This discussion of what a screen reader should do versus programs like Home
Page Reader gets at a fundamental issue of what a screen reader should and
shouldn't do.  The question is how much tuning should they do for each
application or task one might want to accomplish with the screen reader.

Home Page Reader is a tool designed to do one task and one task only i.e.
access web pages.  Some people have criticized IBM for charging $150 for
the enhanced access it provides for this specific task.  To me it is no
different than Arkenstone and Kurzweil charging the prices they do for
their programs dedicated to the single task of scanning.

Compared to the extra enhancements they offered even two years ago, I think
most screen readers are improving in the extras they offer for web
browsing.  At the same time they have to do tuning to work better in the
dozens of other programs people are trying to access, from word processors
to financial management packages.

Recall that it wasn't that long ago that neither Netscape or Internet
Explorer offered any keyboard support for moving from link to link as just
one example.

I think that screen reading technology is expensive.  I also think there's
probably a bit of pad in the pricing given that rehab agencies often foot
the bill.  But if these companies were really raking it in I think you'd
see companies like Microsoft enter the screen reading market.

Run the numbers and guess how many copies of a screen reader you have to
sell to pay employees, have an office, stay current with technology,
exhibit at a conference and such.


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