is it free? if not, it is one of the most horrible speach I have ever heard so I wouldn't purchase it. How well does it respond?
----- Original Message ----- From: "M AUSTEN" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS X by theblind" <discuss@macvisionaries.com> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 10:04 AM Subject: Re: what we have to contend with:Fw: From today's Tech Update Hi, If anyone is interested, IBM's ViaVioce has been for some time and still available for Mac. Mark --- On Mon, 3/11/08, David Poehlman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: David Poehlman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: what we have to contend with:Fw: From today's Tech Update > To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS Xby > the blind" <discuss@macvisionaries.com> > Date: Monday, 3 November, 2008, 2:22 PM > Though it is not always mentioned, when the os is updated, > something about > vo gets updated as well because there is so much in the os > that is reflected > in vo. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dan Eickmeier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the > use of Mac OS X by > theblind" <discuss@macvisionaries.com> > Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 11:43 PM > Subject: Re: what we have to contend with:Fw: From > today's Tech Update > > > I agree with what people have said here about the mac and > voiceover. > You spend the money on a mac, you get VoiceOver, and as the > OS is > updated, Voiceover may get updated as well. No haveing to > pay every > couple of years to maintain a JAWS or window-eyes SMA,and > if the oS > gets updated, no waiting for updates to the screen reader > either. On > Nov 2, 2008, at 3:02 PM, David Poehlman wrote: > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Gene" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 10:50 AM > > Subject: Re: From today's Tech Update > > > > > > I can think of one good reason to continue with > Windows or perhaps > > two even > > if everything else is equal. the first reason is a > matter of > > preference but > > many users may find it compelling. Consider speech. > As far as I > > know, > > Eloquence, Via Voice and Dectalk are not available for > Macs. I've > > heard the > > new synthesizer Mac has added and I am not impressed. > It has the same > > problems I've heard with all of the newer type of > synthesizers, > > incorrect > > inflections and more words pronounced oddly or slurred > than I find > > acceptable. According to the promotional material, > the synthesizer > > also > > simulates breathing before long passages. I don't > want a > > synthesizer to > > pretend to breathe. I want it to read during the time > it is > > designed to > > pretend to breathe and not waste my time. The new Mac > synthesizer > > may be as > > responsive as Apple claims, I have no way to know > since I heard a > > recording > > of it and didn't use it. However, many blind > people may very much > > want to > > continue to use the speech they currently use in > Windows or when > > upgrading > > to a g u i operating system from something else. What > about hardware > > synthesizers such as Double Talk or Tripple Talk that > blind people > > may want > > to use. Do they loose access to them if they use a > Mac? > > > > The second reason is one Mike mentioned. I am not > saying this is or > > is not > > the case. As with Mike, I pose the question but in a > different way. > > > > I currently use four screen-readers. I usually use > JAWS but I have a > > Window-eyes demo on my machine, NVDA, and I use System > Access to Go > > when it > > does something better than the other screen-readers. > Since I > > haven't used > > Macs, I can't evaluate this but the question > arises as to whether > > having > > access to so many options provides better access to > certain programs > > or to > > certain web sites. There are times when I get > markedly better > > access to a > > web site using something other than JAWS and times > when JAWS > > provides the > > best access. There are times when a feature in JAWS > gives me more > > convenient access to some aspect of a program. As > with Mike, I am > > skeptical > > that development of a screen-reader facing no > competition will equal > > development when there is meaningful competition. > Also, I question > > whether > > any single screen-reader can possibly deal as well > with a large > > number of > > programs as having different screen-readers with > different > > characteristics > > and variations of features. > > > > Isn't it interesting how many people complain > about Microsoft being a > > monopoly yet they are not the least bit bothered by > the fact that > > there is > > literally only one screen-reader for the Mac? This is > inconsistent. > > > > I'm not advocating that anyone use any particular > operating system. > > I have > > consistently said that people should use what meets > their needs and > > what > > they like. But I am not convinced that using Windows > doesn't have > > advantages. Using a Mac may have advantages but that > doesn't mean > > that > > Windows may not have advantages not found in the Mac. > It's > > unfortunate that > > so many Mac users discuss the Mac with missionary zeal > and religious > > fervor. > > It lowers their credibility. I don't see Windows > users doing the same > > thing. Whenever anyone is too fanatical about > anything, I become > > suspicious. > > > > Gene > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Jude DaShiell" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 9:23 AM > > Subject: Re: From today's Tech Update > > > > > >> Apple has lots of user's groups in existence > and not everybody who > >> uses > >> one of Apple's computers is connected with one > of those groups or > >> attends > >> meetings regularly to their cost. Also not every > Apple user knows > >> about > >> http://www.macupdate.com/ or > http://www.versiontracker.com/ > >> either. The > >> windows users could even come up with more > software too if they > >> camped out > >> on http://www.versiontracker.com/ too because that > site offers > >> software > >> links and information for both sets of operating > systems. By now > >> we all > >> of us know about the mac accessibility email lists > which is more > >> than many > >> sighted people know. Those same sighted people > who use mac's can > >> use the > >> same software those of us who use VoiceOver use > because VoiceOver > >> works > >> the way it does. So sighted users can use unison > as well as I can. > >> That's > >> an accessible newsgroup reader that works with > VoiceOver but not > >> all mac > >> software does yet. As to the complaint about > mac's and viruses, rest > >> assured Apple and those in the user's groups > keep current with actual > >> threats and all of them know it's only a > matter of time until those > >> threats become actual viruses. But here's > something to think about > >> for > >> now. One of the computer publications did a poll > of security > >> professionals and learned that when those security > professionals > >> have to > >> do their work given a choice of a windows machine > or a mac, the mac > >> would > >> be their machine of choice. One more thing to > keep in mind, Snow > >> Leopard > >> will fix the problems Apple found after Leopard > got released and > >> some of > >> those will be security optimizations. So Apple > isn't standing still > >> either. So long as Apple continues offering > better operating > >> systems than > >> Vista and I'm alive I see no reason to spend > money on windows. > > > > > >
