Speech Box Mode has, as far as I have read, never been properly documented.
It contains almost all text sent to the synthesizer. To the extent anything
is spoken that is not in the Speech Box buffer, to that extent Braille
users are not being properly served. Speech Box Mode gives Braille users
access to everything that was (or would have been if they don't have a
synthesizer) spoken.
The Speech Box buffer contains the last 20 lines sent to the synthesizer.
This is not enough. I've been asking for years, and promised for years, that
the buffer be enlarged. Nevertheless, it is invaluable for those occasions
when straight line mode yields confusing results (such as in the Braille
configuration section of Config Manager).
The combination of Line Mode and Speech Box Mode give the Braille (including
Braille only) user access to the full power of JFW.
Structured Mode, a flawed concept from the beginning, gives you access to
tidbits. For example, in the spelling checker in Outlook Express, I suddenly
come up with:
ok
That's all. just
ok
No way to go up, down or sideways. no way to tell what I'm expected to ok.
No clue even as to which program I'm talking to.
Another example is the Index page in the Jaws help system. There's a big
long explanation given in speech. This information is accessible on the
screen using line mode. But using structured mode it's just not there.
This is a terrible choice for the default Braille mode.
I'm sure that if I used Structured Mode more I would probably figure out how
to jump through some extra hoops to get it to work, so don't take my
description of limits as gospel. Still, I've been writing to a profoundly
deaf person with access to Braille only. With no access to training tapes
and little to the Jaws help system, they were unaware of the keystrokes to
change from one Braille mode to another. I am only astonished this person
can do much of anything at all!
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