The opinions expressed in this document are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Freedom Scientific or the list management.
After reading The FS-Cast podcast and studying other informatory resources, I have reached the conclusion that Windows 10, at least in its original form, is not a good choice for those who use screen readers. Please note. Windows 10 is still a work in progress. Freedom Scientific will certainly keep tabs on things as they develop and make the necessary changes. THE EDGE WEB BROWSER: Microsoft has already made massive changes in this new web browser and they admit that it is not as good as was hoped. The software was designed like Firefox and Google Chrome but it doesn't function nearly as well as either of those programs. Unfortunately, it does not work well at all with screen readers. The Windows 10, scheduled for a release on July 29, is definitely not a comfortable fit for Jaws. THE NEW WINDOWS 10 CONFIGURATION: Microsoft has heard us and is trying to bring back the older configurations like Windows XP and Windows 7. According to an article published by Microsoft, their attempt to design a Start menu which worked well with smart phones and IPads, resulted in numerous complaints from PC users. The version of Windows 10 scheduled for release can give you a taste of what is coming but that too is currently in a fluid state. I asked a Microsoft representative why they are sending out a product which is still imperfect or incomplete. His response was, "Look, we're going to hit most of our customers at home with this new software. Some will buy it because it is new. Our free upgrade will add many more customers to our list. What we're trying to do is get away from 8.1. We have had so many problems with that version of Windows. We almost had to do this to keep from losing too many retail customers to the Apple software. People like you and other customers who use screen readers or magnification are a tiny minority when compared to the rest of our customer base. That doesn't mean we won't work to fix these issues but we won't be able to do it right away." I asked him how we should proceed in the meantime. His suggestion was to maintain our current versions of Windows or, ideally, load Windows 10 but change the Default browser to Internet Explorer, still available in this new release. Windows 10 is currently being tested by Freedom Scientific and this latest Jaws update has indeed addressed some of the problems. However, many issues still exist. To quote Jonathan Mosen, "If you enjoy experimenting with software and trying to find ways to make it work, Windows 10 is going to work for you." For those of us who use our computers to do work or reach out to other people throughout the world, the last thing we need is a system which might or might not work in any given situation. John and linda justice Personal e-mail: john_just...@verizon.net --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
