Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!William.Wilson
From: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (William Wilson)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: JAWS CURSOR
Message-ID: <13049@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 23 Jul 90 20:34:08 GMT
Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP
Reply-To: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org
Distribution: misc
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA
Lines: 64
Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP

Index Number: 9423

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 DG> I think the idea jaws is convaying about not having to go in 
 DG> and out of review mode doesn't really hold water.  It seems to 
 DG> me that you have to constanly switch between jaws cursor and 
 DG> the applications cursor.  Why is that different then entering 
 DG> and exiting review mode?  They both take the same number of 
 DG> keystrokes.  If you are currently using the jaws cursor and you 
 DG> issue a command which moves the applications cursor then it 
 DG> seems you would want to be relative to the new cursor position 
 DG> not where the jaws cursor was last left.  Therefore, you would 
 DG> have to either synch the jaws cursor to the applications or 
 DG> return to the applications cursor mode.

Doug,
     Thankyou for your explanation of the Jaws cursor mode, cause to
tell the truth, and assuming you are correct, it is the first time Ifeel
like I understand what those JAWS users are talking about!
     Now, to add my two cents to this, it sure sounds like a tired old
story we got a long time ago when TALK, alias VOS, and Softvert were the
two major players in the game.  Ron Hutchinson always made a big deal
out of the fact that there was no need for screen review with his
program, and all I can say is that if you think navigation was easy
without it, and that a lot of application keys wern't pushed that had to
be aborted before going back, figuring out what speech command you
really wanted to give, and try again, you're better than me!  I was so
happy when I changed to Softvert and had a screen review mode that was
easy to move around in without fear of sending something to the
application, I felt like a kid on Christmas day!
     Well, since then, of course, Ron Hutchinson  added Roaming Reader
to Vos, his euphemism for screen review, and Jaws comes out with its
Jaws cursor!  I was going to ask Walter exactly what you did, and say
this as well.

You know, if the cursor tracking of the speech program is right on, as
it is with Flipper (Sorry Doug, but I ain't got Vocal-Eyes....yet!)
there just isn't any need to go into screen review or anything else when
answering prompts, filling out menu selections, etc.  For example, the
Opus Xpress reader program has what I think we will all agree is one of
the tricker to follow setup menus, etc.  Well, right out of the box,
when you enter it with Flipper, you hit the "read current line" hot key,
it reads you the correct item, you fill in the appropriate information,
hit the down arrow key, it reads you the next item, you fill it out,
etc.  In other words, the whole menu is filled out with but one speech
key, and this a hot key!  Heck, I never tried it, but there is even a
chance that with "extended automatic output" turned on it wouldn't be
necessary to hit that original hot key, it might be spoken
automatically!

In other words Walter, I don't see any reason why either screen review
or Jaws cursor mode is necessary if your speech program tracks the
application cursor properly, and if for some reason I should have to
reread the screen, give me the ability to do it without messing
something up!
                                                        Willie
 

... BlinkTalk, Dr. Deb and Silver in Pittsburgh!

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!William.Wilson
Internet: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org