I have no datta on your first question.  I will be free form though and
answer this way.  when testing for accessibility via the web content
accessibility guidelines, it is important to take all functional
limitations into consideration.  I would not equate connect out loud
with hpr since hpr is a self voicing component if you will of internet
explorer and connect out loud does much more than interact with the web
but it interacts with the web in much the same way as jaws does.  The
problem we face is that we need to ensure that ie 4.01 can be used to
access web sites for instance.  I do not believe that connect out loud
supports 4.01 but I am not certain of this.  I do know though that if
you use jaws with ie 4.01 that you get a much different picture than
with ie 5.01 and up.

It would be good if you could hold this dialog with the developpers of
the document.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rosemary Ernst" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: Call for review: Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility


Okay ... then these are the  questions I should have asked in the first
place:

1) Does anyone know how many people actually use Home Page Reader as
opposed to JAWS, Connect Outloud or Window Eyes? Where might I find
statistics on this?

2) From David Poehlman's response it seems that HPR is comparable to
Connect Outloud. As a web developer, if I test a site in Connect
Outloud,
will it likely work in the other voice browsers?

In my experience Netscape and Macintosh are miserable in their
compatibility with accessible technologies. SO I assume people will use
the
latest version of IE on a PC, or Lynx.

Thanks for your opinions and experience,

Rosemary Ernst
Web Developer

On Mon, 15 Oct 2001 10:39:14 -0400, David Poehlman <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>hpr requires that you use ie.  it self voices some other apps as well
as
>ie but has its limitations.  3.0 is their latest encarnation.  you can
>still use 2.5 to access netscape but there are some improvements in the
>merge with ie that make 3.0 a better fit for *browsing* needs.  The
>document also stresses that one needs to be trained in using assistive
>devices in order to use them to evaluate pages/sites.  you can get a
>free demo of home page reader by asking at:
>http://www-3.ibm.com/able/
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Rosemary Ernst" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 11:23 AM
>Subject: Re: Fw: Call for review: Evaluating Web Sites for
Accessibility
>
>This WAI document suggests the use of IBM's Home Page Reader to as a
>voice
>browser to use for testing. Has anyone used this product? How does it
>compare to JAWS or Window Eyes?
>
>Rosemary Ernst
>Web Developer