[access-uk] Re: Webbie

  • From: "Tristram Llewellyn" <tris-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:05:15 +0100

Just to take of Graham's last point about sighted helper being able to know 
where the screen reader user is on a web page, particularly with Jaws.  We 
still do not have an actual nagivation cursor, but with Jaws 7.0 and 7.10 the 
route Jaws to PC cursor insert+numpad minus should no be accurate enough to 
give an indication of where a user is in speech on the visually laid out page.  
In earlier versions you could use the keystroke but not be nearly as sure as to 
it's accuracy.  This is courtesy of the newer DCOM server technology built into 
Jaws.  

Regards.

Tristram Llewellyn
Sight and Sound Technology
Technical Support
www.sightandsound.co.uk

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Graham Page 
  To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 8:06 PM
  Subject: [access-uk] Re: Webbie


  the real problem with Hal is that as with all screenreaders, hot keys get 
  added over time and the whole thing eventually becomes a real mess and needs 
  redefining.  This of course can cause existing users a problem but it is one 
  of the inevitabilities of increasing numbers of features.

  Supernova has a lot of advantages including speech and magnification 
  combined into a serious and reasonably powerful product at a good price but 
  good context sensitive help is still a real weakness in Supernova which 
  needs serious redesign.  Context sensitive help is in fact an area in which 
  JAWS and window-eyes use sensible systems as help is based around the f1 
  key.  Hall uses something odd like right control, right shift, slash.  Wow, 
  doesn't that trip off the tong nicely!!!!

  it's really quite a tricky keystroke to press as well and I have found the 
  application specific help you do get is hardly comprehensive.

  Dolphin does seem to be making real strides to get it's screenreading 
  facilities up to scratch, so good help to get beginners and reviewers up and 
  running quickly should I think be a priority.  It would then be possible to 
  find all internet navigation keys and have them displayed with one 
  keystroke.

  On another subject connected with Webbie, if the web page is displayed in a 
  standard read only edit box then I assume that at least a sighted person can 
  see what the blind user is reading without having to rely on the speech 
  which is tricky if you are not uwsed to it.  can a sighted user see what a 
  blind person is reading with Supernova?

  This has historically been a major issue with JAWS.
  Cheers

  Graham
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: "Douglas Harrison" <harrison1d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 5:00 PM
  Subject: [access-uk] Re: Webbie


  I would not disagree with you Graham.   I have no knowledge of Jaws,
  but certainly Hal lacks a few of the more advanced navigation
  techniques present in the later versions of Window-eyes.  Still Hal
  has improved greatly in this respect over the last 2 years or so, and
  there may be a few more additions in the new version 7.  One problem
  is that of remembering all the available key strokes.  I must admit
  that I frequently fail to use one and go "the long way round".

  I think that the simplified display of Webbie is really intended to
  complement the Look Out/Thunder type of screen reader and avoid a
  beginner being too disheartened when encountering fairly complex web
  pages for the first time.



  Douglas

  On 5 Jun 2006 at 22:34, Graham Page wrote:

  > Hi Douglas.
  >
  > I have deleted your original message but I thought you were suggesting
  > that it was a good idea to use webbie with Hal.  I generally thought that
  > Webbie was really intended for use if your screenreader would not do the
  > job.
  >
  > I find Hal's help a little erratic and I don't want to plough through a
  > big manual just to find shortcut keys so maybe I haven't done Hal justice
  > but I get the impression that it does not have the range of navigation
  > keys that Window-eyes or JAWS has, such as navigation by list, checkbox,
  > combo box, this page link, division, bulleted list etc.  I believe you can
  > navigate by frame, table,heading or edit box however and of course you can
  > use the standard tab and shift tab to move between formfields/links.  Am I
  > broadly correct here?  Does Webbie have similar functionality to hal or
  > can it move by a wider range of element types?
  >
  > Cheers
  >
  > Graham
  >

  --

  Douglas Harrison

  ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
  ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
  ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
  ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  ** and in the Subject line type
  ** unsubscribe
  ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
  ** immediately-following link:-
  ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
  ** or send a message, to
  ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq

  ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
  ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
  ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
  ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  ** and in the Subject line type
  ** unsubscribe
  ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
  ** immediately-following link:-
  ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
  ** or send a message, to
  ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq

Other related posts: