poulsen@sp1.csrd.uiuc.edu (David K. Poulsen) (06/06/91)
Index Number: 16000 Can anyone suggest a good C compiler for an IBM PC compatible 386 system running MS/DOS for a visually impaired programmer. This would require that it can interface to existing screen reader / voice synth systems such as SoftVert or IBM Screen Reader (or that the compiler has builtin support). It would be really nice if the compiler had an integrated debugging / editing environment like Lightspeed C, Turbo C, etc. Also, please suggest good, trustworthy places to buy these for cheap, prices, and if you're really up on the subject, where to get the manuals online or in braille. I'd be particularly interested in first-hand experience from other visually impaired programmers (but give me the details in novice-talk, I don't know much about this area at all being sighted... :-) . If you only have answers to some of the above send 'em in anyway! Please email (only, I don't usually read these groups) replies to: poulsen@csrd.uiuc.edu. Replies urgently needed soon. Thanks very much! Dave Poulsen
campbell%hpdmd48@hplabs.HP.COM (Gary Campbell) (06/13/91)
Index Number: 16028 What will work will depend very much on what screen reading program you are using. I have been able to use Microsoft C 6.0 with the JAWS (version I.) screen reader, and I think Turbo C++ 1.0 is going to work with Artic Vision 3.03, but I've just looked at the tutorial so far. In both cases it will take some getting used to, and the ability to filter pop-up windows out of lines of screen text in your head will be very very helpful. The screen reader needs to be able to speak screen colors or attributes to identify highlights. It may be possible to make these easier to use by writing a special configuration for the speech system, possibly in conjunction with judicious changes to the screen colors used by the proggram, but I haven't worked on that yet. One nice thing about Microsoft C is that it uses the system cursor instead of a highlight bar in the help system, and much of the time the help information covers the entire screen instead of popping up in the middle of something else. Most C compiler systems also have a command line version, which should work with most any access system. -- Gary Campbell campbell@hpdmd48.BOI.HP.COM