Actually someone at ms built a screen reader and freedom scientific sued them for doing so and won hence where we are today. I can't remember where eI read that but there was someone on another list who helped with the build of this screen reader and was not happy they got sued for such an action. I'm not happy about this but I'm not sure now there's much we can do about that as they would have to rewrite windows from the ground up and although it would help, I'm not sure that we can convince ms to do the right thing. It would be nice though. but windows was never meant for the consumer but for the business world. That's not an excuse but that's a fact, and ms might use that for their defense as to why they will not rewrite windows just to include a screen reader even in safe mode.
Take care. On Oct 20, 2013, at 7:24 AM, Martin G. McCormick <[email protected]> wrote: > The answer is a resounding no! but not because it is a > bad or different interface, etc. Do you realize that Windows, > the most common computer OS in the world, still does not > have accessibility built in? > > It is the only such operating system that at least > hasn't tried and this is by design. > > I may be the only voice left on Earth who still thinks > this is the living definition of wrong, but it is wrong with a > capital W. For those "geniuses" in Redmond, it may be a capital > R. > > Apple, Linux and Android have all built screen readers > of varying degrees of elegance and functionality but the > important thing is that there is a generally usable to good > screen reader and Braille support interface on every device that > is not using Windows. > > You not only have to get sighted assistance to > un-cripple any Windows device that needs a screen reader but you > must make the cash register ring in twelve-part harmony and > start a running meter or two to get and keep this fundamental > privilege. > I am vaguely aware of some of the politics and angst > that went in to the way things are, but Microsoft is the > copyright holder, therefore, the boss. > > One suggestion that was made years ago when Windows and > commercial screen readers first came out was for MS to > buy distribution rights to JFW or Window-Eyes, include it in > every version of Windows sold and, of course, pay the developers > royalties. > > This would probably be more money than they get today, > maybe a Dollar or two added to the cost of Windows, and a big > win for everybody. > > It is just proof that if you do the wrong thing long > enough, people stop asking why or even think this is wrong. They > just start accepting it as the way the world came, roll over and > play dead. > > By the way, Microsoft said no to that idea and even some > of the blindness organizations said they'd rather have what we > have now. That positively makes me scratch my head. > > There is a short list of questions in my mind that if I > should live to be a thousand years old, I will most likely never > hear satisfactory answers to. Most of these questions are > sociological and philosophical so they don't fit in this > discussion list, but one that does is why does the most > pervasive computer operating system on Earth not come > ready to serve users who can't see the screen? Notice I didn't > say users who happen to be blind. When two people are in the > dark or not in sight of one another, they speak or shout. It's > redundancy which is a concept as old as nature. For all the talk > about user interfaces, Microsoft is still missing in action with > their inaction on making their flag-ship operating system > conform to the laws of nature. > > By the way, the last money Microsoft made from me was > when I bought DOS4.0, I think. > > That may have been about 30 years ago. > > Martin > > Dane Trethowan writes: >> I'm still using Windows 7 but after reading this article I have to admit >> to really looking forward to an upgrade to Windows 8 at some stage next >> year. > > ======================================= > > 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. The feed is at: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> > > --------------------------------------- ======================================= 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. The feed is at: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> ---------------------------------------
