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: vocal-eyes
Message-ID: <13692@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 25 Aug 90 04:30:51 GMT
Sender: news@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: 49
Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP

Index Number: 9976

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 AH>     How do you respond to the following argument?
 AH>      Given that using a Screen Reading program, the user must 
 AH>      give commands to the software he is using, and the voice 
 AH>  software, the keyboard is not big enough for everybody, if you 
 AH>  include in this the option of using keyboard mcros to drive 
 AH>  not only the voice software, but maybe the applications too! I 
 AH>  like not giving up any of my keys to Sddcreen Reader.

Al,
     I suppose that for some people, you make a valid point, but this
honestly is my feelings on the matter of a separate keypad.
    Not only do I not like taking my pinkies off the main keyboard, I
don't even like leaving the home row keys for the cursor pad!  I realize
that this has to be a pain in the butt by a programmers perspective, and
of course there are times when the exception key is going to have to be
pressed in order to send what would be a speech command to the
application, but without a doubt, at least for these very small (But
rough and manly!) hands that is a lot easier than leaving the keyboard
for another.
    Yeah, I did try the IBM Screen Reader system at both ACB
conventions, and yeah, it was a lot less awkward than I expected, but I
honestly don't think I could ever get as efficient with it as I am with
any of the speech systems I currently use.
     For sure, one of the nicest things I have found about Vocal-Eyes is
its ability to redefine, and in fact, to undefine, the keyboard.  You
were right Doug...On my extended keyboard and 386 I was able to define
the alt-:, alt-., alt-, etc., and by doing this and undefining things I
would seldomly need, I have a working Vocal-Eyes setup that hardly ever
neccesitates my hitting the alt-N which I have defined as the bypass key
(Does this setup sound familiar to any of you?) and yet one I can use
without ever moving my hands from their default position on the
keyboard.
     Al, I really do accept the fact that for some people and for some
uses a conflict free, second keypad may be a nice route, but a setup
where you can define only the speech keys you need is sure nice too, and
for those of us who have hands that tend to get into trouble whenever
they wander, it is the only way to go!
                                                        Willie
     

... Like a bat out of Bellevue!

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