Al.Hoffman@p0.f143.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Al Hoffman) (11/20/90)
Index Number: 11877
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
Bill:
Screen Reader comes made with a lot of pre-written Pal(s). You
can, for example--set up monitor windows, assign window numbers, set
action-bar monitoring, look for boxes, etc. Basically the time to
write special new Pal(s) is when you need a combination of several
functions, or something very complex such as watching for a certain
word and then reading another screen window, or maybe something like
every other time you see a certain phrase oor set of things then read
several different dynamically changing areas of the screen.
Such as:
If the right corner of the top line of the screen is blue-blinking,
and the left corner of the bottom line of the screen is red blinking,
then if the third line has the word "quit," or "escape," then read
the window for box #3. Where box three is a defined box that changes
depending upon the programs other modules.
Sure, thats pretty far out, but you can get great results with
stuff like that--but you can live without it with the basic Screen
REader package. Personally I feel that Screen Reader probablly isn't
the thing for all minds, if you know you definitely won't try learning
a Pal language then maybe some other program is best for you. Its
simply a matter of power verses simplicity. Neither is best in all
situations, but in the end if you have a troublesome program to use
Screen Reader will let you have more ways at cracking the barrier
than anything else I have played with. Its more of a working platform
from which you can get hold of your computing environment rather than
a tool you use to inquire into your environment.
Its good to see questions about this topic because I think a
melding of the two worlds of the complex and simple will end up with
a great system. For example Screen REader like programs will one
day probablly have a fourth generation language to drive the Pal type
production. You will "tell," your system what you want and it will
create the technical stuff for you.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!143.0!Al.Hoffman
Internet: Al.Hoffman@p0.f143.n109.z1.fidonet.orgmattioli@took.enet.dec.com (John R. Mattioli) (12/01/90)
Index Number: 12061 In article <15785@bunker.UUCP>, Al.Hoffman@p0.f143.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Al Hoffman) writes... > > Screen Reader comes made with a lot of pre-written Pal(s). > Here's a question regarding screen reader and it's pals. My question basically boils down to who does the programming? Obviously, IBM can't know all of the applications you want to use. If they provide pal code for use with lotus 1-2-3, and I like Supercalc5 better (which I actually do) do I have to go in and rewrite all the pals? Next question: I know that screen reader can do all sorts of fansy screen monitoring, but can it also monitor the keyboard and have special programs associated with each key (kind of like a macro processor but more complicated). For example, if I'm running a program on a remote system and using the pc as a terminal, and if the application on the remote system has a very different keyboard definition, can screen reader be made to work. Example: say the numeric keypad 2 is redefined to put the cursor at the end of the line or maybe, in a word processor, the keypad 8 is used to justify a block of text. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Mattioli Most improved skier (american blind skiers association 1989) and humble to! (DEC E-NET) TOOK::MATTIOLI (UUCP) {decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!TOOK.dec.com!MATTIOLI (ARPA) MATTIOLI@TOOK.dec.com MATTIOLI%TOOK.dec.com@decwrl.dec.com (US MAIL) John Mattioli 550 King St. LKG2-2/BB9 Littleton, Ma. 01460