Well, let it be Narrator might eventually turn into something useful.
And forebare with me, I have not tested anything later than Win8.1, so
perhaps it is already getting into something basic. Google managed to
have a somehow working screen reader, and what I hear, so did Apple.
Still, I think very few people will agree, should we claim any of these
even close to the standard of things like Jaws, Win-Eyes, and to a
certain degree NVDA. For one thing, those screen readers that are
included with the OS, lack a good deal of personalization capabilities.
I am not aware you can built any kind of Scripts or add-ons to either of
them.
Besides, dreaming that Microsoft would let all be part of the OS,
without charging their users; seem not too much to rely on, should we
judge from history. OK, they could change their schemes, and very much
welcome to do that. But look what they have done with Office. Sure, you
don't have to pay them a check of a couple of hundred dollars, but
rather they are going to feed at your credit card table every single
month. In about two years, you have subscribe enough that you could have
bought the full-fledged version. And did you buy, you could have camped
with it for the next 5 or 10 years.
My guess is, that you at the best will see MS coming out with a somehow
working Narrator.And then, should you want it to perform anything much
more than just read the screen to you, you will be offered to pay $19.95
a month; or, in case you want the Professional version with some basic
scripting like Jaws - let's charge you $39.95 a month.
I've been using Android for a little now, and have to say it is great to
see the screen reader has improved over the last handful of years.
Still, a simple thing like browsing the net, TalkBack lacks a whole lot.
And, there are a few things that you might want to do on a computer,
which you do not necessarily see fit on your small mobil device. Hence,
whatever good the screen reader might be on your cellphone or tablet,
will you please consider comparing your activity on these units, as well
as your productivity - and then come back telling me these screen
readers are to be compared with WinEyes for one. But if now, Google and
Apple - both being really big industries, and even somehow passed by
Microsoft in market sharing - has never got anything better than this,
why would you expect Microsoft to be. As MS are loosing market, they
doubtfully will put too much into a screen reader. After all, it is not
the screen reader that will sell. On the other hand, as Google and Apple
has climbed the ladder of the market, you would somehow have expected
them to have invested more in their screen readers. What is it you think
MS will be doing different?
Sorry, I did not mean to be critical, or to put anyone down. I just
meant to point out the realities of today. Business is business; and it
is all about money. As the electronic devices have dropped in price,
noone wants to pay 5 times the electronic price, for their software to
be able to run the device. Meaning, the software industry cannot charge
you a shirt, a jacket and five pairs of shoes -just to leave you the
license for turning on your computer. Why we see more and more
subscription-based products. Even now aday, the pricing of the Windows
license soon will be higher than the price of buying just a brand new
computer, with a somehow restricted license on it. Use it for two or
three years, till the poor quality breaks, and then throw it away and go
get yourself a new one. Or, like Office, make people pay you a fortune
over the life-span of the product, by charging them that little each
month, that they do not know you are draining their bank account.
As an interesting side-track here, might I take the opportunity to tell
you all something from locally?
You know, some cellphone operators offer you a mid-range phone, for a
quite reduced price. Only fish-hook of it all, you have to subscribe for
a given service, for the next 24 months or something of that sort. Over
here, the authorities have decided that when they advertise for this
kind of products, they will have to show you the GRAND TOTAL, phone
price and all the months subscription costs summed up. And they have to
do this right there in the advertisement. When you sit down and look at
it, it often turns out the deal is not good at all. You thought you got
a cheap phone, and perhaps you did. But they knew to charge you the
price-reduction and all interests plus a good deal more, through your
*tiny* little monthly subscriptions.
Will be interesting to see what happens to Narrator. Another thing of
course is, that some rumors want it that Win10 is perhaps the last
Windows version ever. And if so, do you think MS are going to spend too
much on a product that will go down the drain anyway?
Just some thoughts.
David
On 7/7/2019 5:39 AM, Brenda via Talk wrote:
I wonder if W-E would have just been absorbed sooner had Microsoft bought them
years ago. I can’t see Microsoft letting W-E be a standalone program. Maybe GW
micro knew this and did not want to lose control of the program to Microsoft.
The whole thing was very painful but maybe in the long run it will be a good
thing because narrator may soon become as good as window eyes and maybe even
better and if so, it will be included in Windows so no one will have to pay
extra for it.
We can’t change the past, but there is hope for the future. (I just wish we had
the W-E support people to call when we needed help.)
Brenda
Dictated and sent from my iPhone
On Jul 6, 2019, at 8:30 PM, Olusegun -- Victory Associates LTD, Inc. via Talk
<[email protected]> wrote:
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
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