GW Micro has the lease-to-own option, so if someone needs a good screen
reader and can't afford to plunk down the bucks all at once, WindowEyes is
the best option. I like the braille support WE has with the latest
version.
Terri, Amateur Radio call sign, KF6CA. Army MARS call sign, AAT9PX
California
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007, Howard Kaufman wrote:
I think we are in agreement here. I was advocating for the fact that
their are choices.
As far as system access, I am not really comfortable with it as a
screen reader for most jobs, but since many computer users are not
power users, live on fixed incomes, and have to buy the stuff with
their own money; it's a serious option and will work well for many
users. It also has a much lower learning curve, which lowers the
cost of training to use it.
You can browze the web, often more easily than with jfw or
window-eyes, use MS Word for basic documents, send e-mail, play
audio, and manage windows. It even reads folder and file listings
properly; emulates a mouse, and talks at the command line. Now that
covers most of what most people do with their computers, and it costs
$400 to buy. Certainly a viable option for people who are not in the
workforce, and unfortunately that includes most of us. I can't speak
to it's low vision features, but they are there.
The optional freedom scan from the freedombox network isn't bad for
the price either. It will work to read your mail, not sure if I'd
want to use it to scan the great American Novel, but haven't tried that test.
It's not bad for a starter option while a person is learning if the
computer world is for them.
I haven't tried it with ham radio loging programs and stuff like that.
As far as openbook, it's sad to see what has happened to a once great product.
On another topic, I am listening to the Australian Open tennis. They
broadcast it on shortwave and over the Internet. Can you imagine
American radio broadcasting tennis?
http://www.abc.net.au/tennis.
Time to go and open a foster's. Maybe listen to Rolf Harris, just to
get in the spirit of the thing.
Don't have any cangaroo steaks in the freezer.
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