Woops, sorry about the mime stuff.
Should be better now.
In case you automatically deleted my last message ( i would have), I was
just interested if anyone knew who the new engineer is.
Thanks,
David
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Engebretson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 10:47 AM
Subject: Re: Apple falings
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0051_01C3CF8B.77677AE0
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> Interesting! =20
> Who is the new engineer, I wonder.
>
> Cheers,
> David
>
> ----- Original Message -----=20
> From: Peter Altschul=20
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 10:32 AM
> Subject: Apple falings
>
>
> Business Week Online Wednesday, November 12, 2003
>
> A Failing for Apple in the Classroom; Visually impaired students now =
> lack a
> Mac screen reader. That could hurt school sales -- and put Jobs & Co. =
> on
> the wrong side of the ADA
>
> By Alex Salkever
>
> On June 10, small software developer ALVA Access Group announced that =
> it
> would no longer support or build new versions of two products for =
> blind and
> visually impaired Apple users. One, inLarge, allows users to zoom in =
> on a
> section of the screen, making the letters, numbers, and outlines =
> appear
> much larger. It became redundant when Apple included that capability =
> in OS X.
>
> The other program, outSPOKEN, was a screen reader that could speak =
> text and
> describe graphics and pictures. Such devices are essential to people =
> with
> severe visual impairment who can't use computers otherwise. And =
> outSPOKEN
> was the only such screen reader for Macs on the market. So the =
> announcement
> elicited a good deal of concern from the blind community.
>
> SWITCH TO WINDOWS? It has also caused concern at Apple (AAPL) =
> headquarters
> -- and for good reason. The lack of a screen reader could threaten its =
> push
> for one-to-one computing initiatives in big public school systems, =
> where
> each pupil gets a laptop (see BW Online, 11/4/03, "A Classroom =
> Comeback for
> Apple?").
>
> Apple's largest victory thus far has been a contract with the state of
> Maine to give laptops to all seventh- and eighth-grade pupils, a $37
> million, four-year deal that Jobs & Co. regularly points to as =
> evidence of
> their success in one-to-one computing. Apple execs have touted the
> initiative as the future of educational computing in elementary, =
> middle,
> and high schools.
>
> Without screen-reader software, however, blind pupils can't use Apple
> products and would be forced to turn to Windows products instead (two
> viable screen readers for Windows are on the market today). The =
> reason:
> School systems buying Apple products today are knowingly purchasing =
> systems
> that can't be used by all their pupils, which runs counter to the =
> Americans
> with Disabilities Act.
>
> "VERY ANNOYED." Equal-access advocates are up in arms. "I think it's
> horrible," says Curtis Chong, president of the National Federation for =
> the
> Blind in Computer Science. Giving blind students Apples will "further
> isolate blind kids who are already isolated from the basic school
> population. I'm very annoyed at Apple," says Chong.
>
> Good screen readers go way beyond the spoken-text capabilities that =
> have
> long been a Mac feature. Today, they not only convert text and images =
> to
> speech output but can also handle the different command structures and
> quirks of hundreds of commonly used programs, from e-mailers to =
> spreadsheets.
>
> School districts would have to buy not only a comparable Windows PC =
> but PC
> licenses for all the same software as well. But in some cases, no =
> non-Apple
> alternative exists. In Henrico County, Va., where the school district =
> has
> leased 28,000 iBooks in the second-biggest one-to-one computing =
> initiative
> to date, Apple's iLife suite has become an integral part of class =
> projects.
> No comparable suite exists in the Windows world.
>
> LEFT IN THE LURCH. In a worst-case scenario, Apple's dearth of
> blind-friendly software could be construed as a violation of federal
> accessibility guidelines under the ADA. Chong says some talk of =
> lawsuits
> against school districts has already started circulating in the =
> activist
> community. None have been filed to date. Maine's Education Dept. says =
> only
> three totally blind pupils have been affected by the Apple initiative, =
> and
> all have received satisfactory PC substitutes.
>
> Maine may not be a good test case, though. It has a very low =
> percentage of
> totally blind students compared to other states. In any case, you can =
> bet
> that Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and other big competitors =
> have
> spotted the issue and will make sure that school tech buyers know that
> Apple has a major flaw.
>
> To be fair, the situation isn't entirely Apple's fault. CEO Steve Jobs
> himself can't force third-party software companies to continue =
> developing
> products they don't want to build. And Apple can't be expected to pick =
> up
> the slack for every third-party developer that leaves Mac users in the =
> lurch.
>
> OPEN-SOURCE SOLUTION. Apple claims that it's not ignoring blind users. =
> "A
> screen reader is something that's important to us, and we continue to
> evaluate our options in that area. Accessiblity is something that has =
> been
> important to us through the entire development of OS X," says Chris
> Bourden, senior product-line manager for OS X.
>
> Still, this is no ordinary piece of software. And the threat to =
> Apple's
> nascent education comeback is real. Apple has acknowledged as much by
> recently hiring a software engineer who specializes in screen readers =
> and
> mounting a search for new leadership for its accessibility-features =
> group.
>
> The good news: This is a case where Apple can take lemons and make =
> some
> tasty lemonade. What it needs to do is build a screen reader and then
> release it into the open-source domain, much like it did with the =
> Safari
> Web browser.
>
> MONEY-SAVING MOVE. This strategy would have several advantages. First,
> Apple would silence critics and eliminate any school-district fears of
> lawsuits and bad publicity. Also, by releasing the product into the
> open-source domain, Apple would do a huge service to the visually =
> impaired
> community. Screen-reader software for Windows costs $800 and $1,300 =
> for
> professional licenses -- more, in many cases, than a standard PC. An
> open-source screen reader would allow millions of blind users to save =
> money
> by buying Macs instead of PCs.
>
> Programming a screen reader from scratch could cost tens of millions =
> of
> dollars and would require at least a handful of highly competent =
> engineers.
> It's not a trivial undertaking. If Apple wants a quick leg up, it =
> could
> always buy an established player such as GW Micro, a small Terra Haute
> (Ind.) outfit that makes an increasingly popular Windows screen =
> reader.
>
> Or it could take on the task itself. Once Apple has built the program, =
> two
> engineers could probably maintain it with the help of an active =
> open-source
> community. A programming group tailor-made for the endeavor already =
> exists.
> As part of the GNOME Linux effort, a team of developers has started
> building an accessibility module to bring the Penguin to those with
> disabilities.
>
> BOOMERS' BLURRY SIGHT. What would such an effort cost Apple? Certainly =
> less
> than $30 million. Considering that it still gets close to 40% of its
> revenues in education sales and that Jobs & Co. has $4.5 billion in =
> the
> bank, that's pocket change.
>
> Still need convincing? Chong estimates that about 5 million Americans =
> right
> now are legally blind or suffer serious visual impairment. That number =
> will
> soar in the near future as aging baby boomers lose their sight. So, =
> Apple
> might need a screen reader to even be considered a viable computer by =
> many
> millions of Americans.
>
> Meanwhile, Microsoft (MSFT) is working feverishly on its =
> next-generation
> Longhorn operating system. Redmond has sworn that the new version will
> provide backward compatibility to Windows screen readers. That'll be a
> pretty tough trick to pull off since it involves multiple levels of
> interaction between Windows, Longhorn, and third-party applications =
> such as
> the screen-reader.
>
> WELL AND GOOD. If Apple gets a reader up and running ASAP and screen
> readers on Windows platforms get gored by Longhorn, then Jobs would =
> have an
> significant advantage in selling to schools for the same reason he now =
> has
> a disadvantage.
>
> In the final assessment, open-sourcing a screen reader for OS X could =
> make
> Apple a stronger player in the education field. Equally important, it =
> could
> do well by doing good. The move would help sight-impaired kids learn =
> more
> effectively. It might help older blind users -- members of a community =
> that
> generally lags behind the rest of America in income -- gain better =
> access
> to affordable technology. And it would ensure that Apple keeps selling =
> to
> baby boomers with dimming vision. What's not to like?
>
>
> 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
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0051_01C3CF8B.77677AE0
> Content-Type: text/html;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
> <HTML><HEAD>
> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
> charset=3Diso-8859-1">
> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1276" name=3DGENERATOR>
> <STYLE></STYLE>
> </HEAD>
> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Interesting! </FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Who is the new engineer, I =
> wonder.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Cheers,</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>David</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
> <BLOCKQUOTE=20
> style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
> BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
> <DIV=20
> style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
> black"><B>From:</B>=20
> <A [log in to unmask] href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]">Peter =
> Altschul</A>=20
> </DIV>
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
> [log in to unmask]
> =
> href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
> DU</A>=20
> </DIV>
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 31, =
> 2003 10:32=20
> AM</DIV>
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Apple falings</DIV>
> <DIV><BR></DIV>Business Week Online Wednesday, November 12, =
> 2003<BR><BR>A=20
> Failing for Apple in the Classroom; Visually impaired students now =
> lack=20
> a<BR>Mac screen reader. That could hurt school sales -- and put Jobs =
> & Co.=20
> on<BR>the wrong side of the ADA<BR><BR>By Alex Salkever<BR><BR>On June =
> 10,=20
> small software developer ALVA Access Group announced that it<BR>would =
> no=20
> longer support or build new versions of two products for blind =
> and<BR>visually=20
> impaired Apple users. One, inLarge, allows users to zoom in on =
> a<BR>section of=20
> the screen, making the letters, numbers, and outlines appear<BR>much =
> larger.=20
> It became redundant when Apple included that capability in OS =
> X.<BR><BR>The=20
> other program, outSPOKEN, was a screen reader that could speak text=20
> and<BR>describe graphics and pictures. Such devices are essential to =
> people=20
> with<BR>severe visual impairment who can't use computers otherwise. =
> And=20
> outSPOKEN<BR>was the only such screen reader for Macs on the market. =
> So the=20
> announcement<BR>elicited a good deal of concern from the blind=20
> community.<BR><BR>SWITCH TO WINDOWS? It has also caused concern at =
> Apple=20
> (AAPL) headquarters<BR>-- and for good reason. The lack of a screen =
> reader=20
> could threaten its push<BR>for one-to-one computing initiatives in big =
> public=20
> school systems, where<BR>each pupil gets a laptop (see BW Online, =
> 11/4/03, "A=20
> Classroom Comeback for<BR>Apple?").<BR><BR>Apple's largest victory =
> thus far=20
> has been a contract with the state of<BR>Maine to give laptops to all =
> seventh-=20
> and eighth-grade pupils, a $37<BR>million, four-year deal that Jobs =
> & Co.=20
> regularly points to as evidence of<BR>their success in one-to-one =
> computing.=20
> Apple execs have touted the<BR>initiative as the future of educational =
>
> computing in elementary, middle,<BR>and high schools.<BR><BR>Without=20
> screen-reader software, however, blind pupils can't use =
> Apple<BR>products and=20
> would be forced to turn to Windows products instead (two<BR>viable =
> screen=20
> readers for Windows are on the market today). The reason:<BR>School =
> systems=20
> buying Apple products today are knowingly purchasing systems<BR>that =
> can't be=20
> used by all their pupils, which runs counter to the Americans<BR>with=20
> Disabilities Act.<BR><BR>"VERY ANNOYED." Equal-access advocates are up =
> in=20
> arms. "I think it's<BR>horrible," says Curtis Chong, president of the =
> National=20
> Federation for the<BR>Blind in Computer Science. Giving blind students =
> Apples=20
> will "further<BR>isolate blind kids who are already isolated from the =
> basic=20
> school<BR>population. I'm very annoyed at Apple," says =
> Chong.<BR><BR>Good=20
> screen readers go way beyond the spoken-text capabilities that =
> have<BR>long=20
> been a Mac feature. Today, they not only convert text and images =
> to<BR>speech=20
> output but can also handle the different command structures =
> and<BR>quirks of=20
> hundreds of commonly used programs, from e-mailers to=20
> spreadsheets.<BR><BR>School districts would have to buy not only a =
> comparable=20
> Windows PC but PC<BR>licenses for all the same software as well. But =
> in some=20
> cases, no non-Apple<BR>alternative exists. In Henrico County, Va., =
> where the=20
> school district has<BR>leased 28,000 iBooks in the second-biggest =
> one-to-one=20
> computing initiative<BR>to date, Apple's iLife suite has become an =
> integral=20
> part of class projects.<BR>No comparable suite exists in the Windows=20
> world.<BR><BR>LEFT IN THE LURCH. In a worst-case scenario, Apple's =
> dearth=20
> of<BR>blind-friendly software could be construed as a violation of=20
> federal<BR>accessibility guidelines under the ADA. Chong says some =
> talk of=20
> lawsuits<BR>against school districts has already started circulating =
> in the=20
> activist<BR>community. None have been filed to date. Maine's Education =
> Dept.=20
> says only<BR>three totally blind pupils have been affected by the =
> Apple=20
> initiative, and<BR>all have received satisfactory PC =
> substitutes.<BR><BR>Maine=20
> may not be a good test case, though. It has a very low percentage=20
> of<BR>totally blind students compared to other states. In any case, =
> you can=20
> bet<BR>that Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and other big =
> competitors=20
> have<BR>spotted the issue and will make sure that school tech buyers =
> know=20
> that<BR>Apple has a major flaw.<BR><BR>To be fair, the situation isn't =
>
> entirely Apple's fault. CEO Steve Jobs<BR>himself can't force =
> third-party=20
> software companies to continue developing<BR>products they don't want =
> to=20
> build. And Apple can't be expected to pick up<BR>the slack for every=20
> third-party developer that leaves Mac users in the =
> lurch.<BR><BR>OPEN-SOURCE=20
> SOLUTION. Apple claims that it's not ignoring blind users. =
> "A<BR>screen reader=20
> is something that's important to us, and we continue to<BR>evaluate =
> our=20
> options in that area. Accessiblity is something that has =
> been<BR>important to=20
> us through the entire development of OS X," says Chris<BR>Bourden, =
> senior=20
> product-line manager for OS X.<BR><BR>Still, this is no ordinary piece =
> of=20
> software. And the threat to Apple's<BR>nascent education comeback is =
> real.=20
> Apple has acknowledged as much by<BR>recently hiring a software =
> engineer who=20
> specializes in screen readers and<BR>mounting a search for new =
> leadership for=20
> its accessibility-features group.<BR><BR>The good news: This is a case =
> where=20
> Apple can take lemons and make some<BR>tasty lemonade. What it needs =
> to do is=20
> build a screen reader and then<BR>release it into the open-source =
> domain, much=20
> like it did with the Safari<BR>Web browser.<BR><BR>MONEY-SAVING MOVE. =
> This=20
> strategy would have several advantages. First,<BR>Apple would silence =
> critics=20
> and eliminate any school-district fears of<BR>lawsuits and bad =
> publicity.=20
> Also, by releasing the product into the<BR>open-source domain, Apple =
> would do=20
> a huge service to the visually impaired<BR>community. Screen-reader =
> software=20
> for Windows costs $800 and $1,300 for<BR>professional licenses -- =
> more, in=20
> many cases, than a standard PC. An<BR>open-source screen reader would =
> allow=20
> millions of blind users to save money<BR>by buying Macs instead of=20
> PCs.<BR><BR>Programming a screen reader from scratch could cost tens =
> of=20
> millions of<BR>dollars and would require at least a handful of highly=20
> competent engineers.<BR>It's not a trivial undertaking. If Apple wants =
> a quick=20
> leg up, it could<BR>always buy an established player such as GW Micro, =
> a small=20
> Terra Haute<BR>(Ind.) outfit that makes an increasingly popular =
> Windows screen=20
> reader.<BR><BR>Or it could take on the task itself. Once Apple has =
> built the=20
> program, two<BR>engineers could probably maintain it with the help of =
> an=20
> active open-source<BR>community. A programming group tailor-made for =
> the=20
> endeavor already exists.<BR>As part of the GNOME Linux effort, a team =
> of=20
> developers has started<BR>building an accessibility module to bring =
> the=20
> Penguin to those with<BR>disabilities.<BR><BR>BOOMERS' BLURRY SIGHT. =
> What=20
> would such an effort cost Apple? Certainly less<BR>than $30 million.=20
> Considering that it still gets close to 40% of its<BR>revenues in =
> education=20
> sales and that Jobs & Co. has $4.5 billion in the<BR>bank, that's =
> pocket=20
> change.<BR><BR>Still need convincing? Chong estimates that about 5 =
> million=20
> Americans right<BR>now are legally blind or suffer serious visual =
> impairment.=20
> That number will<BR>soar in the near future as aging baby boomers lose =
> their=20
> sight. So, Apple<BR>might need a screen reader to even be considered a =
> viable=20
> computer by many<BR>millions of Americans.<BR><BR>Meanwhile, Microsoft =
> (MSFT)=20
> is working feverishly on its next-generation<BR>Longhorn operating =
> system.=20
> Redmond has sworn that the new version will<BR>provide backward =
> compatibility=20
> to Windows screen readers. That'll be a<BR>pretty tough trick to pull =
> off=20
> since it involves multiple levels of<BR>interaction between Windows, =
> Longhorn,=20
> and third-party applications such as<BR>the screen-reader.<BR><BR>WELL =
> AND=20
> GOOD. If Apple gets a reader up and running ASAP and screen<BR>readers =
> on=20
> Windows platforms get gored by Longhorn, then Jobs would have=20
> an<BR>significant advantage in selling to schools for the same reason =
> he now=20
> has<BR>a disadvantage.<BR><BR>In the final assessment, open-sourcing a =
> screen=20
> reader for OS X could make<BR>Apple a stronger player in the education =
> field.=20
> Equally important, it could<BR>do well by doing good. The move would =
> help=20
> sight-impaired kids learn more<BR>effectively. It might help older =
> blind users=20
> -- members of a community that<BR>generally lags behind the rest of =
> America in=20
> income -- gain better access<BR>to affordable technology. And it would =
> ensure=20
> that Apple keeps selling to<BR>baby boomers with dimming vision. =
> What's not to=20
> like?<BR><BR><BR>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group=20
> List.<BR>To join or leave the list, send a message to<BR><A=20
> =
> href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
> .edu</A>. =20
> In the body of the message, simply type<BR>"subscribe vicug-l" or =
> "unsubscribe=20
> vicug-l" without the quotations.<BR> VICUG-L is archived on the =
> World=20
> Wide Web at<BR><A=20
> =
> href=3D"http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html">http://maelst=
> rom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html</A><BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY>=
> </HTML>
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0051_01C3CF8B.77677AE0--
>
>
> 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
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>
>
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
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
|
