Hi: I want to do some scripting on some professional software for folks who
will use the scripts at work or school.Is there a foundation or agency who
will provide Third Party software to scriptors for script development? I am
thinking about the more expensive packages like the Visual Studio Pro versions
and above, the IBM Interfaces, emulators and all that jazz as well as
transcription software and other packages that need to be made more accessible
to blind folks. The problem is that even to do some serious analysis on a
product a scriptor needs to have the product, often prohibitively expensive for
the number of scripts that might be sold, and then the scriptor has to find
some way to use the product in an environment similar to a typical workplace.
This is also dificult since testing a Terminal Emulator or other Mainframe
Accessibility tools would not only require having all the necessary hardware
and software but a willing host with one or more typical mainframe computers
to connect to for testing heavy features like IMS, ISPF, CICS and languages
like COBOL etc...
There are the Adobe Products and all these product lines have many product
choices that would need to be looked at if popular in the visually centered
workplace - especially Government where there is suppose to be some serious
accessibility qualifications to purchassing or contracting of hardware and
software products.
My question is if anyone knows of a source of funding for scriptors willing to
put in the time and effort to develop scripts. It takes allot of time to
analyze and develop a script for a product like Visual Studio and I am sure
other product lines from IBM and others. Just to buy a full copy of the Visual
Studio would cost about a grand plus the cost of WE plus the cost of the
computer, internet connection and any other support software to develop and
maintain a script for that product.I can see it easily costing around 2 grand
to have a high quality setup with the necessary software and if a scriptor sold
say 10 copies in a year the cost would be 2 hundred just to try and break even.
The hours required would likely be 1,000 to a full 2,000 hours to get that
puppy hunting at a professional level with good documentation and sample
packages. At ten dollars an hour the minimum cost would be $10,000 plus the
cost of the development environment @ $2,000 for a minimum annual cost of
$12,000. So for the 10 units to be sold the first year the cost would be $1,200
per copy. I don't think anyone would pay that. They would just suffer along,
not go into this field or use another Screen Reader choice if it were any
better.
I think they would think anyone asking that kind of money would be nuts - and I
would agree. So, there needs to be funding if development on serious
Professionally used software is to be done. Folks already working in the field
do not have the time to learn scripting and then script any seriously complex
software as mentioned above so currently have to find other choices.
That is where I am at right now. I have older hardware and software and need to
upgrade but can't see just spending the very, very limited resources my family
has on more amature software like VB.net or VWD which is what most free amature
users use, me too currently.
Well, if you know of funding sources or a place where Accessibility Workeres
can get copies of expensive software at least, let me know.
Thanks:
Rick USA
