[BNU] Bookshare accessibility and more
- From: Andy Shields <AShields@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "braillenote@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <braillenote@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 14:45:18 +0000
Hey, listers,
I'm happy to say that, as reported, downloading books from the "new" site is as
simple as ever with scripting disabled. (Just got one a few minutes ago with
absolutely no complications.) Note to Rajmund and others: For a long time I
thought that it was necessary to leave it enabled to get full details and
features of websites. It took a lot more slow, or hung-up, sessions with Apex
web-browsing than it should have to figure out that _disabling scripting almost
always streamlines things in every way. Hindsight, as always, is 20/20.
(Although, as I'm sure some of you know, this is very specific to the situation
and the particular website; some of them flat won't display half the download
options or links unless scripting is not disabled. Generally, this seems to be
"more the exception than the rule.") I'd like to thank Joseph for his
excellent, specific, well-thought-out responses to questions about resets and
the whole operating-system question in general. I'm not nearly as perplexed
about the shortcomings of the Apex as a lot of you on the list. I think this
has everything to do with the fact that I'm so much older-I had only a Perkins
Brailler for writing for most of my life, and I learned typing on a _manual
typewriter, which I myself find almost impossible to imagine! So I'm pretty
much blown away, still, by all of the neat wireless things the Apex allows me
to do, particularly downloading books and music (I use a computer and the Apex
daily at work, but am always in favor of anything that allows me to get
material directly onto the BrailleNote without involving another device; for
instance, I had no interest in BARD until they removed the necessity of my
going through the roundabout process of using a computer for something that I
always thought should be simpler.) Having said all that: as I'm sure you'all
have noticed, an increasing number of websites have features that are
partially, or totally, inaccessible to the Apex due to its "ancient browser"
(the actual wording of little warnings that appear at the tops of pages,
prompting me to do upgrades that I obviously can't do because of the nature of
.exe. applications, etc.) I would write a testimonial to all of the things
about the Apex that I love and use, but I don't see a way around the urgent
need, and "sooner rather than later", to somehow upgrade to _something newer
and more flexible than IE6! Yes, I know this is not an easy fix. I would rather
it is not based on going to something Android-based, but that's my own
prejudice, and I'm sure has a lot to do with being such a voracious Braille
reader spoiled by the size and portability of the Apex display. Certainly the
type and versatility of all kinds of apps just grows exponentially, so that
something I can't even imagine will come along that's more straightforward and
inclusive. Whatever it turns out to be, I hope work has already started on it.
Andy
Other related posts:
