ramzi@boulder.Colordo.EDU (Ramzi AlMajid) (07/28/90)
Index Number: 9596 hello i am a blind person with RP. i'd like to know if there are people out there who are using computers with speech synthesizers that would read screens. i am also interested in scanners that would scan text and produce ascii and/or read the text. suggestions, pointers, or hints are appreciated. thanks -Ramzi [Note from Bill Bill McGarry: Okay, you blinktalkers out there, where do you start with this?] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Ramzi AlMajid Office: Computer Science Department University of Colorado - Boulder Campus Box: 430 Boulder, Co 80309-430 (303)-492-5964 E-Mail: ramzi@boulder.Colorado.Edu Fax: (303)-492-2844 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danny.Keys@p0.f5.n119.z1.fidonet.org (Danny Keys) (12/29/90)
Index Number: 12599
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
I agree with you completely. But I got the destinct empression that you
were chalenging folks to respond to your message.
If there were 1 screen reader whitch did it all, well then, there would
be no more need to develop screen readers now would there?
Again, it seamed like you were trying to say that your screen reader was
the best, and that is why i responded.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!119!5.0!Danny.Keys
Internet: Danny.Keys@p0.f5.n119.z1.fidonet.orgDanny.Keys@p0.f5.n119.z1.fidonet.org (Danny Keys) (01/08/91)
Index Number: 12662
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
Yes I have used jaws, and I do think that it is really a good screen
reader.
The only reason I ever started to reply to the first message was because
I beleive that there are several good screen access programs, and I just
wanted to get a subject going. I am not trying to say that one program
is better than the other, but as you know we all have our likes and
dislikes of not only screen readers, but also the other software whitch
we use every day.
Anyway, that is about all for now.
We could beat this subject to death like the exit seating on airlines.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!119!5.0!Danny.Keys
Internet: Danny.Keys@p0.f5.n119.z1.fidonet.orgDonald.Roberts@p0.f5.n119.z1.fidonet.org (Donald Roberts) (01/23/91)
Index Number: 13154
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
I've seen several messages from various persons stating that the screen
reader they use is superior to Vert. This may well be true. But I
would greatly appreciate it if persons making such claims would tell me
the specific areas in which they believe their particular reader is
superior. I use Soft Vert in conjunction with Accent speech and have
been very pleased with the results. I have also seen Vocal Eyes and
think it is great. I am using the 4.5 version of Soft Vert and it
appearss to me to have features which are comparable to Vocal Eyes. I
would appreciate anyone's input regarding the differences between the
two programs. Thanks.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!119!5.0!Donald.Roberts
Internet: Donald.Roberts@p0.f5.n119.z1.fidonet.orgDoug.Geoffray@f8.n369.z1.fidonet.org (Doug Geoffray) (01/23/91)
Index Number: 13187
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
DR> I use Soft Vert
DR> in conjunction with Accent speech and have been very pleased
DR> with the results. I have also seen Vocal Eyes and think it is
DR> great. I am using the 4.5 version of Soft Vert and it appearss
DR> to me to have features which are comparable to Vocal Eyes. I
DR> would appreciate anyone's input regarding the differences
DR> between the two programs.
Donald,
I almost did not reply to this because I don't like to down play
the other guy. I hope that someone else here will reply as well. It
is difficult for me to be unbias. Also, just for the record as I have
said before, I don't feel any screen reader is the best!
Here are a few features I believe set Vocal-Eyes from some of the othere:
1) You can go a long way without using any kind of macro. This saves
memory and complexity. Vocal-Eyes offers 46 cursoring keys which are
application keys that you assign what should be spoken after the
application program aks on it.
2) You can load up to 9 voice environments in memory at one time and
switch between them with two keypresses. Of course, you can always load
from disk at any time. You don't have to be at the DOS prompt.
3) Vocal-Eyes is very visual. This is very important in sighted
environments.
4) It works in extended or expanded memory. If you load Vocal-Eyes in
DOS RAM it only takes 52K. If you don't want the review help, that
drops to 42K. If you load in Extended or expanded regardless it only
takes 2K of DOS RAM regardless of the buffers or help screens.
5) Every single hot key without exception can be definable by the user.
There is no exception to this!
6) Not only do you have the ability to read the current character, word
and line but you can also read the sentence and paragraph. You can read
the previous and next for any of these as well.
7) Vocal-Eyes offers a screen cut and paste. You can make a copy of
something on the screen and later dump it out at the cursor position as
if you typed it in.
8) Extensive and well written manual. We have not gotten one bad review
on the manual. And for a computer manual that is hard to believe.
Well, Donald, these are just a few of the features I believe make Vocal-Eyes
stand out from the others. I have noticed some of these features start
popping up in new releases of other screen readers. This is why I am
currently in the process of creating a new release of Vocal-Eyes. At that
time I will be able to give you a much bigger list then this.
Regards,
Doug
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!369!8!Doug.Geoffray
Internet: Doug.Geoffray@f8.n369.z1.fidonet.orgDave.Tanner@p0.f210.n273.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Tanner) (02/05/91)
Index Number: 13472 [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 -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!273!210.0!Dave.Tanner Internet: Dave.Tanner@p0.f210.n273.z1.fidonet.org