Yeah Grant,
Another question I was able to squeeze in there had to do with Humanaware's
feedback process. What is is, and do users get a chance to know ahead of
time if their suggestions are on track to being implemented or not.
I got the answer I expecter. Humanware has a policy of not discussing
features and improvements they are working on. After all, who wants to steel
all the great ideas all of us users have, haha?
Dave Wilckinson also implied that I better go out and understand how
businesses work in a capitalistic society. He basically did say that This
was the policy, not telling us what is important and will be fixed, might be
implemented, or in on the back burner till further notice, and that it would
be virtually impossible to implement a system where all the feedback is
documented, tracked, and reported back to the customer.
While I agree with at least some of the comments, namely that it would be
very difficult to track all feedback, and be so open, I find it
condescending when I am told that this is how it is in a capitalistic
society.
If HumAnaware can't get a grip on what it is they are working on, how do we
find out?
I get a feeling Humanare isn't usually at the forthfront, and typically does
not innovate or respond to customers. This is why those who read the press
release about 8.-- and then listened to the TechTalk presentation found no
news in the presentation about the new release.
Those who end up using 8.0 will likely not find much else we don't already
know about it.
Antonio Guimaraes
If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup
trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of
highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's great literary
works in Braille.
Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you.
http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169
Givebackamerica.org, America's Online Charity Shopping Mall
----- Original Message -----
From: "Grant Hardy" <[email protected]>
To: "BrailleNote mailing list" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 9:03 PM
Subject: [Braillenote] KeyChat Isn't Looking Too Pretty
Hi all,
In today's Tech Talk presentation on KeySoft 8, I emphasized the fact that
while nearly everyone on the University of British Columbia campus with me
carries around laptops and mobile devices with Windows Live Messenger and
Yahoo! Messenger, I know nobody who uses Google Talk, iChat, or any other
open instant messaging service. And with two other notetaking
products--the
Braille Sense and the PAC Mate--supporting Windows Live, I asked at what
stage, if at all, the BrailleNote would follow suit. In an evasive
response, Dave Wilkinson from Humanware implied that somehow Windows Live
and Yahoo! were going to disintegrate, so it really isn't necessary
anyway.
Not true: the one and only reason neither Yahoo! nor Windows Live need to
use an open instant messaging standard is due to the sheer volume of users
who already populate their services. Rather than adapting to this truth
as
other competing products have, the BrailleNote from Humanware will change
the way you communicate in realtime...if you can convince everyone you
know
to switch instant mesaging clients.
There is also no way to sign in invisibly (also called appearing offline)
in
KeyChat. This is standard in all other messaging clients that I have come
across, and is a great way to see who's online without getting flooded
with
instant messages. Greg Stilson from Humanware discounted this and called
it
"kinda creepy", so apparently the BrailleNote user base will not see this
function, either.
Normally I don't rant, but I am upset with the attitude of these Humanware
representatives: instead of politely stating that these essential features
are not yet present in KeyChat, they instead discounted their importance.
So to summarize: communicate in real time with the 1 % of your friends
that
KeyChat will support, and don't expect to be able to sign in invisibly,
cuz
that's just kinda creepy!
Grant
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