FreeLists / ossrp-control / [ossrp-control] Re: What Will LongHorn Offer For A Reader

[Ryan Mann <rmann@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello.  I have a couple things that I think are must haves for a screen 
reader.  One is that in order for the screen reader to be useful, it 
should be able to read a word processor  such as Word Perfect, Easy 
Office, Open Office, or Microsoft Word.  I say this because students or 
employed people need word processors to get their jobs done or complete 
term papers.  Another thing that I think a screen reader needs to be able 
to do is to read a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla. 
Nowadays, students regularly use the internet to do research.

just my opinion.
Ryan Mann



On Sun, 24 Apr 2005, Will Pearson wrote:

> Hi Lyn,
>
> I think we can accomplish quite a lot.  If I'm being honest, writing a
> screen reader isn't really that hard depending on how you go about it.
> There's some factors that do influence how difficult it becomes, such as
> trying to support every single version of Windows, including 95 and NT, but
> fundamentally it isn't a gigantic piece of work in terms of it's
> technicalities.
>
> I agree that the basics should come first, and would like to suggest a way
> to handle this.  Within I T project management you can alter any of three
> things to affect how long a project takes: the features something has, the
> timescale in which you wish to release the product, and the resources
> working on the project, although adding additional resources doesn't always
> get the job done faster.  One good way to handle features, and to prioritise
> them, is to use a Moscow Matrix.  Moscow stands for Must have, Should have,
> Could have and Would like to have.  Each feature is placed in one of these
> groups according to it's importance, and worked on in the order of
> importance.  If you start to need to consider dropping any features, then
> you start with the would like to have features, then the could have
> features, and so on.  I'm pretty sure that all the features that come up
> during this thinking aloud session won't make it into the scope of the first
> version, but what I'm trying to do is work out what people desperately need
> from a screen reader to function effectively in their normal lives, be it
> for work or leisure.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Will
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lyn Eagers" <lists.leagers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <ossrp-control@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 6:19 AM
> Subject: [ossrp-control] Re: What Will LongHorn Offer For A Reader
>
>
>> I agree thatt we should initially concentrate on getting the essentials
>> right before expanding to the niceties, eg sound for the various windows.
>> Afterall, if you cann't afford to pay for the best money can buy, then you
>> want something that is practical rather than with bells and wistles.
>>
>> But none of this is going to be possible unless we have MicroSoft support
> in
>> letting us have access to beta or whatever copies of their newest
> operating
>> system.   Hopefully, because of US Laws, MicroSoft will be vigilent and
>> provide us with the necesary resources, maybe for some sort of
>> acknowledgement in anything that is developed.
>>
>> I come from the point of a possible beta tester, totally reliant on screen
>> reading software and a trainer in that field.  I sell the costly screen
>> reader and magnifier software, but also want poeple not to be excluded
> from
>> accesss because of cost.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Lyn
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Tony Broome" <tb777@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <ossrp-control@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 1:31 PM
>> Subject: [ossrp-control] What Will LongHorn Offer For A Reader
>>
>>
>> Hi, Wil and all.  Well, we've already started talking about LongHorn,
>> and I think that's good.  By the way, as a little side note, I write it
>> as one word, but capitalize the L in Long and the H in Horn so as to
>> make the speech pronounce it correctly.  Now, back to the issue.  I'm
>> glad to see folks already talking about LongHorn, but here's a question
>> which might need to be posted.
>> What does LongHorn plan to offer itself for accessibility.  Surely, it
>> would be enhanced from Narrator, don't you think?  That one might be
>> able to build off of what they do would be a jumpstart, but I suppose
>> that would really be a dream.  Talk has been out that people wanted to
>> develop Narrator further, but Microsoft wasn't interested.  Again, this
>> isn't putting down on anyone, but we have to offer these commentaries
>> to project information.
>> Still, it would be nice if there were some sort of idea as to what kind
>> of screen reading capabilities are expected.
>> As for the earlier post about magnifiers, I too, would like to see an
>> all-around accessibility solution.  However, it is my understanding,
>> that there are already magnification applications which are quite good
>> and are not all that expensive.
>> Tony
>>
>> --
>> Email services by FreedomBox.  Surf the Net at the sound of your voice.
>> www.freedombox.info
>>
>>
>>
>>
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