[blindza] FW: Article about windows 8
- From: "Jacob Kruger" <jacobk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "NAPSA Blind" <blind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:47:45 +0200
---original message---
a.. The changing Landscape, review of windows 8 build 7989
Respected readers,
Once again, the time has arrived to provide more details on your ride. Which
ride, you ask? I call it the ride of the future, for what I write about today
could very well, and is likely to, become what you will see 2-3 years down the
road from today. We all like to think of the future, right? Earlier last month,
I wrote up a comprehensive review of Windows 8 build 7850. That was a long time
ago, when looking at today's standards.
Then, late last month, I created a podcast of Windows 8 build 7955. You can
find it, still in it's original unedited form, at
http://goo.gl/2Vv2b
and it details some of the features I described in build 7850, including the
new narrator.
A lot of people have asked me, "Why didn't you do a write-up of 7955?" and I
have a simple answer for them. "I am a lazy person and writing one up would
have taken too much time!". Actually, all joking aside, I saw my opportunity
with a podcast to be greater than writing one up in text form. This is because
in order for people to grasp windows 8, you have to see it in action. This, at
the time, mostly applied for the new narrator interface, but no doubt in the
future there will be another podcast covering some of the more significant
features of this coming Operating system.
And new features there are. There is a lot that will be different with Windows
8. I would compare it to being a highly evolutionary release, but not as
Windows Vista was to Windows XP. The magnitude here is greater than Windows
vista to 7, however Microsoft is really trying to show the world that they have
learned from their Vista mistakes. To date, they have delivered all
announcements on schedule, and we can only hope that this will continue on
throughout the development of Windows 8. The beta is supposed to drop on
September 13, at which time it will be given to developers and hopefully the
general public as well in limited quantities.
Windows 8: The name.
At the end of May, Microsoft had a d9 conference where Steven Sinofsky, who
leads the Windows devision over at Microsoft, talked about Windows 8 in great
detail. (I recommend you visit
http://www.winsupersite.com/article/Windows8/windows-8-sinofsky-d9-transcribed-139555
for a transcript of this fascinating discussion. We found out that Windows 8
will probably not be the final name of the product. Instead, it's a codename,
much like Longhorn was a codename for Windows Vista at the time. I'm not sure
when we will find out the final name of Windows 8, but my bets are on late 2011
as a Christmas gift or early 2012. In a year's time from now, we will be
tentatively waiting for the OS to be given to computer manufacturers and
hardware makers.
There's a rough year ahead, but only if you plan on installing Windows 8 on
your computers and evaluating every copy that leaks to the internet. I have
said that I'm walking a tight line here, but as always I feel it very necessary
to let the public know of what's ahead. This, in my opinion, applies both as
equally for the sighted as it does universally to the world of assistive
technology. If the public isn't aware of how their next computers might look
and function, they might be in for a shock come 2013. Either that, or everyone
sticks with Windows 7, which will, by the time, be almost 4 years old. And XP,
well, XP will be like Windows 2.0 was during the XP days, in terms of age. We
all must acknowledge that we can't stay stuck for too long with the "best
thing", otherwise the thing that was the best will slowly become deprecated
over time. I would imagine that for 3-5 years once windows 8 is released,
windows 7 will enjoy mainstream support. But by that time, we'll be looking
forward to the next Windows, and only time knows what changes that will usher
into the desktop and the tablet. I have talked about the concept which is being
engineered behind Windows 8 before, for a long time. The idea of "Windows
everywhere". Basically, Microsoft is now realizing what Apple realized 3 years
ago: In order to make a well-designed and streamlined product, they have to
make life more universal for all the devices it runs on. Whether this strategy
will be successful for them is up for debate, but it's even said that the next
version of Windows phone could possibly be a scaled down copy of Windows 8. All
this is just the roomermill, though, so take that with a grain of salt.
About Build 7989:
Build 7989 was compiled on April 21st, 2011, and won't expire until March 15th,
2012. When compared to 7955, it sports many "internal" changes, which for me,
so far, make it the most stable Windows 8 build I have ever run. It is an x64
release, meaning that it cannot run on my old Thinkpad t60. Oops.
Unfortunately, Microsoft has not done anything to change the poor state of x64
Windows. Your program Files folders are still split into an x86 and regular
(x64) directories, and the sysWow64 folder which contains all 64-bit dlls, is
still present. While I realize the need to keep legacy applications to run in
Windows, no other 64-bit operating system today manages it's 32-bit
compatibility in such a poor manner. All gripes aside though, the speed of
Windows 8 is not effected by it being a 64-bit build.
From my "About Windows Dialog":
"
Microsoft Pre-release Windows Operating System
Version 6.2 (Build 7989.0.amd64fre.winmain.110421-1825).615974c7346f7374
Copyright © 2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Microsoft Pre-release Windows Operating System and its user interface are
protected by trademark and other pending or existing intellectual property
rights in the United States and other countries/regions.
Evaluation copy. Expires 3/15/2012 7:59 PM
Unauthorized use or disclosure in any manner may result in disciplinary action
up to and including termination of employment (in the case of employees),
termination of an assignment or contract (in the case of contingent staff), and
potential civil and criminal liability
"
.
First Impressions: A radical shift in accessibility.
I am going to talk briefly about Microsoft's intentions on accessibility,
because it was the first noticeable change I found in Windows 8. I would
imagine this information is not important for the sighted, but if you are a
Windows developer, you may want to take note, because although the
blind/disabled market is a small one, it is important to develop applications
on the basis that they will work for everyone.
Windows 8 is finally getting rid of display mirroring. Last year, Microsoft
announced their intentions to do this, and they really weren't joking at the
time, either. Windows 8 7989 can no longer work with mirror display drivers.
For those that don't exactly know what those are, they replicate, or mirror,
the contents of the display for screen reading and other assistive technology
software. In many mainstream screen readers, mirroring is one of the only ways
the product gathers information on what is on the screen.
This is rather unfortunate, as with Windows 8, mirror drivers will install and
appear to function normally in the system, but will not provide information to
the screen reader. I can honestly say that I grew a few gray hairs trying to
figure out just what was wrong after I first installed 7989. JAWS (and later,
Window-eyes 7.2) installed fine, reported no errors, yet my abilities to read
what is under the mouse were severely limited. This showed me two things, right
off the bat. 1, That Window-eyes and JAWS, particularly the ladder, rely too
much on the information they gather from this extra device driver. Other screen
access solutions, such as NVDA and Serotek's System Access, worked very well
with Windows 8, until they too began experiencing problems which I will discuss
later in this document. Both GwMicro and Freedom Scientific are going to have
to radically rethink and shift their stance on screen reading if they wish to
survive in a post - Windows 8 world.
Entering Microsoft's Narrator into the picture, it will be even harder for
these companies to make big bucks off something as basic as screen reading. I
believe in the idea that screen reading, and accessibility for that matter, is
something that shouldn't be a question, but should be naturally implemented.
Therefore, I do not see much justification in $1095, especially now that we
have open-source solutions like NVDA on the seen. NVDA was coded by 2 very
dedicated people, and never once have they used money or expenses for
justifying development. Windows 8 will be in favor of free or low-cost screen
readers like System Access, because the competition will be about providing
users something which is greater or is used differently than Microsoft's own
solution. For many users, Narrator's "voiceover-like" approach to screen
navigation is too much of a shift, and for these individuals alternatives like
NVDA or SA will be their way of enjoying their freedom of choice. No, life will
not become a monopoly once people adopt Windows 8.
Couple this with Microsoft's increased requests for using UI automation, we
have a pretty clear picture of how Windows 8 will be used. Unlike Apple,
Microsoft does not publish strict development guidelines for Windows
developers. It also seems as though that with Windows 8, they are increasingly
starting to advocate HTML 5 and the web, which would mean that all screen
readers will have the same amount of access to material, regardless of company.
While our world won't become HTML5 only, increased reliance on web applications
will mean that companies will be able to make easy to use products for those
with disabilities.
Narrator: What's changed and new?
At this point, it is very hard to say if Microsoft is or isn't committed to
accessibility. In build 7955, we saw the introduction of 28 extra commands to
Narrator, which totaled the exact number to a whopping 56 commands. 56! That is
a very good amount for a start, but I would still like to see more extensible
web navigation and cursor reading commands. As of now, navigating websites is
virtually impossible and tedious to do with Narrator. Yet there still is a year
ahead, so I have no concerns that if Microsoft wants to pull this together,
they will have no problems perfecting Narrator as a powerful screen reader. Add
in a voice which is more natural than Microsoft Anna, and we will have a winner.
Red Pill: More features to unlock!
In build 7955, a program so called a Red Pill was created to unlock new Windows
8 functionality that has been purposefully hidden by Microsoft engineers. The
Red Pill, as so called, allows for the unlocking of several new features,
including the ribbon view in Windows Explorer, a new logon dialog which is
styled after Windows Phone 7, a new task manager, PDF reader, and even the
Internet explorer which is designed for tablets.
In 7955, I only had the red pill activated briefly, because I found that a lot
of features, like the new log-on window, were not accessible for blind users. I
would place my computer in standby, only to find that once I returned, I could
not log back in because, well, no screen reader could focus the cursor to my
user name and the password box. In build 7989, I do not have this problem
anymore. I have successfully used NVDA and System Access to log back into my
computer. Although the buttons are not focusable by tabbing, using the Virtual
Mouse and NVDA's object navigation allowed me to see them and interact with the
controls. There must have been changes here which finally allowed access for
screen readers. Score 1 for Microsoft.
New System Settings dialog for Tablet Computers:
In build 7955, I saw the introduction of a new system settings dialog, which
was made for tablet computers. It allows for functions like turning off wi-fi,
changing date and time, and even changing the behavior of the virtual keyboard.
It again was a dialog which I could not access easily, but in 7989, I can now
read the labels of the links. Tabbing around only results in the word "link"
"link" being announced, but using object navigation actually lets me read and
deduce what each link is for. In short, this dialog is your one-stop way of
changing basic tablet system functionality.
A new Portable Workspaces Creator: 32 GB, Please
I discussed Portable Workspaces in detail during my review of build 7850. It's
the Windows functionality which lets you create a USB copy of Windows and use
it to boot your computer, allowing you to have a fully functional copy of
Windows. There has been a major redesign of this dialog. Let's take a look.
"
Portable Workspace Creator
Portable Workspace is a Windows feature that allows you to run Windows from a
USB storage device.
Search automatically for a pre-configured device. Button. I have a USB Drive
that was configured by my organization. Windows will automatically create my
Portable Workspace.
Create a new Portable Workspace. Button. I would like to evaluate or customize
my Portable Workspace. Guide me through the creation of a new Portable
Workspace.
What is Portable Workspace? link
"
As you can see, the new ability to search for a configured device is pretty
interesting. It seems to allow you to load existing data from the device into
your current copy of Windows 8, though I have not been able to test the
function.
However, to make matters worse, Microsoft has increased the disk requirements
to 32 GB from 16 GB. This makes the idea of using a portable workspace on a
flash drive virtually impossible, and understandably, nobody wants students to
tamper with school computers by creating their own windows 8 flash drives to
boot.
More on the .APX file extension:
In windows 8, evidence of a new .APX application model is slowly mounting.
There is a new command line utility, located in
c:\windows\system32\installAPX.exe , which allows for the deployment and
installation of this new model. It is said that .APX files use Microsoft
Silverlite technology to run programs. The only concern here, of course, comes
for those who use a screen reader, as silverlite applications are not the most
accessible out there. Also, in Group policies, system administrators can now
limit the installation of .APX files. The new setting, called "Allow all
Trusted Applications to Install", allows for APX files to be limited based on
their certificates.
Putting System Reset to the Test.
I was finally able to try out the new System Reset feature, which lets you
restore Windows 8 to it's default state without having to format your entire
computer over. The functionality is very useful if you are experiencing issues
with your computer's stability, but don't want to wipe all your data. Once you
run the System reset wizard, you are greeted with the following:
"System Reset dialog.
Do you want to keep user accounts and personal files?
Yes, keep User accounts and Personal accounts. Radio button. Checked.
No, Remove Everything from the Drive where Windows is installed. Radio Button.
Not checked.
Help me Choose. Link
System reset will remove all programs you've installed and restore default
Windows settings. If you choose to keep user accounts and personal files, they
will be available after your computer is restored.
"
The process from here on out is pretty simple. Your computer will restart,
after which the reset process will begin. Once your system is reset, another
restart should bring up the new copy of Windows, with all programs removed yet
user accounts intact.
I am using the word should there for a reason. In my experiences with 7989, I
was told that "this hardware is not supported." after the second phase of my
reset. It took me an entire re-install from a DVD to get Windows 8 back, and
even then, oddly enough, my username was still in c:\users, which meant that I
had to create a second username, log in, move my old user folder somewhere,
create a username with my own name, log out, log in to the new user, delete the
first user, and restore my data from the folder I moved my old user files to. A
hassle? Yes, you bet. I don't see the process as bad in the final Windows 8
release though, ideally you should be able to reset your system and come back
20 minutes later to a brand new fresh windows. Only your documents and desktop
files are kept, all shortcuts are erased as they would not work do to the
program files being removed.
The Brand New Metro User interface.
As stated, the new log on dialog is inspired by Windows phone 7. Microsoft is
intending to move Windows and Windows Phone 7 into a unified view. This means
that just as Apple has done with Lion, Windows 8 will include the tile-based
interface.
But unlike Apple, Microsoft is completely ditching the start menu and taskbar
for a grid-style view. To go back to "classic" Windows, the user would start an
application called Desktop on their start screen. Instead of taking you to the
start menu, the windows key would present your start screen, where you could
launch the desktop application and see your familiar Windows View.
This is no simple change. I can see many users detesting Windows for it's new
interface, and on a personal level, it brings back memories of Windows 3.1,
although this is nothing like the program groups of 1994. Tiles can
auto-update, for example, your Facebook tile could display live content as it
happens. In windows 3.1, you had icons, and you had to switch between program
groups such as accessories and entertainment. Similarly, you have a grid here
which displays content.
Screen reader testing: Compatibility and Accessibility
NVDA seems to stand out as a clear winner for a third-party Windows screen
reader. It is responsive and well usable within Windows 8, though there are
some very odd quirks which make the latest snapshot builds impossible or very
hard to use. Often times, when running a program, errors about a certain
Verfault.exe come up, stating information about memory access violation. These
errors, from what I am noticing, do not occur in snapshot 4121, which is one of
the only other earlier snapshots I have access to. I don't exactly know from
which point this starts, but already in snapshot 4472, NVDA crashes winver.exe
. In snapshot 4487, running Windos Task manager results in a Windows Shell
common DLL crash, and with the sound settings dialog, a crash of
rundll32.exe.System access works well, accept for a few problems. Combo Boxes
or drop-down lists in Internet Explorer 9 cannot be expanded and used. After
about a day of using System Access, it stopped talking all together, and
uninstalling/reinstalling the product did not fix the problem of no speech.
Speech only seems to exist in System Access' own menus and dialogs.
As mentioned, JAWS and Window-eyes have come to over-use video hooks. This
makes them nothing more than a nice dummy screen reader, as they can only read
basic and very little information. In fact, JAWS, when restarted a second time,
is known to cause a nice memory dump which lasts a total of 8 minutes and 13
seconds. During this time, my computer's processor overheats, so I do not
advise running windows 8 and JAWS much. GWMicro has a better fait, as
Window-eyes runs fine and is very responsive. It can provide much more detail
about screens than could JAWS, and overall I would rank it as the 3rd best
screen reader, NVDA and System Access still being the first 2.
Conclusions
As it stands, Windows 8 will continue to be the Operating System I will use on
this main laptop. I know, I am very crazy for saying this, right? I have been
using 7955 for over a month, and even though I have to rely on NVDA for my
daily Screen reading needs, I find myself enjoying the experience quite nicely.
Windows 8 runs faster, is more responsive, and uses half the ram when compared
to Windows 7. Thus, it's safe to say that your old Pentium 4 computers don't
have to be thrown out into the trash, provided that they have at least 1 GB of
memory.
I feel that for a lot of users, there are many concerns. Don't worry, I
understand. Microsoft is once again turning the world of computer users upside
down, and it is one thing I am not completely happy about. Will Windows 8 be
Microsoft's next Vista? That depends on who you are. The general stability of
the OS is far greater than that of Vista's problems during launch. Application
compatibility is pretty decent, and with this 7989 build, programs like skype
work fine now. The only new, and perhaps bit daunting experience will be the
complete redesign of the way you use Windows. For those of us in the access
field, we need to warn companies like Freedom Scientific and GWMicro to plan
ahead, so that prior to next June, their screen readers will work with Windows
8. I would really like to see partial if not full Windows 8 support in the
mainstream screen readers by the time the second beta hits. I find it very
unfair that those of us who take time and evaluate Windows for the sake of
helping corporations receive silent treatment, because it results in screen
reading software not working properly on the product's launch date. GWMicro has
done an amazing job at being ready weeks prior to launch, but JAWS has known to
sometimes be months away from a fully functional release even after the new
operating system has been released. With the creation of Microsoft's screen
reader, these corporations have to realize that unless they speed up their pace
of advancement, they will be left behind in the dust. The future holds great
promises for Windows 8. Staying positive yet firm in letting others know, with
an open mind, of what is coming is the only solution to making the transition a
smooth and bump-free ride for everyone. Your journey does not end here, of
course. There are many more builds to come, and this is just the beginning.
Other related posts:
