On Apr 16, 2007, at 10:38 AM, Joshue O Connor wrote:
I agree with John, there are many users who would consider going
over to
the Mac if VO was more JAWS like or at least to convince them - VO
would
probably have to do what JFW does and then some. Aside from its direct
interaction with the OS its limitations with web browsing/application
support would deter people. However many JFW and other screen reader
users I know would be very interested in switching to VO and possibly
will in the future, but the consensus seems to be, whether true or
not,
is that VO is not quite there yet. Though I know users who prefer the
'feel' of VO to JFW. We will wait to see what Leopard delivers and
take
it from there.
Actually, I've found that this is a mentality of JFW users in
general. Window-Eyes, though a superior screen reader in my opinion,
is definitely the underdog, mainly because JFW users are often
unwilling to even try Window-Eyes. They believe that JFW is the
better screen reader, and that WE is awful, and nothing you can say
will convince many of them. WE and VO both suffer from a massive
amount of false information being propigated through the VI
community, which is particularly dentrimental in a minority group
that relies as much as the VI one does on word-of-mouth. I think
the Access World article publishedon VO could be fairly summarized as
saying, "It's not Jaws, therefore it sucks." That was one of the
most horrible pieces of so-called journalism I've ever read where
regards access technology.
The reason for this mentality is up for debate, but in the end it
doesn't really matter. I used to be a huge advocate for Jaws, and
then I found other sollutions that, when fairly judged against it,
stood up better in the overall picture, and also in the areas for
which I needed my screen reader to perform well.
I think making VO more "Jaws-like" would defeat its usefulness in
many respects. Yes, there are some commands that I'd like to see
introduced in VO that are included in Windows screen readers at
present. But VO is a very strong tool as it is now, if one takes the
time to learn to use it properly.
And, I should probably also point out that this sort of thinking is
not exclusive to Jaws users. On the contrary, this seems to be a
relatively common problem in the VI community. I remember 15 years
ago or so, many blind people swearing by their Braille'n'Speaks, even
though there were far better devices out there. The BnS had been
well marketed and word-of-mouth spread that it was the best there
was, when in fact several other, better, products existed.
Convincing a BnS user to try something else was like pulling
teeth...I know, because I used a lot of the other types of products.
I've always been one to try everything I can get my hands on, and
make an informed decision. Over the years I've used, just to name a
few, JFW, WE, VO, outSpoken for Windows, outSpoken for Mac, outSpoken
98, Eureka A4, Aria, Braille Note, Braille'n'Speak, Braille Lite,
Braille Note, KeyNote, Type'n'Speak, Pocket Braille, and dozens of
others, all to quite an extent. Most blind people say, "What should
I use?" and then get whatever they are told is the best, without any
real knowledge of whether it really is right for them.
Stepping off my soapbox now. *grin*
