[comp.sys.apple] comment about apple vs ibm

mdlawler@bsu-cs.UUCP (Mike Lawler) (02/10/89)

I have noticed that there has been a lot of discussion on the net lately about
apple verses ibm.  I'd like to make one comment.  I'm blind so I have to use
software to read the screen.  I use an echo synthesizer with textalker v 3.1.
It can make basic programs and programs written espically written for it talk.
Besides these two examples I'm out of luck.  Reguardless of what tru "apple
owners" think I use a Laser 128.  It's cheaper and it runs all of the programs
that I can make talk.  I've tried both dos and prodos.  I now use an ibm AT
clone most of the time.  I use an echo synthesizer with scrntalk v 2.3.
Scrntalk uses Prokey which is a macro generater for the ibm.  First of all
many programs talk right out of the package without any modifications on the
ibm and if they don't I can use prokey to generate macros that will make them
talk.  The Mac also doesn't talk well.  In fact, I don't even know of any
screen reading software for it.  It is windo driven and basically unaccessable,
so I don't care how good it is I wouldn't own one for that reason.  I'm not
saying that apple is junk.  I started learning about computers on the apple
and this training caused me to decide to major in computer science.  I have
computer roots in apple, but the ibm allows many more things to talk therefore
making them accessable to me.  I think that all of you would aggree with me
if you were blind and had to use screen reading software.  In fact, then you
wouldn't even care about graphics but thats a different matter.