Very convincing analysis: thank you. But does this mean the end of the third party screen reader developer? Presumably some in the industry are not happy campers? The perfect world is surely one where a screen reader comes by default (one much better than Narrator) but it can be uninstalled as an optional windows component and replaced by something else?
Thanks again. Vaughan. -----Original Message----- From: Jim Grimsby JR. [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, 15 January 2014 2:47 p.m. To: Vaughan Dodd Cc: [email protected] Subject: RE: GW Micro and Microsoft Partnership Actually nothing Microsoft has done here is anty competitive.microsoft was just looking to bundle a screen reader with office. At some point I suspect it will be windows it self. Every other major operating system has done this thus far. What was holding Microsoft back here was the law suit filed buy the doj. The NFB and the other screen reader producers were conserned that any such move buy Microsoft would have forced the screen reader companys out of business. Narrator was the bad salution. It did just enough to allow the user to get a full fledged screen reader on board. While Microsoft had its hands tighed buy the doj and the over site court players such as google and apple have come along and have done what Microsoft wanted to do in the first place. Not just with a screen reader but with search and a number of other things Microsoft had in the works. Gw micro was smart. While fs was getting the big government contracts doug was working with Microsoft and a number of other companys. Not really astablishing the window-eyes name but astablishing the name of gw micro. Gw micro was the company Microsoft turned to to get the display manager working when xp came along after all. gw micro was the company that companys like adobie turned to when they were working on accessability. Then of course NVDA entered the picture as well as system access. These are freely available screen readers. They are not full fledged screen readers nore do they use standard Microsoft programming language's. there is a limit to what they can do.. the government is also not spending as much as they once were. Companys like gw micro and especially fs are seeing the government contracts reduced. Rehab is also not spending the same kind of money as they once were. Microsoft is now not being reviewed buy the over site court and is now able to make moves it could not have done a few years ago. The next move for Microsoft is to retain its enterprise dominance. They will do this threw office. So bring a screen reader to office users. Ok now witch one. Microsoft has worked with gw micro in the past. As I said above window-eyes uses vb scripting or any other programming language you want to use. Talking to the com object of window-eyes is there for something Microsoft will do very well. verces having to train all of its people to use python or the jaws scripting language. Gw micro needed the fresh infusion of money. Microsoft did not want to have to deal with supporting a screen reader so let gw micro do it. also Microsoft has not yet managed to buy nuance so it could not include the nuance voices. Once again have gw micro sell them to us. After all they are already authorized to do so. Microsoft will test the waters and see how this works for them. then when windows pro hits the phone and it must do so. Microsoft will approach gw micro again provide a fresh infusion of money and you will see window-eyes in windows it self. The market changes and all Microsoft and gw micro is doing is trying to adapt to that market. Of course the above are my own views and no way reflect on any kind of inside knolidge of the transactions between gw micro and Microsoft. -----Original Message----- From: Vaughan Dodd [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 5:01 PM To: 'Jim Grimsby JR.'; 'Solomon Mekonnen' Cc: [email protected] Subject: RE: GW Micro and Microsoft Partnership Jim: good points as so often. I wonder if a certain litigious player in this industry is shrieking anti-competitive? Presumably - Microsoft will find it easier to work with one screen reader developer than with three or more! I would like to hope that Microsoft 's commitment to blind persons' access to its products will progress by leaps and bounds - a small player like GW still has its challenges to negotiate with a big player like Microsoft. So - although I think the pricing arrangements seem too generous in favour of people who do not want to buy Window-eyes, in the end - this will all have been done according to a business arrangement satisfactory to both players. Vaughan. Vaughan. -----Original Message----- From: Jim Grimsby JR. [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, 15 January 2014 12:41 p.m. To: 'Solomon Mekonnen' Cc: [email protected] Subject: RE: GW Micro and Microsoft Partnership Yes I agree. I am not surprised though. I was thinking Microsoft would try to buy gw micro a partner ship is cool. Enjoy that nice big paycheck that I am sure Microsoft has givin you. Btw people rest assured that Microsoft is paying gw micro and stop asking them to provide information that is none of our concern. I hope with this partnership Microsoft will bring some of the talent pool to window-eyes and we might see better apps for more programs and of course touch. Office is a start but if I was a guessing man at some point I think it will be extended to windows it self. I just got a venue tablit with Microsoft office home and Student on board. So if I didn't already have a copy of window-eyes I would have been able to install this new offer and away we go. Is there any plans to include window-eyes directly in the office install? This way if a user gets a pc with office home or a trial on it window-eyes will already be on the pc? just think about it get a new pc with office on it and you don't even need to use narrator to install what ever just fire up window-eyes and away you go.. Now you people who talk to me about not upgrading eat your words. This is wonderful news. -----Original Message----- From: Solomon Mekonnen [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 11:48 AM To: Peter Duran; gw micro ([email protected]) Subject: Re: GW Micro and Microsoft Partnership I concur! At 02:28 PM 1/14/2014, Peter Duran wrote: >Congratulations Dan and Doug and all the GW staff! What a coup! It's >hard to fathom all the ramifications of this joint venture between GW >Micro and Microsoft. You guys are the best! > >Peter Duran If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. ------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry. ------------------------------- ------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry. ------------------------------- If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv.
