Hi!
I believe Dougs and Hrvojes job is not beeing valuated here. Those two guys
doing it just right and that's beyond any debate.
Problem is that some people have a point here regarding Skype accessibility
and usability. Someone compared Skype with MS Office.. Excuse me, but Word
or Excell, not to mention PowerPoint or Access are complex applications that
can create and manage more things that I can think of right now. On the
other hand, Skype should be easy-to-use voip/chat client and in 4.1 it's
not. Doug improoved its accessibility to Jaws users but there's still a huge
problem with usability. It's not so comfortable to use as 3.8 version.
In 3.8 we had logical hotkeys and keystrokes... CTRL + numbers to jump
between tabs, arrowing up and down through contacts or conference lists, Alt
+ Tabbing between open windows. All major functions were accessible through
main and context menus.
In 4.1 we literarely have to play piano using hotkeys and keystrokes, some
things like Conversations and Live Conversations tabs and the way they
operate are quite unlogical even for me although I'm a partially sighted guy
who can see the screen.
I agree that blind computer experts can work their way out using Skype 4.1
but like someone said, there are many many more not so experienced users
who'll always have problems using the new interface.
A single check box for disabling skin or switch to classic windows style
should not be the problem for Skype developers, and, I'm pretty sure that
lots of sighted users would like that option too.
Also, if the interface was programmed and designed by the classic rules from
the beginning, Skype would be very much accessible without scripts and Doug
would only need to implement a few things like chat reading and some Skype
Watch features. I saw lots of applications which have tones of buttons, link
options and all other window elements within the single window and you can
tab and arrow through them with no scripting support. I hate to say this but
Skype interface is shity job from the day one of developing and we are able
to use it just because Chris Nestrud followe by Doug made it accessible to
us and it could be much easier with classic windows design.
----- Original Message -----
From: "deana brown" <[email protected]>
To: "JardataMailServices" <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 12:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Skypeenglish] Skype is written for sighted people
I don't to mean to be in the thorneveryone's side. However, I must say
this. I think we're all being selfish here. Hrvoje ande Doug have all did a
trimendous job on making lkype as accdessible as possible. If some of us
don't appriciate that, then they shouldn't use skype at asl. If you feel
you can do better,k then do it yourself.
--------------------------------------------------
From: "JardataMailServices" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 2:53 AM
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: [Skypeenglish] Skype is written for sighted people
This theme constantly sickens me when it comes to software development.
Blind people are not a small manority when it comes to computer use. A
large number of porportion of blind people use computers. With regards
to skype and their dealing with blind people, I don't see how they could
want to work with blind people in using their products and do what they
do in 41 and other upgrades. Microsoft changed Office 2003 to Office
2007 and it is almost totally different interface; how, I have no
problems using office 2007 because they considered blind users in their
product changes. It is not less accessible because of the changes; it is
just as accessible because of them and with the first letter steps, it is
even more accessible. This is how skype should do it. Consider their
features and make it a choice which interface to use. This is
responsible programming.
I am so tired of blind people telling me that I must accept things the
way they are just because sighted venders write for sighted people and
blind people are not considered.
We must stop crawling along and accepting whatever is thrown to us and
start doing things to make venders consider our needs. Blind people are
a large enough minority to make skype take a look at our needs. If blind
people did not matter, they would not give anything about our feelings.
They just don't use this concern to make positive changes; they use it to
explain why they forget about our needs.
I feel I am being forgotten with skype 41 and, if I can, I will try to do
something about making a product like skype work for me or impress upon
skype to add a classic view to their current product. This can be done
easy enough. One last last thing: I use FTP Voyager and Serv-u; they had
a very usable classic view in their old products; they changed their
inyterface totally; but, in their view minu, there is one checkbox to go
back to a total classic view and keep all new changes. This has not
caused any problem for sighted people and I am sure Rhinosoft writes its
products primarily for sighted people. This is what I am talking about;
skype can do this, but for some reason they don't.
I am kind of tired of this, as I feel I am not getting anywhere with
skype and their interface and their lack of concern about my needs. I,
like I said earlier, will use the product for as long as it is permitted
with 38; skype will determine whether or not I can continue to use their
product. I may be a manority, but I am a consumer with money to spend and
a need to use whatever program I want to use.
I am not swayed by that thing of "we blind people should just be grateful
they even consider us at all." Without scripts, skype would not be
usable at all; therefore, what has skype done for our benefit? If skype
is so concerned about our needs, why do script writers have to always fix
it for them. They should write their program for all people to use it in
the first place. Again, it would not take much programming to put a
complete classic view as part of their program. Also, I can't believe
anyone had more trouble with 38 than with 41.
James Robinson
Thanks for posting to the skype english list. To access scripts for the
latest version of skype go to
http://www.dlee.org/skype
To access tutorials and other goodies go to
http://www.marrie.org/skype/skype.html
To contact the list owner send a message to
mailto:[email protected]
to download a tool to automate the installation of skypewatch go to this
link.
www.hkprojects.tk
and for a searchable archives page go here.
http://bit.ly/64Y48
thanks and have a wonderful day.
_______________________________________________
Skypeenglish mailing list
[email protected]
http://emissives.com/mailman/listinfo/skypeenglish_emissives.com
Thanks for posting to the skype english list. To access scripts for the
latest version of skype go to
http://www.dlee.org/skype
To access tutorials and other goodies go to
http://www.marrie.org/skype/skype.html
To contact the list owner send a message to
mailto:[email protected]
to download a tool to automate the installation of skypewatch go to this
link.
www.hkprojects.tk
and for a searchable archives page go here.
http://bit.ly/64Y48
thanks and have a wonderful day.
_______________________________________________
Skypeenglish mailing list
[email protected]
http://emissives.com/mailman/listinfo/skypeenglish_emissives.com
Thanks for posting to the skype english list. To access scripts for the latest
version of skype go to
http://www.dlee.org/skype
To access tutorials and other goodies go to
http://www.marrie.org/skype/skype.html
To contact the list owner send a message to
mailto:[email protected]
to download a tool to automate the installation of skypewatch go to this link.
www.hkprojects.tk
and for a searchable archives page go here.
http://bit.ly/64Y48
thanks and have a wonderful day.
_______________________________________________
Skypeenglish mailing list
[email protected]
http://emissives.com/mailman/listinfo/skypeenglish_emissives.com
