I'm still using, on a daily basis, the Braille 'N' Speak that was
presented to me upon my retirement from the Agency in December of
1993. Of course Blazie Engineering was gobbled up by Freedom
Scientific, and the Braille 'N' Speak is no longer produced, nor is it
serviced. The tech I spoke with, wondering if they could save my
files when I need the batteries changed, seemed to be out in left
field. He wasn't certain they could copy them, and did not know if
the changing of batteries would destroy them. Now here is a perfectly
good product that serves the needs of many blind people who just need
a small recording device, and the ability to store and quickly
retrieve information. But we are so driven by the need to develop
new, and often far more expensive and unreliable equipment in order to
survive. In 2005 I attended the ACB national convention and purchased
a piece of equipment made by Human Ware, called the Voice Mate. Just
after one year, after the warren tee no longer covered replacement of
parts, it died. It's a long story that still angers me to think
about, especially the Cavalier attitude of the people I spoke with at
Human Ware. After learning that it would need a new board, at the
cost of $1,500, instead of what I thought would be the replacement of
batteries, I was told, "You should have purchased insurance."
Insurance at the time was costing $500 a year. I did express myself
rather crudely, since they had left the Voice Mate sit on a work bench
for a couple of weeks, when I had explained that I depended on the
files in order to do my job.
I have always been careful ever since that encounter, to speak poorly
of Human Ware. But here sits my Blazie product, my reliable old
Braille 'N' Speak, plodding along doing its job without a single
complaint. But Freedom Scientific is done with it, and with me. Why
is a working machine tossed aside just because it has been challenged
by a new, shiny trinket? Our old Ford Sport Trak is still running
after 13 years and 311 thousand miles. And Ford still produces parts.
And mechanics still know how to service a 2003 model. But not Freedom
Scientific or Human Ware. It's a "throw away" mentality. One fuzzy
cheeked youth, selling computers in my local, neighborhood Chain
Store, asked me, "Why would you want to keep an old piece of junk?"
...I think I got off on a rant and lost the thread. But my dinner is
just about to appear on the dining room table. It would be a shame if
I were not there to welcome it.
Carl Jarvis
On 5/15/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I guess this is the fallout from Freedom Scientific becoming VPO, or
whatever, and then merging with, or being taken over by, some European
corporation that does computer accessibility. We are ending up with one huge
monopoly. Just watch the free screen software programs and any others that
aren’t free, disappear. And my Jaws 18 disappeared at least 3 times last
night after I returned home, each time, just because I was moving from one
window to another. This is the problem that FS said they know about.
Miriam
From: Kelly Gasque via announce [mailto:announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 1:12 PM
To: leadership@xxxxxxxxxxxx; announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Kelly Gasque <kgasque@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [announce] Window-Eyes to JAWS Migration
Window-Eyes to JAWS Migration
Link: https://www.aisquared.com/news/window-eyes-jaws-migration/
<https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.aisquared.com?p=eyJzIjoibi1LSU0yX1l0cDI4ZjVMQ2ltS3FfTVpzWWxRIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5haXNxdWFyZWQuY29tXFxcL25ld3NcXFwvd2luZG93LWV5ZXMtamF3cy1taWdyYXRpb25cXFwvXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiMjBiZDFkNTM1NjNhNDg2OWExMGNmMDk2YTc5YjU4ODJcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCJkNTIzOTU2ZTI3NjJiZDI3OThhNTJlNDJjNDA2MzMxMTViMWIyZDg0XCJdfSJ9>
May 15, 2017
We regret to announce that we are ending the sales of Window-Eyes, effective
immediately in the United States and Canada. Users outside of the United
States and Canada should contact their local distributor for options.
We understand how important a screen reader is to you and are offering JAWS®
for Windows 18 as a replacement. We are committed to providing a smooth
transition and will honor existing Window-Eyes product purchases and
software maintenance agreements. For complete details visit
http://www.gwmicro.com/window-eyes/migrate
<https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.gwmicro.com?p=eyJzIjoiRUNITlRRTU1QS25ycmZqVkFyNXc4WWRRQzFZIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3Lmd3bWljcm8uY29tXFxcL3dpbmRvdy1leWVzXFxcL21pZ3JhdGVcIixcImlkXCI6XCIyMGJkMWQ1MzU2M2E0ODY5YTEwY2YwOTZhNzliNTg4MlwiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcImVmOGJmNzM2YTRkZWZhNTZiODM1NTgyZjIyNDMxM2FmMmQzZGZlOTdcIl19In0>
Note, the free Window-Eyes Offer for Users of Microsoft Office version is
not part of the conversion program.
<https://mandrillapp.com/track/open.php?u=30489975&id=20bd1d53563a4869a10cf096a79b5882>
