Very well said. Just to add... Does anyone remember not being able to read anything but the books NLS provided? I grew up before personal computers. I went to school at the Texas School for the Blind, and the library there was a good one. I know. I practically lived in it during the school term, but during the summer, the state library service was slow, and, for the most part, I didn't get to choose the books I wanted to read. There's just something about being able to browse those library shelves and pick out the book you like. I still browse those virtual library shelves today.
Maybe the Bookport can't read every format, but I do have thousands of books loaded on its CF cards, and it has certainly changed the way I read books. I'm not tied to a computer anymore. I'm not tied to a hulking Talkingbook machine or NLS cassette player... although I still have one of them. And... my house isn't cluttered with boxes of Braille books. I do still love to read Braille, though.
I am grateful that I am able to read pretty much what I want. The books that are not available in a usable format, my 17 year old daughter reads them to me. We both enjoy the same kinds of books, and I am blessed with a teen-ager who actually likes me!
At 12:27 PM 9/29/2007 -0500, you wrote:
> Behalf Of lana > Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2007 11:11 AM > To: bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [bookport] Re: Audible vs. NLS > > So, why don't they make that key available on for devices, like >Voice Sense. Well, that I can't tell ya, exactly. I don't know anything more about the Voice Sense and how it works than the descriptions of it on the web. But we know that the sticking point for the bookport involved the transfer program and the rule NLS has about not having the books accessible to any program on your main computer. The voice sense is a PDA, is it not? PDA's are now the equivalent of computers themselves. Most can handle far more material and more file types than my original IBM clone with its 8KB of memory [grin]. So the fact that the Voice Sense has the same computer-based access to files, wireless access, etc. may be the problem. It's a small computer in and of itself, not just a gadget for listening to audio files and a text reader. We also know that each device can only be adapted so far -- there's a limited amount of space on the things for handling new applications that will access additional file formats. So to start answering your question, you'd need to find out how the Voice Sense transfers programs and what other issues are involved with that piece of equipment. Does it already handle the file type as it exists once the key is used to unlock the file? Can it hold and handle the programming framework that initiates the key? We're talking about additional outer shells of protective programming that not only exist on the audiobook file, but must each be addressed through its own accessing software once the file is on the gadget. Each of these accessing shells takes up space on the gadget. If the Voice Sense is actually just a small multi-function computer that can convert the file formats if a crack program is loaded onto it, then all the rest becomes moot. It's the equivalent of a laptop in terms of the basic security concerns Pam and others have been so kind as to explain to us. Bookport has handled these problems for the file formats it supports -- an extremely large number, might I add -- by having the transfer program address these issues on your computer before the information gets to the gadget. The computer and the transfer program are far more flexible and have a much better chance of being able to handle more file format processing than could be handled on a gadget, and for adapting to new file formats as they are invented. So I think this strategy for handling files is an excellent one, overall. Bookport made a good choice with their focus on this type of programming solution, despite our frustration over the NLS problems. Look how many file types it is able to access! We've gotten so used to this strategy working almost invisibly for us that we're having fits when a single file format can't be handled this way because of objections to having any program access the files on the computer. Basically, we're talking about the equivalent of proprietary software issues. Does anyone else remember when you couldn't read a document created on a MAC if you were using a PC? Or when you couldn't convert WordPerfect Files into a format Word or WordStar could access without going back to the original program to alter the file? Anyone out there remember when most Adobe files were not accessible to screen readers? These types of security issues are what has kept Adobe Acrobat and related programs at the top of the game of secure document sharing. It's a pain for us, and each transition for accessibility is slow in coming when the security issues are not offset by monetary gain to be set in the balance against the risk of lowering security standards to gain flexibility. The whole thing hinges on the trade-off between money and security. It's not some wicked disregard for those who need audio access. It's a legitimate concern involving millions or billions of dollars overall, depending on the time frames you choose to examine. And even more important than the actual cash value, it can have a huge impact on the livelihoods of every author you choose to read. If you value them for the products you like to read, then it's important to remember that they are people with kids to feed or bills to pay as well. Their talents provide me with the substance of work and the bulk of my entertainment. Their fees for service are not beyond what is reasonable. Their security concerns are also reasonable. --Christy http://caution-blind-driver.blogspot.com/ > -----Original Message----- > From: bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.33/1037 - Release Date: 9/29/2007 1:32 PM
Sandy Licht Jeremiah 29:11 - 14.For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.