Hello Dane Not entirely constructive comment this time. :)
you are correct though that it is pretty shameful but that's how it is. Gordon and others I believe, at least one of whom works for HumanWare, have lobbied for the next implementation of KeySoft to come equipped with an up-to-date Email client. Alas, KeySoft 9.3 which runs under Windows CE version 6.0 is still not ready to be called an up-to-date client in many ways. In fact, HumanWare seems to be basking in their own glory because they have released a web browser with all of the features found in Internet Explorer. I wouldn't kick up much of a song and dance over that myself, since we all know of the many security holes in that particular browser. Microsoft is forever releasing security updates to try and fend off the potential for threat. Are we truly to believe that HumanWAre's client is going to be totally safe and secure? Somehow, I have my doubts and I think it's a matter of almost criminal negligence given that the company charges not far short of $5000 US for the BrailleNote Apex. We ourselves would dearly love to phase out POP3 on our own servers, but we cannot do that until we are sure that all of our users can connect to our servers effectively. We have a couple of people using our services who use either BrailleNotes or VoiceNotes, and none of them have been able to get the device working as yet. I am sure it isn't just our servers with which they are having problems but I am not aware of any way that I can test that out here as things stand. Our servers are, and will always remain, secured for both incoming and outgoing mail. We believe that having the servers set as open relays is not only inviting all spammers to make hay while the sun shines, but would also be darn right irresponsible and it would be tantamount to dropping our clients in the brown clarity stuff and for sure, when the dust settled we would not be the one left wearing the clean white suit. :) Seriously though, without some kind of email service outside of our own servers we cannot test to see if it is us who are doing something wrong with the BrailleNote. I doubt it, since I know that Gordon has the user name, email address and server addresses set correctly along with the ports and other info. Gordon knows rather a lot about this sort of thing being a server operator himself. He knows enough to be able to comment that the problem most likely lies with the Apex itself rather than our servers which comply totally with RFC standards and procedures. I refuse in principle to set up a GoggleMail or Hotmail account. GoogleMail is the cause of much strife to us because of their own sloppy procedures. Microsoft is it would seem trying to clean up its act but still their free services are being hammered by those with evil on their minds. Anyway, if anybody else happens to have a BrailleNote, we plan to set up a test account. In fact, if anybody else has any form of portable device like this and they would like to do us a favour and test for us, please feel free to get back to us off list and we will more than happily give you details of how you can help. Particularly in the case of HumanWare, to whom we plan to write a letter highlighting the issue, but also in the case of other accessibility devices, we would very much like to know which devices will work and which won't. Submitting that kind of data to HumanWAre themselves might just make them wake up to the modern reality and instruct their developers to push this issue to the top of their priority list for KeySoft 9.4 or whatever they plan to call it. I have a hunch that HumanWAre is probably the only company whose email client is still restricted to POP3 and I really feel that their users should be making a noise about this issue. POP3 is a protocol which was fine in the early days of TCPIP, so I am told. But now that the world has changed and we are all in need of secure services in which to conduct our emails, especially those which contain sensitive information such as receipts and other personal data, everybody has the right to expect that their providers provide a service which is both efficient and secure. Sadly, it is still the case that many providers don't require any authentication when a client logs on to their email servers. Just imagine Amazon, Apple or Microsoft Stores based around websites where the client doesn't have a password or key phrase to protect themselves, or which doesn't employ security to transfer their sensitive information like credit or debit card. I think the client would probably kick up a fuss; and very rightly so. The same should be true of email. Many people don't seem to give that a thought. They just set up their client using the email server address and their log-in credentials. They probably don't even realise that their emails are being transmitted totally in the clear. Anybody monitoring the IP network (which I am told buy a lot of people is a pretty simple thing to do these days) could gain access to quite a lot of sensitive information that way. We try but sadly not all providers do. Which leads me back to Gordon's original question, all be it repeated. Does anybody else on list happen to own a HumanWare BrailleNote or other similar accessibility designed device and, if so, would they be willing to test for us?? Lynne On 28 Jul 2013, at 21:14, Dane Trethowan <[email protected]> wrote: > I don't own one of these machines so can't comment on the machine itself but > what I can say is that Humen B Ware ought to be absolutely ashamed of > themselves fo even giving you an eMail client that doesn't support iMap, just > about every eMail client I can think of off the top of my head supports iMap > of some sort and even Eudora going back 15 years ago I'm sure supported some > form of iMap so its not as though iMap has just burst onto the scene, makes > you wonder just how much else users of Braillenote products may be missing > with Key Soft or is it Key botch. > > > On 29/07/2013 12:17 AM, Gordon Smith wrote: >> Hi all >> >> Does anybody on list happen to own one of these machines, updated to Keysoft >> 9.3 which was released earlier this month? if so, I would very much welcome >> a discussion with you regarding some weird problems I'm having with the >> Apex. Actually I have already told Humanware how poor I think their E-Mail >> client, (known as "KeyMail" actually is). KeyMail does not, for instance, >> support any incarnation of IMAP which, without even trying, rules out using >> it with iCloud or any other service which employs only IMAP. IMAP is >> definitely the way to go regarding mail. POP3 should be phased out, in my >> humble opinion. But back to the point. KeyMail is so incredibly inflexible >> that, with a server which requires authentication on sending E-Mail, the >> inability to define the type of authentication in use, the fact that KeyMail >> doesn't support any other protocol than POP3 coupled with a few other issues >> all go to make KeyMail the worst E-Mail client I have ever tried to use, and >> that includes Microsoft Outlook Express. >> >> KeyMail is really in need of a rewrite, in my view. Although the commands >> are logical as in they fit the general topology of KeySoft, it is sometimes >> difficult to jump from one place to another quickly and, although you can >> now kind of multitask using KeyMail and KeyWeb, along with KeyWord and >> KeyPlan, there's still a great deal of work which I think the developers >> could have done to make KeySoft an operating system worthy of calling a >> modern environment. >> >> The hardware specification of the Apex is kind of old-fashioned as well. It >> has a 100MBPS Ethernet port, Wireless-A/B/G compatibility and only a 512MHZ >> processor. Officially, KeySoft only allows you to use a 32GB or smaller >> format SD card. However, I and others have used a pre-formatted 64GB or >> even greater capacity SD card with goos success. I have tried it with a >> 64GB card and experienced no ill-effects whatsoever. The Apex has 1 USB >> client port and 3 USB host ports. This allows you to plug in, for example, >> a USB memory stick, an embosser four Braille and a printer simultaneously. >> One of the nice things about KeySoft is its universal and on-the-fly >> formatting. For instance, if you have a document which you need to print >> using an ink printer, and also which you would like to emboss using any >> connected embosser, there is no need to modify your document's format, as it >> is all done on the fly by the BrailleNote. I haven't personally tried this >> yet, but I plan to do so shortly. But I have tried playing around with a >> few documents and looking at the format structure. The files look >> absolutely fine for embossing, all of the codes appear to be perfectly >> valid. Conversely, for printing using an ink printer, the format appears to >> be perfectly correct. Styles and other elements I have not yet tested. I >> play to do that shortly too. >> >> Anyway, all this is really beside the point. If anybody else out there is >> using an Apex, may we have a discussion? The above-mentioned would be my >> starting point. If you have had success with doing things like sending >> authenticated mail, I'd love to know how you managed it because I simply >> cannot get KeyMail to play at all on the sending side. >> >> Regarding application extensions, As I understand it, developers of Windows >> CE 6.0 extensions couldn't have their applications installed by the user >> into KeySoft. My understanding is that in order to implement extensions, >> developers would need to comply with the very strict topology of KeySoft. I >> can sort of understand that, but if only Humanware would invite third-party >> developers to enable missing functionality, even with the hardware >> restrictions we now have, KeySoft could be a far more powerful piece of >> software engineering than it currently is. >> >> HumanWare also charges astronomical prices for their KeySoft extensions, and >> also their accompanying hardware. Consider: The Concise Oxford Dictionary >> costs in excess of £100 GBP. The same thing on a Mac or a PC can be >> purchased for just over 10% of that cost. HumanWAre charges £25.00 for a >> power cable to attach their power supply to the electrical wall outlet. >> Consider, the same cables minus the rubber pull-out handle come supplied >> with any old cassette recorder, radio, even video and hi-fi equipment. >> HumanWare charges £45.00 for a spare battery for the Apex. They also charge >> £76.00 for what they term a "Deluxe" case. The "Deluxe" case is now a >> canvas cloth case instead of the old leather cases which used to come >> supplied with the older models. All this pricing astounds me to be honest. >> >> Anyway, I would welcome comment from any other KeySoft users either >> privately or on list. >> >> Kind regards >> >> <--- Gordon Smith ---> >> >> >> >> >> >> <[email protected]> >> >> Telephone: >> >> United Kingdom: Free Phone: >> 0800 8620538 >> >> Mobile: >> +44 7907 823971 >> >> Europe and other non-specified: >> +44 1642 688095 >> >> United States Of America And Canada: >> +1 646 9151493 >> Or: >> +1 209 436 9443 >> >> Vic. Australia: >> +61 38 8205930 >> Vic. Australia >> +61 39 0284505 >> >> Fax: >> +44 1642 365123 >> >> Follow Us On Twitter: >> <http://twitter.com/maciosaccess> >> >> Skype: >> <skype:mac-access-dot-net?call> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> >> >> >> ======================================= >> >> The Techno-Chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus >> and worm-free >> >> To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web >> pages located at >> http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/techno-chat >> >> You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Techno-Chat group at >> either of the following websites: >> >> http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/techno-chat/index.html >> >> Or: >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> >> you may also subscribe to this list via RSS. 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