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From: Dave.Tanner@p0.f210.n273.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Tanner)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: screen readers
Message-ID: <17591@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 4 Feb 91 17:22:33 GMT
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[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

In a message of <17 Jan 91 17:25:00>, Doug Geoffray (1:369/8) writes:

 > > GD> Well Doug, I guess I'm one of those people who calls it like I
 > GD> see it. At least I'm honest. The Sounding Board and Vocal-Eyes
 > GD> is what I'm going to train people with initially.  It is a
 > GD> dependable, responsive, and easy system to learn.
 > GD> I'm very very pleased with your products.
 >
 >Grant,
 >  I don't know how to thank you for sending me this message.  It really
 >made Dan and I feel great.  I really appreciate it.
 >
 >Regards,
 >  Doug
 >

     Doug,

As you know we have been using Vocal-eyes at ASB now for several
months, of course we have been monotering closely developments with
other companies and their speech products, and I have to say that
we still find Vocal-eyes the best for all around usability.  No, it
isn't perfect, but neither is any other software.  The main thing
is that it comes the closest to answering the problems of accessing
MS DOS software of any of the speech products now on the market.

Without starting any wars here I have heard a lot of hype about a
couple of other speech products, but since they have been released
it appears that much of what they do are nothing but copies of
features already available in Vocal-eyes or some other speech
software, and even with the duplication of features the new, highly
touted release has several major bugs and problems with some very
basic things like communications software.

Keep up the great work, you have more going for you and Vocal-eyes
than anybody, and you are by far more responsive to the needs of
the users of your software than anyone I know.  And, I will add you
have had a reputation for being responsive to user needs for a long
time; something that few of the other players in the speech
software game can say.

Now that I have you buttered up real good, when are you going to
let us have a Vocal-eyes that can access Windows 3.0?  It seems
that half the articles in the weekly and monthly computer
publications are touting GUI (Graphics User Interface) as the way
in which the field is going.  Are we going to be left out of this
change and again limited in our access because of our lack of
ability to access these graphics based operating systems?  How does
the blind PC user access Unix or OS2 with speech, Braille, or large
print?  You are going to be awfully busy trying to keep up aren't
you?

Maybe some of the other speech manufacturers should take on some of
these other areas instead of trying to compete in a market that is
really getting too cluttered with too many different products that
are copies of each other.
     Dave Tanner

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