Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING

  • From: "Bob W" <rwiley45@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:35:21 -0500

Dave.
I'm afraid I missed that particular piece of equipment but it really sounds 
interesting.

In the early eighties there were two approaches to interpreting visual data: 
the hardware solution (including the frank audio data, the IBM talking terminal 
and, to my mind the ultimate solution, the optacon. Then there were the 
software solutions exemplified by jaws (Hentor-Joyce) and Window-eyes (gwmicro) 
and the artic speech programs.

Sometimes I wish the hardware guys would have won the battles.

We wouldn't have to push websites and software developers to be accessible. 
Captias would be no problem. And a myriad other problems could have been solved 
if we truly found a hardware solution.

But we didn't. and they are still problems. 

Bob

"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed 
by those who are dumber." Aristotle 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dave Durber 
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2011 10:30 AM
  Subject: Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING


  Back in the 1980's, I remember a friend using a piece of equipment, called 
"Frank AudioData"

  It was a full size keyboard with built-in speech.  It had two sliders.

  One slider, ran along the top of the keyboard which moved the AudioData's 
cursor left and right across the line.  It used tones to indicate space 
characters and other characters as you moved the slider.

  The vertical slider ran down the left side of the keyboard and was used to 
move the AudioData's cursor up and down by a line.  As you moved the slider 
down the screen, it used ascending tones.  As you moved the slider up the 
screen it used descending tones.

  On top of the two sliders, there was a button which you press to move the 
PC/application cursor to the location of the AudioData's cursor.

  In addition, there were volume and pitch controls.  There may have been a 
control for increasing and decreasing the speed of the voice, but I cannot 
remember if there was or was not.

  Sincerely:

  Dave durber

  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Bob W 
    To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 10:35 PM
    Subject: Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING


    Yeah, I remember those beauties. You had speech from the moment you turned 
the power on. 
    They weren't very versatile but they were quite a work horse.
    Don't remember what they were called.
    I always wished someone would build something like that for pcs. 

    Bob

    "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being 
governed by those who are dumber." Aristotle 
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: George Marshall 
      To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
      Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 10:39 AM
      Subject: Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING


      Tom:
      I am surprised IBM didn't give you one of there terminals with speech. I 
also programmed on IBM 360,370 and 9000's. I think about 1982 IBM developed a 
terminal with speech, had a numeric like pad attached with a cord used to 
control reading of the screen.
      George R. Marshall
      marshall.geoma4@xxxxxxxxx
        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Tom Lange 
        To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
        Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 11:51 PM
        Subject: Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING


        Hi,
        I wish I'd known about JAWS back in the Eighties, it might have made 
life easier for me in some respects.  I did mainframe programming for IBM from 
1978 to 1994 in a VM environment, programming using the APL programming 
language up until around 1987 or so.  After that I programmed using Rexx, which 
was very English-like.  

        I didn't know about screen reading solutions for the PC until 1994, so 
all through that time I was at IBM, I used an Optacon to read the screen.  That 
was actually pretty cool, if a bit inefficient.

        Tom

          ----- Original Message ----- 
          From: Bob W 
          To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
          Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 8:20 AM
          Subject: Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING


          Hi Prakash.

          I am retired now, but was a mainframe programmer from the early 
seventies to the late 1990s. I used jaws from the early 80s to my retirement. I 
don't think I could have done programming without it.

          What you are proposing--going from a visual programmer to a nonvisual 
programmer--is a daunting, but not impossible, challenge.

          I suspect that you do not know Braille. Knowledge of Braille and an 
80-cell display would be a great tool to have in your arsenal. You don't need 
to learn literary Braille, or even grade two Braille (though this might be 
helpful. But, I would suggest that you emphasize learning computer Braille, 
which in some ways is superior to literary Braille.

          As I said earlier, your challenges may seem daunting, but they can 
also be fun, and they may enhance your creativity.

          Good luck, and when you run into problems, this list is a great place 
to seek answers.

          Bob




          A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know 
that thing you just did? Don't do that.' Douglas Adams  

            ----- Original Message ----- 
            From: john.falter 
            To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 11:04 PM
            Subject: Re: JFW/PROGRAMMING


            I programmed in assembly language and Cobol for 8 years using JAWS..

              ----- Original Message ----- 
              From: PRAKASH P 
              To: JFW@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
              Cc: PRAKASH P 
              Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 10:42 AM
              Subject: JFW/PROGRAMMING


              I HAVE RECENTLY  COME TO A POINT WHERE I CANNOT DO ANYTHING 
VISUALLY ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN. 

              I HAVE BEEN USING zOOMtEXT AUDIO  EFFECTIVELY UNTIL NOW. But now 
I am told JFW  is the way to go. 



              Can someone give  me a good  view/opinion of how 
effective/efficient would it b to do programming for a living with or without 
JFW. 



              I have 20 years of programming experience with MS environments 
being the  latest.  I am able to read all ctooll tip  based text  and the 
program text itself  but  not sure if I can  compete with 

              The visually   enhanced set.  I know I have much learning to do 
but I would like  a seasoned person to give  a sense of whats possible. 

              I am a good learner if not a speedy one. 



              I am trying to  figure out if I should or should not give up on 
serious implementation responsibilities. 



              Thanks for any and all  input  I can get. 



              Prakash







              Prakash



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