[access-uk] Re: Mac Software

  • From: Chris Moore <moore.c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 19 May 2011 18:41:52 +0100

I have not used Quark for years, so to be totally honest I have no idea if it 
is accessible or not.  I know Adobe InDesign is not accessible, but they have 
not added the accessible API to any of their products yet.  Acrobat and Flash 
are in the works though, but not sure if they will add this to their other 
products too.
On 19 May 2011, at 14:06, Jackie Cairns wrote:

> Hi Chris
> 
> I would imagine that apps for the Mac such as Quark Express are out of the
> question with VoiceOver too?
> 
> Like you, I enjoy messing around with the Mac for non-work related stuff.  I
> don't want to put Windows on my Mac and have a dual boot system which I know
> some people do find useful.  I just have two systems and keep them separate.
> I guess it is ok if you can do that.
> 
> 
> Kind Regards,
> 
> Jackie Cairns
> J&M Work-Ability
> 
> jandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> www.work-ability.co.uk
> -----Original Message-----
> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> Chris Moore
> Sent: 19 May 2011 11:34
> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [access-uk] Re: New voices for the next apple operating system
> 
> You can use Apple's iWork which is fairly accessible.  You can use free
> applications, Bean for word processing and Tables for spreadsheet stuff.
> The built in Text editor on the Mac is actually very good too, much better
> than WordPad for Windows.  Hopefully if and when iWork 11 or 12 comes out
> there will be an even more accessible solution.  Office for Mac still
> contains old 32 bit C++ code, it will have to go 64 bit in the next release,
> this may improve things slightly, but judging by Outlook for the Mac which
> is 64 bit I doubt things will improve unless you contact Microsoft and
> request this.
> 
> For now like today, I am sitting here with my work laptop which is Windows
> and running Microsoft Office and using my Mac for non related work stuff.
> The Mac is great, and I love it for email and surfing the web and listening
> to music, but for the blind community it currently lags behind our Windows
> cousin when it comes to productivity  in my case and as for web design stuff
> like Dreamweaver, then forget it.
> 
> Chris
> On 19 May 2011, at 10:07, ANDY COLLINS wrote:
> 
>> Hi Jackie - this is useful feedback, thanks. So, if as you say, Office
> doesn't cut it on the Mac, what are the word processing/spreadsheet options
> for a blind user of the Mac?
>> 
>> Andy
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jackie Cairns" 
>> <jackie.cairnsplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 9:27 AM
>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: New voices for the next apple operating 
>> system
>> 
>> 
>>> Well Andy, I still use JAWS primarily because I'm used to it, sort of 
>>> in a comfort zone if you like.  I don't like Freedom Scientific, I 
>>> think everybody knows that.  I hate the way they operate, but that's 
>>> my opinion and I'm sticking to it.  I hope the day comes when 
>>> Microsoft, for all its faults and flaws, will do as Apple have, and 
>>> bring out a built-in screen reader.  And the reason?  Because Apple's 
>>> operating system works with VoiceOver.  You don't have to buy scripts 
>>> or add-ons, and when the software has an upgrade, so does VoiceOver, 
>>> and it works with everything on the Mac that is part of that 
>>> operating system.  That is not to say that VoiceOver works with 
>>> everything you can buy for the Mac, and therein is the difference.  There
> is software out there that doesn't work with VoiceOver.
>>> 
>>> It is also a steep learning curve, but I now have an iMac, and I like 
>>> leaving Windows for a bit to learn something on it.  I also don't 
>>> have iTunes on my PC, but use it on the Mac, and have my music 
>>> collection on it so I can transfer what I want to my iPod Nano and 
>>> the iTouch.  The Alex voice on the Mac is very good too.
>>> 
>>> I don't think I would ever swap my PC for the Mac full-time, I don't 
>>> feel confident enough to do that, and there are apps on the PC that 
>>> don't cut it on the Mac like Office.  But to play with and learn, 
>>> it's an interesting concept.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Kind Regards,
>>> 
>>> Jackie Cairns
>>> J&M Work-Ability
>>> 
>>> jandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> www.work-ability.co.uk
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
>>> Behalf Of ANDY COLLINS
>>> Sent: 18 May 2011 16:59
>>> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: New voices for the next apple operating 
>>> system
>>> 
>>> Well you know Jackie, I've been considering a mac for when the time 
>>> comes to buy a new laptop, if I haven't gone the IPad route by then.
>>> 
>>> I guess there's quite a steep learning curve if going from Windows to 
>>> Mac, but any improvement over JAWS and eloquence has to be a big plus 
>>> for me -
>>> 
>>> Andy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Jackie Cairns" <jackie.cairnsplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 8:27 AM
>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: New voices for the next apple operating 
>>> system
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Yep Andy with you completely, and they are slower on a device too.  
>>>> I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole unless they are built into 
>>>> something that doesn't allow you to change them.  Alex on the Mac is 
>>>> very good quality.  You even hear him take breaths when he is 
>>>> reading.  It's personal preference, but I agree those voices are 
>>>> dreadful, apart from Sangita, who is really quite realistic in her 
>>>> own way.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Kind Regards,
>>>> 
>>>> Jackie Cairns
>>>> J&M Work-Ability
>>>> 
>>>> jandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> www.work-ability.co.uk
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
>>>> Behalf Of ANDY COLLINS
>>>> Sent: 17 May 2011 13:51
>>>> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: New voices for the next apple operating 
>>>> system
>>>> 
>>>> Well, I hope, but doubt that they would sound better under Voice 
>>>> Over. I hate them. Still too mechanical. Why do these voices always 
>>>> sound as though they're gargling as they speak? I'd hoped by now 
>>>> we'd be having a more naturally flowing voice -
>>>> 
>>>> Andy
>>>> 
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: Gordon Keen 
>>>> <mailto:gordonkeen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 10:01 AM
>>>> Subject: [access-uk] New voices for the next apple operating system
>>>> 
>>>> Hi
>>>> Thought some of you might want a listen to these, what do you think 
>>>> of them...
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Hello
>>>> 
>>>> Here are samples of a couple of the new voices in Lion which have 
>>>> been doing the rounds. These aren't generated through Apple's speech 
>>>> engine, they're the same voices used by another service so the 
>>>> samples are generated from that. They may or may not sound better 
>>>> when used in
>>>> VoiceOver:
>>>> 
>>>> English American Accent - Samantha
>>>> <http://nextupdownloads.com/scansamples/samantha.wav>
>>>> 
>>>> English British Accent - Serena
>>>> <http://nextupdownloads.com/scansamples/serena.wav>
>>>> 
>>>> Cheers
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> G
>>>> 
>>>> From Bridgerule in glorious Devon, England.
>>>> Catch the buzz at http://www.bridgerule.co.uk
>>>> 
>>>> 
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  • » [access-uk] Re: Mac Software - Chris Moore