Don't forget that agencies purchase equipment based on recommendations. Recommendations are made in accordance to customer needs, availability of the product, availability of support for the product and availability of knowledgeable trainers and user groups like this one. The fact that GW got slowed down in its development precisely at the time that the whole business computing world switched to Windows NT, hurt it a lot. Most of us who made the jump from the wonderful Vocal-Eyes 3 for DOS to the quirky JFW 3.x and Windows 3.11, didn't do it because we wanted to, we did it because jobs demanded we do. The earlier development of JFW for refreshable braille support helped a bit also. For me, the early JAWS tutorials, which focused on teaching me about Windows rather than spending a lot of energy in porting over older DOS concepts into a new platform, made all the difference. Once you've got significant market share, it takes a lot more effort to change things. Oh yeah, this discussion is supposed to be about hardware... Hummm, my experiences with that end of computing aren't much different. /jp -----Original Message----- From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Pickrell, Rebecca M. Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 8:55 AM To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: Freedom Scientific's Lack of Support for Hardware No, because I did the same thing. Everything I want, I have to figure = out how to fund myself. -----Original Message----- From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 10:40 PM To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: Freedom Scientific's Lack of Support for Hardware I bought my own hardware and software. I must be a minority, eh? =20 -------------------- Do you want to know about new products when they come out? Do you have a product the blind community would benefit from? Please send a blank = message to=20 new-products-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------- E-mail/MSN: wil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Skype: wiljames I C Q: 95379501 My blog: http://wil.wilanddenise.com --------------------=20 -----Original Message----- From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On = Behalf Of Marsha Anderson Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 10:16 PM To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Freedom Scientific's Lack of Support for Hardware It is really agencies that are buying the products. How many on this = list or any other blind list bought their own equipment. This is not a condemnation just an observation. Marsha Anderson -- To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To = unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with = the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or = the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact = the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to = jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or = the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather = contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx