Ah yes Tom, thanks for reminding me of the good old Apple days. That was my very first talking computer an Apple //E with an internal Echo running textalker plus. I got just about every accessory we could use for that system and let me tell you for it's day it was the cat's meow. While yes it was limited I wouldn't go so far as to call it crap I used it for a lot of things and it met my needs quite well for a number of years. It's biggest weakness was that for some reason programs like terminal software and word processors tended not to work with it so you had to buy special ones, the best terminal software called termtalk came from a company called Computer Aids Corp. which later turned into Blazie. All this took place back when if you said Jaws you were talking about a giant shark that ate people and nobody thought anything else. The reason that Jaws is so well recognized is mainly that FS is very good at pimping their products and that too many people are just not aware that there were other solutions available long before they came on the sceen, let alone now. As an access tech instructor I won't be a party to this misinformation and I am just glad I work somewhere that allows me to show clients the full range of solutions available.
Ok sorry I will get off my soap box now. Game on. Tom -----Original Message----- From: gamers-boun...@audyssey.org [mailto:gamers-boun...@audyssey.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Ward Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 4:07 AM To: Gamers Discussion list Subject: Re: [Audyssey] The importance of patronage Hi Shaun, Oh, was it now? I hate to burst your bubble, but Jaws was not the first screen reader. Just the only one to gain national attention and claimed they were the first and only one for the blind. this is exactly the kind of ignorance BSVI and other agencies promote. For instance, when Windows 3.0/3.1 came out Slimware managed to put out Windowbridge before Jaws For Windows did. However, the state agencies were still buying Jaws for Dos since apparently ASAP, Vocal-Eyes, Dosbridge, etc didn't matter. When Jaws for Windows came out the state agencies rushed to snap it up even though there was another screen reader available for Windows at that time which was a good year or two further along in development.. If we go back to dos we can see similar things. There were other solutions available before Jaws for Dos, but it really was the best speech access solution at the time and that's why BSVI switched and other agencies started buying it. That's not true any more though. To give you an example of what I mean. Before I lost my vision I can remember using an Apple II-E with an Echovox which was out before Jaws. Granted the thing was a piece of crap, I'm not denying that, but the fact still remains speech access for the blind was there years before JFD was on the scene so to speak. On 4/29/11, shaun everiss <sm.ever...@gmail.com> wrote: > well It was for a while. > Just like norton was the best software. > But it all went down hill sort of. > No one is the best now in this reguard. > all readers have the same features. > jaws has been round the longest and is recognised and recomended by > most orgs and others as the standard which it is because it was the > first. I should mention that I am extremely bias having only met about > 3 others like myself in my life well 5. All of these bar 1 were in not > the best situations. Though its fair to say the org I run with is > still quite good, it has shifted some what from the old days but then > everything has to shift and I can't really blame it. > Its still not like the rnib but then its all opinion and I have > never got anything from them bar books. > I have just had bad experiencees with various agencies in the past so > I am more to the against point of view than for. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
