Hi John,
I completely take on board everything you are saying. I really do like
the Mac, and it has certainly ben a worth-while experience. I will be
keeping my Mac, and using it for personal use, which means keeping it
up-to-date with all the latest software updates.
I fully endorse and appreciate Apple's hard work in providing a Screen
Reading solution for us, being that a commercial company, and that
they have no obligation to do so.
I just find that for my needs at present, that Windows with its
greater access through Window Eyes/JFW better suits my needs in an
academic environment. As I said, I will be keeping my MacBook, I am
certainly not going to get rid of it, but I am getting more and more
frustrated.
I think it is partly due to the fact that I knew the limitations of
Tiger, and i readily accept them. However, Leopard promised (or at
least implied) so much more, and I personally was disappointed. maybe
I am just being selfish or overly hard to please but right now in my
present situation Leopard does not deliver on what it promises. I will
of course stay on the list and continue to promote the use of the Mac
platform by blind individuals, and who knows, in the future, I may
very well come back to the Mac.
It is my hope that when i get my own place, to have both mac and
Windows running in my home. I know the inherent problems of running a
Windows machine, having used Windows since 1995, but the access level
is better for my personal needs at this moment in time. I will of
course miss a number of Mac features, but this is the price I will pay
for a different form of accessibility.
I will still be around on this list if i am permitted, and if anyone
would like to stay in touch, then they are more than welcome to do so
on the below contact details.
On 5 Nov 2007, at 18:27, John Panarese wrote:
In no way am I criticizing the reasons or decisions one has to
make to satisfy ones access needs. Obviously, the situation of Will
or James or whomever is something they must address and in the best
way they feel is necessary. I will say, however, that seeking
answers in Windows or from Windows is not exactly going to provide
those answers as well. The thing to consider is that, regardless of
the Braille displays currently supported and the state of word
processors, this is all not a static situation. In other words, it
will change and access will continue to improve.
On the other hand, in Windows, you still have several other
factors that will not change. Vista is a horrible mess and in order
to get it to even function with some bit of speed and tolerance is
to turn off several features. Even so, it's still a resource hog
and as slow as crap going uphill. On top of that, it is still
Windows you will be dealing with, which means instability, viruses
and all of the security issues Microsoft continues to have plaguing
them. To me, my experiences moving to the Mac and not having to
deal with that garbage has made my investments in either Mac I have
owned worth the money in gold.
Again, when the day is done, the individual has to decide for
himself or herself, but such a decision should be made with all of
the potential consequences in mind. Leopard, as with Tiger, will
progress and I have no doubts that we will have several word
processor options and spreadsheet choices fully accessible to us
before long. Also, Braille display support will only diversify and
expand as time goes on. Sometimes, patience is a virtue, folks.
Throwing away the bath water can result in tossing the baby with
it. If you go back to Windows, be prepared for a nightmare and the
regrets that will undoubtedly occur when something Windows related
nearly provokes you to light your system on fire as recently
happened to me with my XP box a few days ago.
Take Care
John Panarese
On Nov 5, 2007, at 12:13 PM, David Poehlman wrote:
I imagine the empower will be supported along with the rest of the
braille note family when apple can do it. The launguages are not
that hard to implement.
On Nov 5, 2007, at 11:20 AM, william lomas wrote:
neither i need french and german braille and the m power to be
supported
On 5 Nov 2007, at 13:51, Greg Kearney wrote:
Do you need UK or UEBC braille rather than he U.S. version that is
in Leopard? Do you need to produce embossed braille as opposed to
display braille? If so contact me before you let your mac go I can
help.
Greg Kearney
535 S. Jackson St.
Casper, Wyoming 82601
307-224-4022
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Nov 4, 2007, at 11:49 PM, william lomas wrote:
hi all
as much as i love the mac i am still having to work in windows
every day for my work needs as i find microsoft word a more
powerful word processor and i need powerpoint etcetera
also i do need braille for my needs which is not provided in
leopard. so to any UK person i have
macbook core 2 duo intel
1.83 ghz
2 gigs ram
the 13.3 inch model with cd rw dvd reader
and the infovox british english and french voices installed
asking between 400 and 500 pounds
i do love the mac but leopard, as good as it is in my view,
hasn't really come that far with voice over in the last 2 years,
criticize me all youw ant but there you ahve it, smile
so anyone interested please get back to me. i prefer to run a
full blown windos environment on my windows laptop i have at home
and then i ahve full braille support for the applications i need
it in like foreign languages
