window-Eyes for integration into Windows. If it > had, it > would have had a TALKING INSTALLER more than 25 years ago and would > not need > to reinvent the wheels. > > I'm always dreaming, I just hope I don't fall off the cliff. Anyhow, I'm > sure glad that GW Micro staff are over there teaching and helping > Microsoft > to do the right thing! > > Sincerely, > Olusegun > Denver, Colorado > > _______________________________________________ > 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/pammygirl99%40gmail.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 > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. > https://www.avg.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/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. 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