Agree with all of this Sky.
Additionally: I found Jeremy's post to your previous list message
regarding web site merger helpful, informative and encouraging.
Just wish that it had come sooner - but - clearly things are on the up!
Regarding rumours and mis-information: people who have posted them have
by-and-large simply transmitted what competitors and mis-informed
agencies are saying. I do think that AI Squared will need an ambitious
and assertive marketing campaign, but maybe that is coming to coincide
with version nine.
Vaughan.
On 18/10/2014 05:13 a.m., Sky Mundell wrote:
Hi, I have to agree with you totally. Also try and make Window-Eyes
not be so reliant on video intercept. Using a video intercept driver
causes problems, and it can lead to slowdowns, crashes, etc. I think
having the ability to not use video intercept would be fine by me, and
also include mouse support with the mouse pointer, and make the mouse
keys work, even with no video intercept. This way, we can avoid
crashes, and slowdowns, etc. I don’t want to see window-Eyes lose its
market share, nor do I want to see misinformation flying around about
things that are not true. What we want is to have a screen reader that
can rival JAWS, and other screen readers in the workplace using custom
scripting, etc.
*From:*David [mailto:[email protected]]
*Sent:* Friday, October 17, 2014 7:09 AM
*To:* Jeremy Curry; [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: Window-Eyes Survey
ONE feature we want to see in the future? Sorry Jeremy and the rest. I
do not really know ONE. But I definitely know more than twenty. See
the list below. Note that I have numbered the ideas, but this is not
meant as a priority ranging, just done for simplicity. Should be
enough work for a couple of days, in case that is what you wanted.
Smiles. It is great to know things are coming along when talking about
an upgrade to browse mode, but the screen reader needs quite a few
changes and fixes, should it still keep market. And, there is always
things that just would be nice. Some of it, should not be too hard to
implement I guess, others may be more complicating and need far more
rearranging. Still, they are all taken from my experience, and things
that have been discussed between users.
And, here is the long list:
1. Browse Mode - should include separate keystrokes for jumping to
next/previous UNVISITED LINK and ONCLICK controls.
2. Window-Eyes Crashes - It should release the computer immediately.
No need for it to keep trying for several minutes. Release the system
and get the job done. If the user wants to restart he can always hit
the hotkey for loading the screen reader anew.
3. Reloading the Screen Reader - When the Alt-Ctrl-W hotkey is pressed
and WE is already running, it should be reloaded. At least, let the
user define in the settings menu, if this should be the case.
4. Braille Support - May well need a good general cleanup, fixing a
number of small bugs. Other users have already mentioned a few. For
one thing to be added, the Braille display does not follow the editing
of formulas in Excel.
5. Mouse Support - If a popup window (like a tooltip) has lost focus
and got hidden, the mousekeys seem to work no longer. All you get is a
ding, and Alt-Tabbing through the list of open windows will not reveal
the troublesome window, meaning you cannot get out of this issue,
except from restarting the computer.
6. Tooltips and Other Windows that has gone lost or hidden - should be
possible for Window-Eyes to bring them to the foreground and operate
them. Have seen cases where the screen reader cannot do this, but a
sighted person can move the mouse to a window and get you out of a
tricky situation.
7. Screen Reader Hangup - A hundred times I experience the screen
reader dying on me. A quick press on the hotkey to bring up NVDA
almost always brings up that screen reader and I can solve the
trouble. Window-Eyes - claiming to be rock solid - should at least be
solid enough to be abel to load itself (if necessary in a light
version, like the one at the login screen), for getting me out of
tricky situations.
8. Installing the Screen Reader - The user should be offered the
choice whether he wants to install questionable apps, like the Jaws
Key app. It is no less than frustrating that everytime I have to
install, reinstall or update the screen reader, I have to run through
the app list and remove apps that only cause trouble for me. It could
be done by asking the user if she is familiar with Jaws and hence
wants to "optimize" Window-Eyes for a seamless transfer, or less steep
learning curve (word it the way you want, but give me the real choice).
9. Would be nice if Window-Eyes could be set to "auto-check" app
central for apps that support the software I am running. For instance,
when I first load Itunes after installing the screen reader, it would
inform me that an app is available for increased experience in
operating Itunes. I then would be offered the choice whether I want to
download and install that app. many users won't even know there is an
app available for many of the applications they are running, hence may
loose effeciency in their computing. OK, it would mean that each app
developer should be given a way - either in the code, or directly on
App Central - to indicate if his app is specially taylored to a given
piece of software. this would need to be set in a dedicated variable,
not just in some casually written text. So may need a bit of tweak of
App Central, but should not be hard to implement.
10. The hotkeys of the Screen Reader should all be user-defined. For
years I have called for the "Goto End of List and Table" and "goto
beginning of list and table" in browse mode (Left-bracket and
Right-bracket followed by S or T), to be user-definable. I really
don't see why other hotkeys of the screen reader can be define and
redefined by me as the end-user, but not this one. Specially so, when
it has been drawn to the tech staff's attention several times. Might
be other keystrokes as well that may not be user-definable at the
moment, and such should not occur. Get the mess cleaned up, please.
11. Time for Window-Eyes to go COMPLETELY international. No real
reason whatsoever, why a user who has installed the screen reader is
locked to one language. Specially now that the Free offer is around.
Since we can download the screen reader free of charge in numerous
translations, it should be all implemented into one and same
installation. The user downloads the screen reader, installs it, and
then can go to ControlPanel and decide whichever locale version he
wants to run. Other screen readers have been doing that, so there is
no use in AI Square not being able to serve the International market
fully in this regard. Tip: Each language could have its own User
Profile Folder - Like Users\EnUs\Default, Users\Fr\Default,
Users\It\Default and so forth. The user should have chance to change
language on the fly through the working day, as many times as he
wants. Time has gone, AI Square, when users only worked
single-lingual. Even a school child of 1st grade will have to operate
at least two languages in many countries. Locally, for instance, our
kids are learning the locale language as the main-language, and
English as a secondary one, with several lessons a week. In places
like Canada, most kids will have to deal with English-French
combinations, switching from one language to the other, throughout the
day. Many workers have to deal with two or more languages in their
job, every day. For a screen reader not to offer the blind user an
equal chance to read a second, third and even fourth language when all
his colleagues can do so, is a clear drawback and may eventually make
him loose effeciency in his job. This is simply not acceptable in
today's working environment. The screen reader we used in the mid-80's
did offer me a completely multi-lingual interface and functionality,
long as I had installed a working synth for the given language. so did
the screen readers I used all through the 90's. And the screen reader
I used way up till 2007, when I came to Window-Eyes. We have called
for this several times, and it has been told not being possible due to
copyright reasons. Yet, with all the localized versions available in
the Free offer of the screen reader - each in their own download and
installation - there seem to me being little reason why they cannot be
implemented in a completely Internationalized version. A workaround
should be for the user to download and install additional "patches",
that would add on the languages he wants to his original installation.
12. International Customers - should be treated more equally with the
North-American market.
13. Additional Voices for International Customers - These should be
made available for everyone, no matter where you live. I have asked
the local dealer several times, and simply just get the answer that
they "don't remember how to sell me licenses for these voices".
Strange answer, but just serves to show how backward the International
customers are treated. This means, in effect, that the "Free Offer for
Office Owners" is not a real offer for anyone here, since we cannot
even get the local voice for the screen reader, let alone a license
for things like Dectalk or Eloquence. A clear thumbs down for the
international service of AI Square and GW. May eventually result in
users looking for other solutions, with a loss of market for Window-Eyes.
14. The Screen Reader Should Be Released More Evenly Around The globe.
As it stands, we are often six months or more behind in the
International market. Yet, Microsoft releases their localized version
of both Windows and Office pretty much same day as in English. This
means, that the international users cannot follow the general market,
due to them awaiting the localization of the screen reader. And now,
AI Square promise us an update to the browse mode. fine, but if it
first takes a few more months before that update is released in
English, and then who knows how long for it to be localized, we may
well be looking at more like a year before I will be able to use the
internet properly again. Sorry, but I cannot wait another year before
I pay my bills, order my food and stuff, and perform other activities
based on the net and which are currently hardly accessible with
Window-Eyes. If an update is considered high-important for the English
market, it is no less important for the rest of the market. Again,
this would be solved, if the user was given the chance of downloading
a completely international version. It then would be possible for him
at least to run it in English, until the translation was finalized for
his locale language. Time for AI Square to realize we are not
individual users sitting each on his little mountain top - like in the
old days. Smile. We are all dealing with a steadily more
internationalized everyday living. If you shop on the net in the USA,
pay your bills over the net in France, operate the Office suite in
Sweden - chances are really high, that is exactly what people are
doing in Germany, Australia, China or even Antarctica for that matter,
exactly at the same time.
15. International Customers should be able to buy directly from the
Online Shop of AI Square. If money transferring is the bottleneck,
tons of other businesses have discovered there is something like
Paypal around. :)
16. Some kind of captcha solving service, and simple OCR processing,
would have been great to see implemented. Too many times we are stuck
with a web service of some kind, that calls for me to "enter the
characters" in the box. For many users the service of things like
Webvisum is no alternative. Quite a number of users are under some
restrictions that prevents them from running anything but Internet
Explorer, and they now are out of luck in operating this kind of
websites. This could - in worst scenario - lead to loss of employment.
Should be one of the basic functionalities of a modern screen reader,
to operate as my eyes in even this kind of cases.
17. Other users have already suggested speech support under
installation of the OS. I only can back that suggestion. Also, let me
suggest that there could be some kind of chance for running a
simplified speech service when recovering from a backup media.
18. The mobile version of WE should be possible to run, evenwithout
installing the Video support. OK, this would reduce its functionality
somehow, but it would make it more easily running on systems (like in
libraries and other public places), where the user is not granted the
right to install anything on the computer. NVDA can, so why not
Window-Eyes.
19. There should be a BACKUP feature in the menus of the screen
reader. There is numerous users who will not be comfortable in messing
around with looking up subfolders they don't understand a cent of, and
then copy that one to anywhere else. A simple dialog should popup,
asking them to point to the destination for the backup of their User
Profile, and job should be done directly from the screen reader. Same
goes for recovering from a backed up profile. There even should be a
way to maintain the User Profile. That is, if I have two computers, I
should have the chance to synchronize them, even if I have to go via
an external media like a USB pen or memory card.
20. PLEASE, can we have back a place for us to share articles and
other relevant material that cannot - or is not practically
distributed through the mailing lists. Several of us have the
resources for contributing with material, but have no real good place
to share with the community. For one thing, I wonder if we could have
a place to rate software that we have found to be specially
accessible, or maybe lacking in that same manner. For instance, on the
mailing list we may have ten people asking for an accessible
anti-virus program, all in one week. If there was a simple place for
them to go and see that information, maybe via a choice under the help
menu which would take them to a spot on the QI Square website, they
could find the answer quickly. Or, if I find something I see will
benefit, I could go there and tell about it. This would help
minimizing the clutter on the list; at least in the long run.
21. Window-Eyes should be able to be started temporarily with no apps
loaded. If a user has installed an app causing him trouble, the way
things are today, he has to start the screen reader and then go to
Apps, turning off all apps (or the one troubling him). If now the app
for some reason kicks in already at startup, he is pretty much out of
luck, unless he is a tech. If he had a chance to load the bare-boned
version of WE, he could have worked around cases like this. Much like
you can start things like Internet Explorer without addons, from the
software context menu. He could even be offered to start with apps
turned off, or without any setfiles loading. This also would help in
troubleshooting, since a user quickly could load the screen reader
with either of these extra services loaded, and see if his trouble in
a given situation will be solved. He then would know far better where
to search for the trouble-making "add-on".
22. The screen reader should be able to accept patched updates. Either
that, or more frequent upgrades. Good, GW wants to make sure the
released upgrade is solid and stabil. But often it seems they have
been waiting for numerous fixes before they let out a new upgrade.
This means that even quite important things may be sitting in the
offices of the staff, awaiting less importan stuff to be fixed as
well. The mouse functionality in Internet Explorer may serve as an
example here. OK, I do not know all the details, but it seems from a
message from one of the staff members more than a year ago, that the
fix had already been made back then. Still we are awaiting it to be
released, likely because they want other things being fixed as well.
Yet, as I said earlier, we cannot sit and wait for eternities for this
kind of fixes. So, please, once a fix for a major bug or lack in the
screen reader has been worked out, let it out the door. Smaller and
less important things can always be gathered into later upgrades. OK,
not always easy to realize what is important fixes. Still, something
is quite easily identified as important. I just told about one
controlling keystroke not being user-defined. Clearly a lack or bug in
the screen reader. Yet, I can live with it for a little longer - it
just makes certain activities slightly more complicated. But operating
the web services of many public services is a major lack, and cannot
just be put off. Good enough, maybe they want to have it out when
Windows10 hits the market in the spring. But can we tell all our
creditors that we cannot pay them until the spring? Some software I
have been using, has the capability to accept patches that fix deeply
cored bugs. Even Windows itself does. You don't need to upgrade
Windows several times a month, you just download individual fixes, and
once in a while get a service pack or a full upgraded version. Same
should be possible with the screen reader. The speed things changes
now aday, this will only become more important.
David
On 10/16/2014 8:28 PM, Jeremy Curry wrote:
Hello Everyone,
We want to take a quick survey. If you could have a feature in
Window-Eyes, what would it be? Please keep in mind that the next
version is improving web support, so we are looking for your
opinion on what you would like to see in the future. Please note
that we cannot commit to implement every suggestion, but we
certainly welcome your feedback.
Thanks!
Jeremy
Jeremy Curry
Director of Product Management
Ai Squared – Formerly GW Micro, Inc.
Phone: (802) 362-3612
Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Web: www.aisquared.com <http://www.aisquared.com/>
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