[macvoiceover] Re: appology
- From: Buddy Brannan <buddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:52:52 -0400
On Mar 24, 2008, at 10:41 AM, Dennis Bartlett wrote:
Hello all,
I would like to appologize to the list. I didn't mean to go on
about that presentation and the way it was handled.
I will say however that when making a public presentation one must
be prepaired for anything to happen.
[...]
Wow, this apology sounds like the day my mother ripped me a new one,
unjustly mind you, then said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, but you
pissed me off."
I suppose you didn't see this:
http://www.ppatel.org/blog/2008/03/23/a-public-apology-for-mac-goof/
In case you haven't read it, here's the full text of what Prattik wrote:
Crip Talk: As Crips Slide By
A Public Apology for Mac Goof
Posted in Mac, accessibility by Pratik Patel on the March 23rd, 2008
Last week at the CSUN International Conference on Technology and
People With Disabilities, I participated in a presentation that was
supposed to test my skills at the utmost. Being a more than
experienced Mac user, I’d agreed to participate in the "Dueling
Operating System" presentation that pitted Mac OSX Leopard, Windows,
and Linux against one another with their respective accessibility
tools. Prior to the presentation, all the presenters had agreed to a
certain set of rules that would make the playing field equal among one
another.
The presenters would use no commercial tool other than that
accompanying the OS. Two major exceptions were on Windows: The
presenter using Microsoft Windows would use a commercial screen reader–
namely, JAWS for Windows–as the screen reader bundled with Microsoft
Windows was determined to be woefully inadequate in its ability to
provide useful feedback. Additionally, the Windows presenter would
also have the ability to use Microsoft Office as a tool. IT was
agreed that the presenter would have to point out the costs associated
with these two products. All of us also agreed to be recorded. Prior
to the presentation, the presenters had also agreed to conduct a set
of tasks, which may be used during the presentation. It was also
agreed that the audience would be given the opportunity to request
certain tasks. Here are the set of tasks previously agreed to.
Miscellaneous
• Describe the computer hardware, including performance specs and
software installed. State the cost of hardware and software. Provide
an overview of the screen reader interface, including its cursors,
modes, and events.
• Schedule a meeting appointment with an advance reminder.
• Present something that one thinks is particularly easier to do on
that system.
• Install a program, e.g., the latest version of Adobe reader.
• Argue advantages of one’s operating system over others.
System Maintenance
• Do a hard bootup of the computer, and let the audience hear what
speech events occur before the system stabilizes and the screen reader
becomes available for full use.
• Run a malware check and eliminate suspects.
Web browsing
• Find a particular file on a web site (e.g., the 2008 State of the
Union address) and download it to the local computer.
• Copy to the clipboard the information in a table cell, specified by
its row and column headings.
• Send a greeting card via amazon.com
• Label graphics on the front page of http://www.outpost.com
Email
• Scan a 5 page document. Save it in both a common image format and
text after OCR. Send it as an email attachment. Include a blind copy
back to oneself.
• Check new mail via the GMail web site.
Word processing
• Input a small document that includes a centered title and bold
phrase.
• Spell check a document, including verifying the context of a
suspect word.
Multimedia
• Download and play a podcast. Navigate forward and backward through
it.
• Record an MP3 file and upload it to a web site.
File management
• Determine the size and time stamp of a file.
• Copy to the clipboard a list of file names in a directory.
• Find a file based on a phrase it contains.
• Format a removable media device such as a card for the BookPort,
Victor Stream, or equivalent. Copy a media file onto it.
Reading
• Open a PDF, read its first couple paragraphs continuously with full
punctuation, and then the next couple with no punctuation.
Spreadsheet
• Create a check register with columns for check number, date,
amount, payee, and memo. Enter three rows. Show how the screen reader
can say column headings as one navigates among cells. Show how the sum
can be automatically calculated.
Having had the opportunity to use all three operating systems–I
currently have all three installed on my machines, I agreed to
participate on this panel, not knowing what was about to happen.
As the CSUN Presentation audio clearly demonstrates, The presentation
was unquestionably a dismal failure and an unmitigated disaster.
At times during the presentation, I found that my "option" key refused
to work; sometimes it would stick, sometimes not. Since Voiceover,
the built-in Mac Screen reader, uses the combination of the control
+option key combination to control the Voiceover cursor, the
intermittent availability of the option key put me at a great
disadvantage. I could not predict when the option key would work or
not. It also meant that other key combinations such as command+o or
command+b, etc were also affected, leaving me using menus whenever
the key combination would not work. Fortunately, the local Apple
store was able to help me replace the keyboard when I got home.
That being said, I certainly could have dealt with the situation a
little better. I often pride myself on staying calm and collected in
circumstances that throw off many people. This was certainly an
exception. That for me, is a matter for personal reflection and
introspection. Never having had the experience of failing with such
disastrous consequences, I find myself asking whether there was
something I could have done better. I know that My sense of pride
certainly got in the way. I am certain that I could have suggested
that another person, who is better known in the community of blind Mac
users, would be a better presenter . While I am confident that I
could have done these tasks very easily if not for the trouble with
the keyboard, being someone who is relatively unknown in the community
makes a tremendous difference.
Without meaning to, I managed to throw the Mac’s reputation as a
potential platform out the Window. With someone well-known in the
community presenting instead of me, at least the community would have
had the confidence to believe that the keyboard failure was just
that. The presentation will not affect the people who are already Mac
users. I fear it may make users potentially seeking a new OS think
twice. And, therefore, my sincere apology goes to those people who
have listened as potential switchers or new computer users.
As I said in my ending remarks, my failure should not be viewed as a
failure of the operating system and the built-in screen reader. While
the screen reader has much further to go, many people are using it
successfully including myself. I urge you to visit the Mac and
accessibility links on this page to consider your options carefully.
Jeez, what else can the guy do for heaven's sake? >
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