Hello Lisa,
You may have noticed that of late, contributions to the list directly from
PDI have perhaps been a little less forthcoming than what is usually the
norm. This is due to the fact that Jonathan has recently attended to a
number of things in the US and I have been busy working on matters regarding
the recent release of the PK and now on matters concerning KeySoft 6.1.
Now, I don't have the authority to comment directly on future product
functionality or individual customer experiences. Such comments need to be
made and as you may have observed, are made on the list by the product
manager (Jonathan Mosen). However, I can comment on issues concerning
Technical support and the PDI email lists and I guess that is what I'm about
to do.
The BrailleNote list was originally set up with the purpose of providing
customers with a way of discussing the BrailleNote and to provide a way for
customers to assist one another in getting the most out of, what is a
wonderful product for the Blind. This is stil the primary purpose of the
list and yes, PDI staff will assist in matters where an answer is not
obtainable from most or all list members. The list is not intended to
provide instant Technical support and matters that are urgent should be
directly addressed to Technical support as such. You can be assured that
every message is read but if we responded to every technical matter that
came up on the list, you can be sure that this would impact on the release
of new hardware and software updates. Indeed, every message is reviewed but
an instant reply is not always possible.
If you want to reset the BrailleNote, you should ensure that all files are
closed if and when possible. PC users have to do exactly the same! While
we can minimise the risk of files being damaged through the use of KeySoft,
what we can't do is change the way that open files are handled. This is why
a command to save the file is essential and why it is essential that a file
is saved upon the return to the main menu. Unfortunately, there is no way
to recover the data in this situation. Obviously, I regret what has
happened to you but I'm glad that we have been able to provide tips on how
to limit the risk of this happening again.
Dean Jackson
Pulse Data International
Christchurch
New Zealand.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisa Ehlers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 3:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] adding addresses...file mysterry
Hi Jim and List,
Yes the file was a reguarlar Braille keyword file with the information in
it. I think one of the reasons this is so devistating is this has been a
bad week in other regards and this latest blow didn't help. To be honest
I wish when stuff like this happens I could remember the exact steps I
took to try it fix the problem or usually create the problem. Thank
goodness I get 411 directory assistance on Guam for free.
I was really hoping someone would have some advice on how to recover the
info. Even if it was in a jumbled up mess I would be happy to spend hours
sorting it out if I could just retrieve it. I'm calling tech support
Friday morning to see if they have any clues whatsever as to where the
info might be. I don't understand why when one thing goes wrong with
technology everything goes wrong with it. It does make me suspicious
though this data missing from the file and now the dot 5 on cell 3 of the
display not working only a few hours after the data disaster.
Maybe those incidents aren't related. Has anyone else had to send their
unit in for repair three times within a matter of three months? At this
rate my BN could go to California 12 times a year. I hope this doesn't
happen.
I just find it interesting that people post about situations like this
quite frequently and staff at PDI does not respond not even to offer
sympathy. I would appeciate a message to the list from PDI addressing
these issues saying something like gee we realize this is a problem
perhaps we should address this in a future upgrade. Maybe 90 percent or
some percentage of everyone's BN's work fine no problems whatsever. For
the rest of us the smaller percentage I hope a small percentage we are
just outof luck. I haven't had this much trouble with my BN until this
year. The battery was replaced in my BN last time it was in for repair.
It didn't need a new battery but I had one installed anyway paying the
crazy amount for it. I thought well I hope I don't have to send my unit
in for repair for a few months or a year so I want a new battery now while
it was already in California.
I like PDI as a general rule. The lady in the service department at PDH
is very nice and sympathetic. I do think PDH needs to s"eriously consider
coming up with some alternative proposals to address repair needs. Hire
more people to repair the units for o thing. Maybe these people are far
and few between but people can learn to do a job well through training.
Offer loaner units even if we have to pay a small fee something should be
done not oh sorry you are without your unit for who knows how long. I
guess people with PC's are probally without their computers when they go
in for repair.
I didn't mean to get off on a tangent.
I also wish PDI's development team maybe that's the group would look at
some way to have replaceable cells of the BN's Braille display. I realize
redoing the Braille displays would be expensive but I'd rather have my
Braille display redone than to pay $66.30 every time I have to send my BN
in for repair for a Braille dot. $66.30 so the price to overnight (three
day delivery time) for my unitddI cannot imagine being a beginning Braille
readou either as a child or an adult and have a cell missing a dot. I
don't think sighted people would accept computer monitors that showed
something funny or had something missing in print constantly. I doubt
those computer monitor companies would be in business if it continually
happened. It's not that I think PDI needs to go out of business. I just
think PDI needs to seriously wonder what happens with people's u'nits. ow
know Jonathan posted about this one day saying he gets a report once a
month about people's repair issues. This i!
s a good start. Even when we take the necessary precautions with these
products like cleaning the Braille display exercising it that stuff. I
have always thought Braille displays could have so much more to offer and
have never understood why they are so limited. I don't know how much
sighted people can read on their computer monitors at one time but how
many words or sentences without having to move the mouse down the screen.
I have always wished there was a way a Braille display could show one
whole page of Braille at one time. Or better yet to somehow do interpoint
for Braille displays. I know nothing about how Braille displays are put
together. Maybe it isn't the computer monitor that deals with how the
print letters look on the screen maybe it's some software withing the
computer.
Soory didn't mean to make this lengthy.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Lisa
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Aldrich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]
Date: Thu, 04 Nov 2004 19:28:44 -0800
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] adding addresses...file mysterry
Hello again list,
I haven't used the address list in my BN on a large scale. I think those
points for adding addresses are very good! If I understood Lisa
correctly,
her file was an address and phone number list she created on her own! She
didn't use the address list file. Again, I could be mistaken. If my
understanding was correct, her file was like any kind of text file whether
Keyword or not. The text of her file disappeared in thin air even though
the file itself was still in her unit. I think Laura's suggestion for
getting out of a file when resetting was a good one and backing up files
frequently is certainly good practice!
Jim Aldrich
At 03:28 PM 11/04/2004 , you wrote:
Hi List:
This is how I've understood the manual about adding addresses. If it is
a
new address, when you are finished, you would press the space bar with
dots
2-6. The information you receive is, "record added". However, if you
need
to go in and update a record, when finished, you would press Space with
dots
1-5. You then see, "confirm changes"? You would generally press Y. to
change your information. Regards.
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