Gordon, I rest my case. I have reported numerous bugs to Apple over the years, and even beta tested previous OS builds. Very few of the bugs were addressed.
I suppose Apple could argue that not many blind users may require administration services, probably a small audience (despite it opening the possibilities for employment). I would expect Apple to consider offering good accessibility support for iWork and Garageband / Logic etc as these are areas where you would imagine more blind users would require access to. It would not take much effort on Apple's part to improve Voiceover support. Your example with the server is a fine example. It just seems Apple do not seem to be prepared to put enough resources into accessibility, they are just happy to cover the absolute basics. How often do we write to accessibility at Apple and get fobbed off with a generic response. It is starting to become boring. Chris On 22 Jul 2013, at 18:39, Gordon Smith <gor...@mac-access.net> wrote: > I think it's just a matter of who you're fortunate enough to happen to deal > with in either case. But let me highlight another of these unfortunate > issues with Apple. About 3 years ago now, I highlighted an accessibility > issue with Apple's technical people regarding an issue in their Server OS. > Specifically, the inability for a VoiceOver user to import SSL certificates > into the OS. I spent several hours on the phone, at my expense, discussing > it with their engineers in the states. At that time, peak time phone calls > to the US were quite expensive. But I considered it sufficiently important > an issue to justify the expense and effort. > > I was promised that, when the next edition of Server was released, (that > being Lion), this issue would be addressed. > > The release of Lion came, and I, like many other people using OS X for > server-based solutions at the time, was astonished to find out that Apple had > merged Server into their regular operating system, doing away with the > purchase of a dedicated OS. In some ways this makes sense, as many of the > functions available in the server version of OS X are actually present, but > disabled, in the client OS. Many again were actually squashed out, to be > fair, and I had no problem at all with the concept of a separate purchase. > > Anyway, Lion Server came along and with it came the self same bug that I had > discussed with Apple at the time when Snow Leopard Server was current. No > effort whatsoever had been made it seems to have the file boxes which were > missing exposed to VoiceOver. > > In Mountain Lion, the server was placed in the App Store as a purchase. In > fact, it is no longer part of the OS, but it is an add-on which you buy, no > need for a separate OS. However, in Server version 2.0 which is the current > incarnation, that very same bug which I reported directly to engineering at > the time of Snow Leopard still exists today. In fact, the GUI has been > stripped quite a lot. There are several functions which I cannot find a way > to enable. I won't go into all of this on list because it is bound nopt to > be of interest to most. But all the same, I'm disappointed that Apple seems > to have totally disregarded the report of such a serious bug, and for server > administrators it is a serious bug. > > I have an AppleCare plan on one of our Server machines. So I wrote a > detailed description of the problem to Apple in the hope that somebody might > listen. Sadly, I never even got a response, save the usual automated thank > you response. They don't seem to see this as a serious enough issue to waste > their time fixing. This really is a serious problem and I won't waste more > of my time and money trying to explain it to them. I have yet to find a > work-around for it and, if there is one in the OS from Terminal or somewhere, > I'd very much like to know about it. > > I even looked at third-party server solutions which run on top of OS X. But > the price of the most comprehensive of them is simply too high to justify. > It's costing Lynne and I a grey deal of money to keep Mac Access going as it > is. We don't mind that fact, (although a little help now and then wouldn't > go unappreciated). :) > > Kind regards > > <--- Gordon Smith ---> > > <gor...@mac-access.net> > > Telephone: > > United Kingdom: Free Phone: > 0800 8620538 > > Mobile: > +44 7907 823971 > > Europe and other non-specified: > +44 1642 688095 > > United States Of America And Canada: > +1 646 9151493 > Or: > +1 209 436 9443 > > Vic. Australia: > +61 38 8205930 > Vic. Australia > +61 39 0284505 > > Fax: > +44 1642 365123 > > Follow Us On Twitter: > <http://twitter.com/maciosaccess> > > Skype: > <skype:mac-access-dot-net?call> > > ------------------------------ > > On 20 Jul 2013, at 19:17, Josh Gregory <joshkar...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Definitely agree, and I would hate to see them go the way of humanware, not >> saying that they or Apple are bad companies, but both companies responses >> could definitely be improved a bit. > > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> > > To reply to this post, please address your message to > mac-access@mac-access.net > > You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at > either the list's own dedicated web archive: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> > or at the public Mail Archive: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/>. > Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/maillist.xml> > > As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we do our very best to ensure that > the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and > worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security > strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something > unpredictable happen. > > Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by > visiting the list website at: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/> > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to mac-access@mac-access.net You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/maillist.xml> As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we do our very best to ensure that the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something unpredictable happen. Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by visiting the list website at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/>
