[Ham-Computers] Re Assistance Needed, Please

Wed, 7 Jan 2004 11:53:26 -0500

Paul, 	

I am aware of the plug in downloads. Notice the plural. It is unfortunately not
that simple. It only works with ONE version of Adobe, JFW (the screen reading
software), version of Windows, version of MSIE and so forth. It is very
specific, very difficult to configure and not all that good. I attempted it once
upon a time, but after 3 Meg of downloads ... I decided I did not need it that
badly.	

The latest version, so I am told, does offer an option to read text, but it does
not have any interactive user interface. Which means, you can listen to it read,
but nothing more. You can not control what it reads, how it reads, when it reads
etc.	

I am also told it only works with Windows XP and JFW 4.0 for XP. I do not have
XP, nor do I want it. The software program alone to read is $795!   	

Many people confuse having a screen spoken with a screen reading program, which
are two totally differnt entities. Simply put, a screen reading program such as
JFW (JAWS For Windows) allows the blind user full interaction with the computer
and allows full control of all speech and reading functions. A simple routine to
speak the screen does exactly that and nothing more. A case of "look but can't
touch", if you will. The user can not read a specific line, hear key strokes,
move the speech cursor to a desired area, control the rate, pitch, voice or
whatever and so forth.	

The ability to read a screen only, is more or less, a feeble attempt by Adobe to
avoid lawsuits for violating the ADA federal laws. AOL was already sued, and
lost. EBAY is in the works.   	

Another problem with Adobe products is their propensity for locking up your
system. When installed they change settings, including the video display driver,
without asking or telling the user it has happened. I had a system trashed by
the installation of Adobe Photo Deluxe to be used by my grandson. I could not
even boot in Windows in safe mode! Two computer techs told me there was no way
out but to reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything. Frankly, I do not
believe in that as a first line option, it is an absolute last resort. It is
only suggested for two reasons:	

1. The person who is called a Tech or software engineer, is anything but. Has no
training as one. Simply types in a question and reads the answer that pops up on
the CRT. 	

2. The user has no clue and the person in tech support knows it is a lost cause
trying to walk them through anything that requires even a modest knowledge of
how to use the computer, besides move the mouse and push the buttons.    	

I knew it had to be one line in a system file that Adobe had changed. I used my
trusty old DOS, checked the system.ini file and there it was. The very first
line. Adobe had REM out the video driver and changed it to a different one that
was not compatible with the system. I deleted that line and removed the "REM" in
front of the correct line. Saved the file. Rebooted the system. End of problem!
Now why didn't a tech support person know this? Because they are not tech's and
are not trained to be, just a name. 	

The problem with Adobe, and Norton also, is that they take over specific areas
of the HMA, (high memory area) and many software programs that also use this
area can no longer use it. Hence, a memory conflict or system crash. I like the
Norton products, but I avoid them for this reason. This is not a new issue, it
goes back over fifteen yeaars to DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.0 	

Sometimes with the speech synthesizer software it happens because the software
is using the sound card for the hardware synthesizer, which I never do. This is
called the 'software synthesizer', whic is prone to conflicts such as no .wav
files, loss of normal Windows sounds and so forth. However, it is far less
expensive than paying from $500-$1100 for a hardware synthesizer. he hardware
version I use is very much like what you hear on NOAA weater radios, by the way.
I always use either an internal card or external device off COM#1 to avoid these
conflicts. It is very difficult to get various software packages to work with
screen reading software because of the lack of standardization among companies
in the type of code used to write the program and the allocation of memory and
more. When DOS was the OS, it became possible for a blind person to use almost
any program written. Remember that DOS used the ASCII character sets which have
a numerical value for every letter, number, punctuation mark and so forth. When
Windows came along, ASCII went away and the GUI (graphic user interface) became
the norm. A graphic symbol has no speakable value. Hence a completely different
system had to be invented to make the Windows text speakable. Remember, even
though you see a printed letter such as "A", it is made up of graphic
characters. These graphic characters, or symbols, now assume many different
forms, not one as with ASCII. Depending on the language used to write the code,
C+++, javascript, bit maping or whatever, each letter is now useless until a
special routine is written to convert it to a form that can be assigned speech
attributes. Because nobody in the whole blasted industry uses the same format,
this is one huge problem for the small third party companies who write the
screen reading speech programs for the blind, sight handicapped and print
handicapped computer users.  	

It was five years before the blind had a program that would work with Windows
after its original release!	

Now check this out. I use three computer systems. I am totally blind and I live
alone. The DOS screen program cost $495. The Windows screen readin program cost
$795. The DECTALK PC hardware speech synthesizer cards which I cought wholesale,
cost $780 each! The program to convert a scanned document, text only, to a
speakable format cost $995 plus a B/W flatbed scanner, a HP 3P for another $400.
The software to enable me to check a map, cost $595! Are you getting the picture
here? No I am not rich. A blind person does not get these programs free from the
state or the federal government, he/she either comes up with the cash or goes
without. The programs are written for the government, colleges, rehab
institutions such as the Veterans Administration, state rehab facilities and
school systems. Why? Because the blind person simply can not afford to buy them,
they cost a lot of money to develop and the small third party developers have to
recover their money somehow.  	

The bottom line is, the people who need the marvelous aids, appliances and
computer adaptive equipment are the ones least able to afford it. I thought, and
boy was I wrong, that when technology reduced the cost of the hardware needed to
make 'things talk', that the products would be affordable for the handicapped.
Lots of new devices too; like a talking wall thermostat, talking TV remote,
talking compass, talking calendars, talking newspapers read by phone and so
forth.  Wrong! Instead, they dropped them! You can not buy a talking calculator
now, Sharp made the last ones almost twenty years ago. They were not made for
the blind, rather a sighted novelty. I remember some actress on the Tonight show
playing with one. RS made a talking VOM, but not for the blind in particular,
gone eight years ago. Most of what is out there now is for the sighted, not the
blind. Such as talking watches, clocks, bathroom scales and so forth. The
technology is dirt cheap now, but developers have a narrow market, low price and
can not make a big enough profit, so they go away.		

I apologize for the bandwidth here, but I thought perhaps if I gave you a little
insight into what really is going on it might make you better able to understand
the frustration of the handicapped who desperately need such devices, the
technology exists and is cheap, but because of not enough profit, it does not
materialize.   	

Duane Fischer, W8DBF	

----------
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] Re Assistance Needed, Please
Date: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 9:23 AM

>Adobe Acrobat does not work with screen reading software, used by >those who
are visually impaired, as I am.

Actually it does, but for some stranger reason, Adobe's not openly advertising
the plugin that makes this possible.

Paul W5PDA

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