Hi Doug. Your statistics are interesting; everything helping you to do things easier is welcome. I have only a question: Will the JSM and JSD files need to be rewritten and consequently retranslated into other languages?
Thanks in advance! -----Mensaje original----- De: Skypeenglish [mailto:[email protected]] En nombre de Doug Lee Enviado el: martes, 17 de septiembre de 2013 03:43 p.m. Para: screen readers' access with skype. Asunto: [Skypeenglish] Decisions on Skype Script JAWS Version Support (was To all JAWS Skype script users, a help request) I have already received over 130 responses to my request for people to type Ctrl+Shift+W from their newest comfortable JAWS version. I have run statistics and found the following: Out of 132 people who run a Skype 6.x version, which is the only set of Skype versions I'm supporting now, 122 run JAWS 12 or newer, 9 run JAWS 10 or 11, and only 1 runs a JAWS older than 10. From this I conclude that there is no significant need to continue supporting JAWS versions older than 10 at all. The case for dropping support for JAWS 10 and 11 is not quite as clear, but the amount of new power added to the language in JAWS 12, which I can only use if I stop supporting 10 and 11, seems worth the change, as it will notably ease my task of handling new problems for the more than 90% of users who are using JAWS 12 or newer. Out of the 122 using JAWS 12 and newer, 11 are using JAWS 12. The only cost for supporting JAWS 12 is the oddness of seeing JAWS Options dialogs instead of Quick Settings in Skype when running JAWS 13, 14, or 15. For now, I'm content with continuing to support the JAWS 12 users, as I'm not aware of any significant functional loss caused by this odd arrangement for JAWSKey+V. So, the effect for everyone out there: Starting with my next Skype script release, the following changes will go into effect: 1. The current 6.0a version will remain on my site for anyone who needs it. It will become the last Skype script version that supports any JAWS version from 6 through 11, inclusive. 2. New script releases will only support JAWS 12 and later and will not even compile in an older JAWS or run there if you copy jsb files in by hand. 3. The installer for the scripts will not recognize JAWS versions older than 12.0 so you don't accidentally make a mess of an old JAWS version. 4. The code will be updated to use new features in the scripting language that became available in JAWS 12. This will simplify coding of new complex solutions as they become necessary. (I have, in fact, quietly made all these code conversions already, because I started them about half a year ago before realizing there were still users of older JAWS versions out there.) On Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 12:22:20PM -0400, Doug Lee wrote: This is a resend of a message I just sent, because I accidentally sent the first version as a reply to something unrelated, and with the wrong subject line. I am working on some upgrades to the Skype script code and the installer I use for these scripts, and I need to make some decisions about what JAWS versions to support, as supporting older versions of JAWS is becoming trickier, harder for me to test, and probably less and less necessary. I want to get a feel for what JAWS versions are in use out there, so I can decide where to spend my time. So, a request: Could everyone who is using my scripts please type Ctrl+Shift+W once while in Skype in the next day or two. This will open my home page in your browser but will also send me a bit of information about what you're running. Information sent includes your JAWS and Skype version numbers, your script version and revision number, the type of Braille display you're using (if any), and your Skype ID so I can keep from counting multiple visits to my site as more than one person's configuration. When typing Ctrl+Shift+W, please be running the newest JAWS version you are ok with using with Skype. The fewer JAWS versions I must support, the quicker I can get fixes and updates out to everyone. Thank you all very much for your help here. For the curious, here's a rough idea of the cost of supporting each JAWS version, going back from current: JAWS 15 and 14: Not a problem. There is a simple way to install SkypeWatch here also. JAWS 13 and older: SkypeWatch installation is somewhat complex, and supporting this JAWS version means I must maintain two installation approaches. Also, whenever I get my next laptop, it will probably be a Windows 8 machine and will not run JAWS 13 and older, at least readily. Testing for bugs before release, therefore, will probably become difficult or impractical within the next six months. JAWS 12 and older: I must support JAWS Options dialogs instead of the Quick Settings system added in JAWS 13. This is for the verbosity options. My support of JAWS 12 and older is the reason that JAWSKey+V does not show Quick Settings in JAWS 13, 14, or 15 yet. JAWS 11 and older: If I support anything this far down, I am unable to use some very powerful features of the JAWS scripting language added in JAWS 12. This is an all-or-none line: I either stop supporting JAWS 11 and older, or I don't use the new power. I wish to stop supporting anything older than JAWS 12 soon for this reason. JAWS 10: Free if I support JAWS 11. JAWS 9 and older: An improvement in SkypeWatch installation methods ceases to work this far back. Supporting JAWS 9 and older requires me to avoid the newer approach or support a total of three installation procedures. Also, I am not reasonably able to test JAWS 9 and older, so catching bugs will not happen until after release. JAWS 8, 7, and 6: No known cost over that incurred by supporting JAWS 9. JAWS 5 and older: Already abandoned. So again, please type Ctrl+Shift+W sometime in the next day or two while running the newest JAWS you are fine with using with Skype. Thanks again to all. -- Doug Lee [email protected] http://www.dlee.org SSB BART Group [email protected] http://www.ssbbartgroup.com "Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury." --E. H. Chapin -- Doug Lee [email protected] http://www.dlee.org SSB BART Group [email protected] http://www.ssbbartgroup.com "The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh {American Author} Thanks for posting to the skype english list. to contact skype support wiht any questions regarding your account email [email protected] To access scripts for the latest version of skype go to http://www.dlee.org/skype To contact the list owner send a message to mailto:[email protected] 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 contact skype support wiht any questions regarding your account email [email protected] To access scripts for the latest version of skype go to http://www.dlee.org/skype To contact the list owner send a message to mailto:[email protected] 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
