I think to say that to say it is "it is 100% inaccessible."
is overstating things, and perhaps indicative of the ability
of a certain level of user. (Or perhaps U.K. JAWS users
just know how to use JAWS better - smile!)
However that said, I have it on very good authority that
Microsoft themselves have admitted that it does not meet
ideal accessibility requirements.
It is a Beta, and it does come from a newly acquired
company. A beta is purely a test stage in a product life
cycle which is pre-release and specifically for testing
purposes.
I also have it on very good authority that Freedom
Scientific and Microsoft are discussing the accessibility
issues of this product.
So please, let's give them all a break, and see what Beta 2
brings.
All that said, it is an absolutely excellent product and, if
you are able to, it is well worth getting some sighted
assistance to set up. It can be scheduled to scan your
system at predetermined times, and the basically forgotten
about.
(Mine does it at 2am each day, and is set to fix any spyware
found automatically. I can then review reports as and
when.)
Microsoft do want feedback, but please make it
"constructive". And be assured that accesibilitry is top of
the agenda.
George Bell
Techno-Vision Systems Ltd., U.K.
-----Original Message-----
From: VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael
Barber
Sent: 12 January 2005 23:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] FW: microsoft antispyware accessibility
Hello.
Through our newsletters, we normally only email out product
news about blindsoftware.com and BscGames.com. This
newsletter is very important and we felt it was necessary to
forward onto the community.
This letter is written by Justin Daubenmire, president of
BSC, as
follows:
Microsoft is coming out with a free new AntiSpyware product
detection/removal tool which is now in beta 1. It is / will
be the best antispyware utility created. I downloaded the
beta and it is 100% inaccessible. I was baffled by this
since microsoft is so big on accessibility. Since this was
so important, I emailed freedom scientific and asked them to
contact the accessibility rep at microsoft. Eric damery
wrote me back and said / asked me to get involved as much as
possible since the more people that give feedback, the
better chance we have of getting accessibility into the
program. This is why, as a blind or visually impaired
computer user, you are getting this email.
With this utility being so necessary, it has to be
accessible. Bare in mind, this will be the best spyware
utility made, you can read over its project specks later on.
I would ask that each of you get involved and forward this
onto any mailing list that is for the blind and ask folks to
get involved. If you do not know what spyware is, go to
google.com and do a search on spyware.
How can you get involved? Simple. We need to go to the
microsoft website and submit a comment asking them to
improve the accessibility of the program.
Read these instructions below on how to submit a comment. I
have outlined exactly how to do it so read them over prior
to trying to do it. First, here is a link you can follow to
submit a comment to them.
Keep reading past it though for exact instructions on how to
submit the
comment:
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/feedback.aspx
When the page appears, Read until you come to the text, not
a link, but the text Microsoft Products: (you can start at
the top of the page and do a screen find for the text
"microsoft products" and land right on it.
Below that line of text is a combo box, set it to Suggesting
Product Improvements and tab one time to the go button and
press enter on it.
The next page has a form you can fill out and submit to
them. Start by getting into the combo box for country, tab
once to the comment text box and type in a comment to them.
I suggest something like this (copy/paste if you wish):
Hello.
I am a blind computer user using a screen reader. I have
tried your microsoft AntiSpyware application that is in beta
1 and it is inaccessible to me. I cannot use it. I would ask
that you improve the accessibility of this program since it
is so essential for us to have access to. Microsoft is
committed to accessibility and I am asking that you contact
the development team of this application and improve the
accessibility of it. It isn't fair that we don't have access
to such an
important security application.
After you paste in the above text, or type your own comment,
tab once to the email box, type in your email address, then
tab once to the next button and press enter. Your comment
will be posted to microsoft.
If enough of us submit this request to them, we will have a
necessary, and accessible, anti spyware tool that will be
the best on the market.
If you do want to check out the inaccessibility of the beta
1 version, or read up on its features, go to this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=321
cd7a2-6a57-4
c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&DisplayLang=en
Thank you for getting involved!
Note: If you are subscribed to blindsoftware news and Bsc
Games news you may get two copies of this newsletter.
Regards,
Justin Daubenmire
President BSC
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This Message has been scanned for viruses by McAfee Groupshield.
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
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