You can get this version by going to
www.majorgeeks.com/Skype_d4245.html.
Here are the changes in this version:
feature: Getting Started Wizard improvement
bugfix: Installer error 1603
bugfix: Sound setting not saved on Vista
bugfix: Accessibility problems with screen readers resolved
bugfix: Delay when playing notification sounds
bugfix: Incoming call is not sent to Voicemail if user rejects it
bugfix: On some rare cases conference call participants were muted
bugfix: Skype crashes sometimes when ending a call
bugfix: NTLM proxy authentication did not work
bugfix API:App2App transfers did not work as expected
Language files updated
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Miriani Sound Pack Version 6 Released
The latest version of the Miriani Sound Pack is out so that means there will be more sounds. This sound pack only works in Monkey Term. You can
click here
to get the pack and some additional files for your screen reader as well as the actual Monkey Term Client.
Here are the changes:
Added snazzy new message board sound. Thanks Albori.
I've gone fishin, literally. Now there's fishing sounds.
added slot machine sounds, but they are scarce to find.
window eyes automatically loads.
f2 and f3 ajust volume now
volume stays in the correct bounds now.
files are in their own miriani folder. there is no separate scripts folder anymore.
If you don't know what Miriani is, you can find out by going to
http://www.toastsoft.net.
click here
to get the pack and some additional files for your screen reader as well as the actual Monkey Term Client.
Here are the changes:
Added snazzy new message board sound. Thanks Albori.
I've gone fishin, literally. Now there's fishing sounds.
added slot machine sounds, but they are scarce to find.
window eyes automatically loads.
f2 and f3 ajust volume now
volume stays in the correct bounds now.
files are in their own miriani folder. there is no separate scripts folder anymore.
If you don't know what Miriani is, you can find out by going to
http://www.toastsoft.net.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
NVDA 0.5 Released
Finally after two and a half months of hard work, we are glad to release the long-awaited NVDA version 0.5. This version contains over forty changes, including
many bug fixes and some pretty cool new features.
NVDA now comes with the
eSpeak
synthesizer built right in, meaning that NVDA no longer depends on SAPI4 or SAPI 5 to speak. This lite-weight, free, and open source synth supports over
twenty different languages, and is very responsive.
NVDA now comes packaged with an easy to use talking installer, which allows you to install NVDA on your computer with out sighted assistance or the use
of another screen reader. Once NVDA is installed, you can now run it both from the start menu, and by pressing control+alt+n. For users wishing to run
NVDA off a USB thumb drive or CD, you still of course have the option of downloading a portable zip file version.
To read about all the other changes, or to download a copy, visit the
Download section
I think this is a very impressive screen reader because the development is pretty quick and there are interesting features. Also, it works with a lot of programs. Go to the
NVDA website
and get your copy today!
many bug fixes and some pretty cool new features.
NVDA now comes with the
eSpeak
synthesizer built right in, meaning that NVDA no longer depends on SAPI4 or SAPI 5 to speak. This lite-weight, free, and open source synth supports over
twenty different languages, and is very responsive.
NVDA now comes packaged with an easy to use talking installer, which allows you to install NVDA on your computer with out sighted assistance or the use
of another screen reader. Once NVDA is installed, you can now run it both from the start menu, and by pressing control+alt+n. For users wishing to run
NVDA off a USB thumb drive or CD, you still of course have the option of downloading a portable zip file version.
To read about all the other changes, or to download a copy, visit the
Download section
I think this is a very impressive screen reader because the development is pretty quick and there are interesting features. Also, it works with a lot of programs. Go to the
NVDA website
and get your copy today!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Updated JAWS Scripts Available for Skype 3.2
The Skype scripts for JAWS have been updated to 416. You can get it by
clicking here.
clicking here.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Skype version 3.2.0.152 now available
You can get this release of Skype at
www.skype.com>
Here are the changes in this version:
change: Call forwarding setup banner
change: Extras Manager updated to version 1.2.0.257
bugfix: Error 2739 while installing Skype
www.skype.com>
Here are the changes in this version:
change: Call forwarding setup banner
change: Extras Manager updated to version 1.2.0.257
bugfix: Error 2739 while installing Skype
HomerKit 2.1 Released
Executable installer
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.exe
Zip archive
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.zip
HomerKit 2.1
Released May 23, 2007
Fixed The Select Chunk command, Control+Space, not extending the selection
with subsequent key presses. Fixed the Jump command, Control+J, going to
the line before the one specified.
Fixed common dialogs, such as Open File, Save File, or Browse for Folder,
sometimes not becoming the active window when used for the first time.
Restored the native functionality of Alt+RightArrow, Alt+LeftArrow, and
Control+Q in Internet Explorer (IE), as well as F4 in Microsoft
Outlook/Outlook Express (OL). Worked around a couple of key conflicts
between Homer bookmark commands and JAWS/IE placemarker commands: now use
Alt+Shift+K to set a temporary placemarker, and JAWSKey+Control+K to
select a placemarker. In JAWS Script Manager, assigned Alt+D to delete
the current script or function definition, and made it read the current
line afterward.
Fixed the message list window not being recognized in Outlook Express. In
OL, improved reliability of the Save or Append commands, Control+S or
Control+Shift+S. Like in IE, Control+S proposes a unique file name, using
a numeric suffix if needed. Control+Shift+S lets you append text on the
same topic.
Made the executable installer initialize the Perl component, thus avoiding
an initial delay during subsequent user tasks. More precisely, this
component is initialized the first time in a JAWS session that a
Homer-supported application window is activated, including a page in
Internet Explorer.
Homer scripts may be deleted in order to restore the functionality of
scripts by Freedom Scientific in the All Users script folder. a new batch
file, called DelAppScripts.bat, may assist with this procedure. It does
not remove the core Homer script library files (those matching Homer* and
Editor*), but effectively uninstalls the application script sets by
deleting their files. It may be run from the Homer subfolder of the user
script folder, either in Windows Explorer or at a command prompt.
Corrected hot key summaries for IE and OL -- presented with JAWSKey+H in
the virtual viewer or Alt+Shift+H in a text editor. Added a description
of JAWS Script Exchange (JSX) to the Miscellaneous Tools section of the
documentation for the Homer script library (HomerLib.htm).
Jamal
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.exe
Zip archive
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.zip
HomerKit 2.1
Released May 23, 2007
Fixed The Select Chunk command, Control+Space, not extending the selection
with subsequent key presses. Fixed the Jump command, Control+J, going to
the line before the one specified.
Fixed common dialogs, such as Open File, Save File, or Browse for Folder,
sometimes not becoming the active window when used for the first time.
Restored the native functionality of Alt+RightArrow, Alt+LeftArrow, and
Control+Q in Internet Explorer (IE), as well as F4 in Microsoft
Outlook/Outlook Express (OL). Worked around a couple of key conflicts
between Homer bookmark commands and JAWS/IE placemarker commands: now use
Alt+Shift+K to set a temporary placemarker, and JAWSKey+Control+K to
select a placemarker. In JAWS Script Manager, assigned Alt+D to delete
the current script or function definition, and made it read the current
line afterward.
Fixed the message list window not being recognized in Outlook Express. In
OL, improved reliability of the Save or Append commands, Control+S or
Control+Shift+S. Like in IE, Control+S proposes a unique file name, using
a numeric suffix if needed. Control+Shift+S lets you append text on the
same topic.
Made the executable installer initialize the Perl component, thus avoiding
an initial delay during subsequent user tasks. More precisely, this
component is initialized the first time in a JAWS session that a
Homer-supported application window is activated, including a page in
Internet Explorer.
Homer scripts may be deleted in order to restore the functionality of
scripts by Freedom Scientific in the All Users script folder. a new batch
file, called DelAppScripts.bat, may assist with this procedure. It does
not remove the core Homer script library files (those matching Homer* and
Editor*), but effectively uninstalls the application script sets by
deleting their files. It may be run from the Homer subfolder of the user
script folder, either in Windows Explorer or at a command prompt.
Corrected hot key summaries for IE and OL -- presented with JAWSKey+H in
the virtual viewer or Alt+Shift+H in a text editor. Added a description
of JAWS Script Exchange (JSX) to the Miscellaneous Tools section of the
documentation for the Homer script library (HomerLib.htm).
Jamal
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Explanation of Why Freedom Scientific is Filing a Lawsuit Against Serotek Corperation
Today I recieved an e-mail on the Blindtech Mailing List from Jonathan Mosen about why Freedom Scientific is filing a lawsuit against Serotek corperation. The e-mail is below:
Last week, Freedom Scientific, Inc. filed suit against Serotek Corporation
for trademark infringement with respect to the FreedomBox range of products.
Since then, the matter has been discussed at length on some
blindness-related blogs and e-mail lists. I'd like by way of this message to
clarify what I view as some of the objectives of the suit. I am a Vice
President at Freedom Scientific, and am extremely proud to work there.
However writing this message is my own initiative as a former technology
journalist. My aim in doing this is that people at least get a chance to
consider facts over rhetoric.
Firstly, let me talk a little about trademark law. A trademark's purpose is
to exclusively identify a source and origin of products. Importantly, a
trademark only applies to a certain range of goods or services. One of the
questions I have seen on e-mail lists is, "how can Freedom Scientific claim
to own the word Freedom." By taking this action, Freedom Scientific is not
seeking to do this. Rather, Freedom Scientific is simply enforcing the
Freedom Scientific trademark, which it owns for certain goods. Freedom
Scientific has invested to establish its trademarks and is only seeking to
enforce these valuable rights. Freedom Scientific has the legal right, and
the obligation to its customers and shareholders, to protect the use of its
trademark in the context of assistive technology. The concept of using
common words in trademarks is common - for example the use of the word Apple
to describe a computer company. As is well known through recent news
stories, Apple is quite entitled to own this name in the context of computer
hardware and software products. It does not, of course, mean that Apple has
any rights to the name when you eat a piece of fruit. Trademarks can
co-exist where there is no similarity between the businesses. For example,
Delta Airlines and Delta Faucets are trademarks, but there is no issue there
because the businesses' purposes are totally different and there is no room
for confusion. Freedom Scientific is confident that its trademark rights
will be upheld. The broadening of scope of the FreedomBox products to
include products like FreedomBox System Access (FBSA) offering access to
mainstream applications only exacerbates the infringement.
Trademarks are not some abstract thing. They are a company's reputation.
They are legal property, and you can't simply take someone's property
without their consent.
Secondly, I'd like to turn to the question, "why now." All sorts of bizarre
speculation have been put forward as to the timing of this suit. Freedom
Scientific made Serotek well aware of its position on this matter, but
unfortunately Serotek was unwilling to negotiate a settlement to this
matter. No one likes having to go to court, but if you genuinely believe
your property rights are being trampled upon, in the end there is no choice
but to do so if you are unable to get a resolution any other way.
Thirdly, it has been said that Freedom Scientific is giving the blind
community no credit by taking this action, and that everyone knows the
difference between the two product lines. Rest assured, this is most
certainly not the case. I can tell you that Freedom Scientific has been
contacted by Serotek customers seeking technical support, or even wanting to
buy a Serotek product. Thus, there is a likelihood of confusion.
Fourthly, a petition has been established by the hosts of ACB Radio's Main
Menu, calling itself the Save Serotek petition. The grossly misleading name
of this petition implies that somehow Freedom Scientific's objective is to
put Serotek out of business. As a result of the sensationalist name, many
commenters to the Petition have made comments to this effect. All Freedom
Scientific is seeking to do is protect its property and to seek appropriate
compensation for the unlawful use of it.
The objective here is not to put Serotek out of business. 2007 has already
seen great innovation from Freedom Scientific and there's plenty more to
come. Honest competition inspires excellence and is good news for the
customer. But I stress the word "honest." Yes, many people in assistive
technology are motivated by a strong sense of purpose and commitment to
making a difference. But these companies are still commercial entities, who
have every right to use the legal system to protect their property if they
think they need to, just as you have a right to use the legal system if
someone breaks into your house and takes something belonging to you
In closing, I hope that those genuinely interested in the facts of this
matter will take the time to read up on trademark case law, but most
importantly, will let the judicial process take its course. It occurs to me
that if Freedom Scientific has got it as wrong as a few people claim, then
what do they have to fear? A jury will dismiss the case. I doubt that will
happen though. If the law has been broken as I believe it has, then Freedom
Scientific is quite entitled to redress.
My hope is that sanity prevails and that Serotek has both the courage and
the decency to brand its products in a fashion that wasn't already being
used in this industry. I think they would gain a lot of respect from the
blind community for acting honourably. Fair competition is not too much to
ask for, and it most certainly is worth fighting for.
Those interested in the subject of trademarks may like to take a look at the
Wikipedia entry on the subject, found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark.
Jonathan Mosen
Last week, Freedom Scientific, Inc. filed suit against Serotek Corporation
for trademark infringement with respect to the FreedomBox range of products.
Since then, the matter has been discussed at length on some
blindness-related blogs and e-mail lists. I'd like by way of this message to
clarify what I view as some of the objectives of the suit. I am a Vice
President at Freedom Scientific, and am extremely proud to work there.
However writing this message is my own initiative as a former technology
journalist. My aim in doing this is that people at least get a chance to
consider facts over rhetoric.
Firstly, let me talk a little about trademark law. A trademark's purpose is
to exclusively identify a source and origin of products. Importantly, a
trademark only applies to a certain range of goods or services. One of the
questions I have seen on e-mail lists is, "how can Freedom Scientific claim
to own the word Freedom." By taking this action, Freedom Scientific is not
seeking to do this. Rather, Freedom Scientific is simply enforcing the
Freedom Scientific trademark, which it owns for certain goods. Freedom
Scientific has invested to establish its trademarks and is only seeking to
enforce these valuable rights. Freedom Scientific has the legal right, and
the obligation to its customers and shareholders, to protect the use of its
trademark in the context of assistive technology. The concept of using
common words in trademarks is common - for example the use of the word Apple
to describe a computer company. As is well known through recent news
stories, Apple is quite entitled to own this name in the context of computer
hardware and software products. It does not, of course, mean that Apple has
any rights to the name when you eat a piece of fruit. Trademarks can
co-exist where there is no similarity between the businesses. For example,
Delta Airlines and Delta Faucets are trademarks, but there is no issue there
because the businesses' purposes are totally different and there is no room
for confusion. Freedom Scientific is confident that its trademark rights
will be upheld. The broadening of scope of the FreedomBox products to
include products like FreedomBox System Access (FBSA) offering access to
mainstream applications only exacerbates the infringement.
Trademarks are not some abstract thing. They are a company's reputation.
They are legal property, and you can't simply take someone's property
without their consent.
Secondly, I'd like to turn to the question, "why now." All sorts of bizarre
speculation have been put forward as to the timing of this suit. Freedom
Scientific made Serotek well aware of its position on this matter, but
unfortunately Serotek was unwilling to negotiate a settlement to this
matter. No one likes having to go to court, but if you genuinely believe
your property rights are being trampled upon, in the end there is no choice
but to do so if you are unable to get a resolution any other way.
Thirdly, it has been said that Freedom Scientific is giving the blind
community no credit by taking this action, and that everyone knows the
difference between the two product lines. Rest assured, this is most
certainly not the case. I can tell you that Freedom Scientific has been
contacted by Serotek customers seeking technical support, or even wanting to
buy a Serotek product. Thus, there is a likelihood of confusion.
Fourthly, a petition has been established by the hosts of ACB Radio's Main
Menu, calling itself the Save Serotek petition. The grossly misleading name
of this petition implies that somehow Freedom Scientific's objective is to
put Serotek out of business. As a result of the sensationalist name, many
commenters to the Petition have made comments to this effect. All Freedom
Scientific is seeking to do is protect its property and to seek appropriate
compensation for the unlawful use of it.
The objective here is not to put Serotek out of business. 2007 has already
seen great innovation from Freedom Scientific and there's plenty more to
come. Honest competition inspires excellence and is good news for the
customer. But I stress the word "honest." Yes, many people in assistive
technology are motivated by a strong sense of purpose and commitment to
making a difference. But these companies are still commercial entities, who
have every right to use the legal system to protect their property if they
think they need to, just as you have a right to use the legal system if
someone breaks into your house and takes something belonging to you
In closing, I hope that those genuinely interested in the facts of this
matter will take the time to read up on trademark case law, but most
importantly, will let the judicial process take its course. It occurs to me
that if Freedom Scientific has got it as wrong as a few people claim, then
what do they have to fear? A jury will dismiss the case. I doubt that will
happen though. If the law has been broken as I believe it has, then Freedom
Scientific is quite entitled to redress.
My hope is that sanity prevails and that Serotek has both the courage and
the decency to brand its products in a fashion that wasn't already being
used in this industry. I think they would gain a lot of respect from the
blind community for acting honourably. Fair competition is not too much to
ask for, and it most certainly is worth fighting for.
Those interested in the subject of trademarks may like to take a look at the
Wikipedia entry on the subject, found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark.
Jonathan Mosen
A Neat and Useful Command for Windows
Today I just found out a really cool command that works in Windows. Do you sometimes come across a dialogue with the buttons Yes, No, and Yes to All? And do you sometimes wish that there was a no to all button?
Well there is a command in Windows that is the same as clicking or hitting enter on a "no to all button." Hold down the shift key and then hit the letter N on your keyboard. I hope you find this command useful.
Well there is a command in Windows that is the same as clicking or hitting enter on a "no to all button." Hold down the shift key and then hit the letter N on your keyboard. I hope you find this command useful.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Freedom Scientific Suing Serotek
From reading
Blind Access Journal
and
The Desert Skies,
I have learned that Freedom Scientific has filed a law suit against
Serotek Corperation
because Serotek used the word "Freedom" in their product, Freedom Box. If you would like to read Freedom Scientific's Complaint, you can
click here.
In my opinion, I feel that scientific should not be doing this because the Assistive Technology market is small and their are things that Serotek does a good job of that no other company has ever done. My best wishes goes out to Serotek. I am annoyed at Freedom Scientific for doing this.
If you want Freedom Scientific do drop the lawsuit, you can sign the
Save Serotek Petition
Blind Access Journal
and
The Desert Skies,
I have learned that Freedom Scientific has filed a law suit against
Serotek Corperation
because Serotek used the word "Freedom" in their product, Freedom Box. If you would like to read Freedom Scientific's Complaint, you can
click here.
In my opinion, I feel that scientific should not be doing this because the Assistive Technology market is small and their are things that Serotek does a good job of that no other company has ever done. My best wishes goes out to Serotek. I am annoyed at Freedom Scientific for doing this.
If you want Freedom Scientific do drop the lawsuit, you can sign the
Save Serotek Petition
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Skype Version 3.2.0.148 Has Been Released
You can get this new version by going to
www.skype.com
The bug fixes include:
Fixed: Options has compatibility issues with screen readers
Fixed: Upgrading from Skype did not work
Fixed: No voice heard on some services
www.skype.com
The bug fixes include:
Fixed: Options has compatibility issues with screen readers
Fixed: Upgrading from Skype did not work
Fixed: No voice heard on some services
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
WAFRA purchases Freedom Scientific Confirmed
A lot of rumors say that Freedom Scientific is going to be aquired by
WAFRA
but now it has been confirmed. Updates of everything that has been happening are posted on
Blind Access Journal
and
The Desert Skies.
If you have lots of questions, maybe you should listen to this month's podcast byFreedom Scientific. You can get the podcast at
http://podcast.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/episodes/fscast006-may2007.mp3.
WAFRA
but now it has been confirmed. Updates of everything that has been happening are posted on
Blind Access Journal
and
The Desert Skies.
If you have lots of questions, maybe you should listen to this month's podcast byFreedom Scientific. You can get the podcast at
http://podcast.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/episodes/fscast006-may2007.mp3.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Winamp 5.35 Released
A new version of Winamp already? I wonder how many versions they've released this year not including the betas. The bug fixes include:
List of 15 items
• Improved: Current translation support of core strings and dialogs
• Improved: Correct theming of tabbed dialogs on WinXP+
• Improved: Various misc tweaks/improvements
• Fixed: More tabbing fixes in UI and Preferences
• Fixed: [in_cdda] CDDB crash with non-English characters in user path
• Fixed: [in_cdda] Gapless playback of mix CDs with Sonic Engine
• Fixed: [in_flac] Genre field truncated in Flac Editor
• Fixed: [in_mp3] Incompatibility with musicbrainz tags
• Fixed: [in_mp3] Long stream urls truncated in Alt+3 dialog
• Fixed: [in_mp3] Tracklength not showing for mp3's with large embedded coverart
• Fixed: [in_mp4] MP4 file parsing buffer overflow vulnerability
• Fixed: [in_vorbis] Cancel button in Vorbis Editor
• Fixed: [in_vorbis] Tabbing in Vorbis Editor
• Fixed: [in_wm] Artist and Title fields reversed in WMA Editor
• Fixed: [in_wm] Crash when attempting to play malformed ASX playlists
list end
You can get the latest version of winamp by clicking
here.
List of 15 items
• Improved: Current translation support of core strings and dialogs
• Improved: Correct theming of tabbed dialogs on WinXP+
• Improved: Various misc tweaks/improvements
• Fixed: More tabbing fixes in UI and Preferences
• Fixed: [in_cdda] CDDB crash with non-English characters in user path
• Fixed: [in_cdda] Gapless playback of mix CDs with Sonic Engine
• Fixed: [in_flac] Genre field truncated in Flac Editor
• Fixed: [in_mp3] Incompatibility with musicbrainz tags
• Fixed: [in_mp3] Long stream urls truncated in Alt+3 dialog
• Fixed: [in_mp3] Tracklength not showing for mp3's with large embedded coverart
• Fixed: [in_mp4] MP4 file parsing buffer overflow vulnerability
• Fixed: [in_vorbis] Cancel button in Vorbis Editor
• Fixed: [in_vorbis] Tabbing in Vorbis Editor
• Fixed: [in_wm] Artist and Title fields reversed in WMA Editor
• Fixed: [in_wm] Crash when attempting to play malformed ASX playlists
list end
You can get the latest version of winamp by clicking
here.
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Accessible Game, BG Word Target 1.0
BG Word Target 1.0 (1.3 Megabytes)
Requires
SAPI Text-To-Speech
and
DirectX
Released April 2007
BG Word Target is a game of anagrams. A random 9-letter word is chosen and the letters scrambled and arranged in a 3 by 3 grid. The central letter is referred
to as the target letter and must appear in every word you make. The object of the game is to make as many words of four letters or more from the nine letters
of the puzzle. You must make at least one nine letter word.
If you would like to try this free accessible game, you can contact him at the following e-mail address:
irhumph@omninet.net.au
and he will send you the game on CD.
Requires
SAPI Text-To-Speech
and
DirectX
Released April 2007
BG Word Target is a game of anagrams. A random 9-letter word is chosen and the letters scrambled and arranged in a 3 by 3 grid. The central letter is referred
to as the target letter and must appear in every word you make. The object of the game is to make as many words of four letters or more from the nine letters
of the puzzle. You must make at least one nine letter word.
If you would like to try this free accessible game, you can contact him at the following e-mail address:
irhumph@omninet.net.au
and he will send you the game on CD.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
How to use startup command line switches to start Word 2003, Word 2002, and Word 2000
I found a page on using startup command line switches to start Word and so I thought I would post a link here for those who didn't know about them before. You can
click here
to go to that page.
click here
to go to that page.
Friday, May 11, 2007
New Version of FileDir 2.5 and TextPal 3.7
Today FileDir 2.5 and TextPal 3.7 has been released. If you do not know what FileDir is, it is a very accessible, powerful and stable file manager. For those who also do not know what TextPal is, it is an accessible, powerful Text Editor. The great thing about these programs are that they are free. Here are the changes in both programs from the previous version.
FileDir 2.5
May 11, 2007
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/dirsetup.exe
Fixed the Zip List command, Control+Shift+Z. In the Web Download command,
Alt+Shift+W, a different, more reliable technique is implemented for getting
the web address of a page open in Internet Explorer.
With the optional JAWS scripts, made Control+Equals a synonym of Control+E
for the Evaluate command (to be consistent with the Homer interface). Added
the Manual Options command, Alt+Shift+M, for adjusting FileDir settings
directly in a text editor.
Doubled the number of special folders available via the Open Special Folder
command, Control+Shift+O. You can now have greater control over
your computer by conveniently examining and managing the following 35
folders as needed:
Administrative Tools
Application Data
Common Administrative Tools
Common Application Data
Common Desktop
Common Documents
Common Favorites
Common Files
Common Programs
Common Start Menu
Common Startup
Common Templates
Cookies
Desktop
Favorites
Fonts
Internet Cache
Internet History
Local Application Data
My Documents
My Pictures
MyMusic
Network Neighborhood
Printer Neighborhood
Program Files
Programs
Recent
SendTo
Start Menu
Startup
system32
Temp
Templates
UserName
WINNT
----------
TextPal 3.7
May 11, 2007
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/palsetup.exe
Fixed some of the optional JAWS scripts, as well as command descriptions in
the Alternate Menu (Alt+F10), to reflect recent changes in key
assignments. Fixed TextPal copying selected text to the clipboard in a
small font rather than as unformatted plain text.
In the Grab URLs command, Alt+Shift+G, a different, more reliable
technique is implemented for getting the web address of a page open in
Internet Explorer. Reassigned the Insert Time command to
Alt+Shift+Semicolon. Alt+Semicolon still says the time and date.
Modified the Order Lines and Keep Unique Lines commands, Alt+Shift+O and
Alt+Shift+K, to ignore case. Enhanced the Yield command, Alt+Y, to
operate on either all or selected text.
Added two commands that are part of the developing "Homer editor interface."
Press Alt+Backslash to open the folder of the current file in
Windows Explorer, or Control+Backslash to open a command prompt there. Also
for Homer consistency, the evaluate command, Control+E, has a
synonym, Control+Equals. In addition, this command is enhanced to operate
on either the current line or selected text. Thus, one could write several
lines of code in the Ruby language, select the text, and then evaluate the
result. For example, the following algebra calculates the cumulative total
of an initial $100 deposit compounded for 12 months at 5% interest:
interest = 1.05
deposit = 100
months = 12
total = (interest ** months) * deposit
179.585632602213
The result, about $180, was placed on the line below the previously selected
text, and the cursor was placed at the start of that line.
A list of accessible software I have developed for Windows, with download
links, is available at
http://GrabBag.AlacornComputer.com"
For upgrading to the latest FileDir and TextPal, remember that you may
elevate on May 11 with F11!
Jamal
FileDir 2.5
May 11, 2007
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/dirsetup.exe
Fixed the Zip List command, Control+Shift+Z. In the Web Download command,
Alt+Shift+W, a different, more reliable technique is implemented for getting
the web address of a page open in Internet Explorer.
With the optional JAWS scripts, made Control+Equals a synonym of Control+E
for the Evaluate command (to be consistent with the Homer interface). Added
the Manual Options command, Alt+Shift+M, for adjusting FileDir settings
directly in a text editor.
Doubled the number of special folders available via the Open Special Folder
command, Control+Shift+O. You can now have greater control over
your computer by conveniently examining and managing the following 35
folders as needed:
Administrative Tools
Application Data
Common Administrative Tools
Common Application Data
Common Desktop
Common Documents
Common Favorites
Common Files
Common Programs
Common Start Menu
Common Startup
Common Templates
Cookies
Desktop
Favorites
Fonts
Internet Cache
Internet History
Local Application Data
My Documents
My Pictures
MyMusic
Network Neighborhood
Printer Neighborhood
Program Files
Programs
Recent
SendTo
Start Menu
Startup
system32
Temp
Templates
UserName
WINNT
----------
TextPal 3.7
May 11, 2007
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/palsetup.exe
Fixed some of the optional JAWS scripts, as well as command descriptions in
the Alternate Menu (Alt+F10), to reflect recent changes in key
assignments. Fixed TextPal copying selected text to the clipboard in a
small font rather than as unformatted plain text.
In the Grab URLs command, Alt+Shift+G, a different, more reliable
technique is implemented for getting the web address of a page open in
Internet Explorer. Reassigned the Insert Time command to
Alt+Shift+Semicolon. Alt+Semicolon still says the time and date.
Modified the Order Lines and Keep Unique Lines commands, Alt+Shift+O and
Alt+Shift+K, to ignore case. Enhanced the Yield command, Alt+Y, to
operate on either all or selected text.
Added two commands that are part of the developing "Homer editor interface."
Press Alt+Backslash to open the folder of the current file in
Windows Explorer, or Control+Backslash to open a command prompt there. Also
for Homer consistency, the evaluate command, Control+E, has a
synonym, Control+Equals. In addition, this command is enhanced to operate
on either the current line or selected text. Thus, one could write several
lines of code in the Ruby language, select the text, and then evaluate the
result. For example, the following algebra calculates the cumulative total
of an initial $100 deposit compounded for 12 months at 5% interest:
interest = 1.05
deposit = 100
months = 12
total = (interest ** months) * deposit
179.585632602213
The result, about $180, was placed on the line below the previously selected
text, and the cursor was placed at the start of that line.
A list of accessible software I have developed for Windows, with download
links, is available at
http://GrabBag.AlacornComputer.com"
For upgrading to the latest FileDir and TextPal, remember that you may
elevate on May 11 with F11!
Jamal
Thursday, May 10, 2007
GW Micro Announces New Window-Eyes Payment Plan
When I first read this announcement, I was pretty impressed. GWMicro knows that screen readers are very exspensive so they've come out with a new plan. If you are interested, read on.
One of the largest barriers to technology for blind and visually impaired people has always been the high cost, but that is about to change. GW Micro,
maker of Window-Eyes, is breaking down those barriers, and now offering a low-cost payment plan for the most advanced screen reader available.
Do you need a screen reader that already has official support for Office 2007, Windows Vista, and makes the Outlook Calendar fully accessible? This is
your chance to take advantage of the latest screen reading technology at an affordable price.
The new Window-Eyes Payment Plan replaces the Window-Eyes Lease-to-own program. Here is how it works: Instead of the blind consumer immediately paying
the full price to buy Window-Eyes, they can opt between two plans. Both plans include Window-Eyes and a Software Maintenance Agreement (SMA) which provides
three major upgrades of Window-Eyes.
The first choice is the Short Term Payment Plan, which costs $50 the first month (plus shipping), and $100 per month for the next 12 months. The second
choice is the Long Term Payment Plan which costs $41 the first month (plus shipping) and $39 per month for the next 31 months. There are no penalties
for paying off the balance early, and there is no interest on top of your monthly payment.
If you have been waiting to upgrade your copy of Window-Eyes, now is the time! If your upgrade costs $400 or more, you can use the Window-Eyes Payment
Plan to upgrade. Contact our orders department for more information.
The new Window-Eyes Payment Plan is shipping now, and you can place your order now by calling our orders department at (260) 489-3671, or by sending an
email to orders@gwmicro.com. For more information, check out www.gwmicro.com/paymentplan.
One of the largest barriers to technology for blind and visually impaired people has always been the high cost, but that is about to change. GW Micro,
maker of Window-Eyes, is breaking down those barriers, and now offering a low-cost payment plan for the most advanced screen reader available.
Do you need a screen reader that already has official support for Office 2007, Windows Vista, and makes the Outlook Calendar fully accessible? This is
your chance to take advantage of the latest screen reading technology at an affordable price.
The new Window-Eyes Payment Plan replaces the Window-Eyes Lease-to-own program. Here is how it works: Instead of the blind consumer immediately paying
the full price to buy Window-Eyes, they can opt between two plans. Both plans include Window-Eyes and a Software Maintenance Agreement (SMA) which provides
three major upgrades of Window-Eyes.
The first choice is the Short Term Payment Plan, which costs $50 the first month (plus shipping), and $100 per month for the next 12 months. The second
choice is the Long Term Payment Plan which costs $41 the first month (plus shipping) and $39 per month for the next 31 months. There are no penalties
for paying off the balance early, and there is no interest on top of your monthly payment.
If you have been waiting to upgrade your copy of Window-Eyes, now is the time! If your upgrade costs $400 or more, you can use the Window-Eyes Payment
Plan to upgrade. Contact our orders department for more information.
The new Window-Eyes Payment Plan is shipping now, and you can place your order now by calling our orders department at (260) 489-3671, or by sending an
email to orders@gwmicro.com. For more information, check out www.gwmicro.com/paymentplan.
New Windows Media Player 11 Guide Using JAWS and Magnification Software From David Bailes
David Bailes from the UK, has put up a new software guide entitled,
Windows Media Player 11.
He has also made other guides free of charge so if you are interested, you can
click this link
to go to his software guides.
Windows Media Player 11.
He has also made other guides free of charge so if you are interested, you can
click this link
to go to his software guides.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
My Team Talk Review Using a Screen Reader
Today, I have written a review of Team Talk which is a free voice chatting client. You can read the review by
clicking here
to go to my review on the
Access Watch
website.
If that link does not work for some reason, you can still read this review. It is below:
user:
KL
computer: Pentium 4
operating system: Windows XP Home
screen reader: JFW 5.10 and 7.0
rating: 5
comments: I think Team talk is an excellent voice chatting client because it is free and it has very good quality. It works with all screen readers and
is 100 percent accessible with out any scripts, maps, or Set Files. There are really cool features such as file transfering. The file transfering feature
is different than other voice chatting clients because in each channel you can have different file
lists so if there was a games channel, there could be some games and if there was a music channel, there could be some music production work that someone
has done. Another feature is that there are globle hot keys for changing the volume. One other feature that I would like to mention is that there is 3D
panning support but not only for a soundcard that supports it but for any soundcard whether it supports it or not. The developer is a very nice guy and
he is very open to your feedback
on accessibility or your request for new features. If you want to try this free program, you can go to the
website
to download it.
I hope you have fun talking to people around the world with this amazing piece of software.
If you have any comments on how to make the review better, you can leave a comment.
clicking here
to go to my review on the
Access Watch
website.
If that link does not work for some reason, you can still read this review. It is below:
user:
KL
computer: Pentium 4
operating system: Windows XP Home
screen reader: JFW 5.10 and 7.0
rating: 5
comments: I think Team talk is an excellent voice chatting client because it is free and it has very good quality. It works with all screen readers and
is 100 percent accessible with out any scripts, maps, or Set Files. There are really cool features such as file transfering. The file transfering feature
is different than other voice chatting clients because in each channel you can have different file
lists so if there was a games channel, there could be some games and if there was a music channel, there could be some music production work that someone
has done. Another feature is that there are globle hot keys for changing the volume. One other feature that I would like to mention is that there is 3D
panning support but not only for a soundcard that supports it but for any soundcard whether it supports it or not. The developer is a very nice guy and
he is very open to your feedback
on accessibility or your request for new features. If you want to try this free program, you can go to the
website
to download it.
I hope you have fun talking to people around the world with this amazing piece of software.
If you have any comments on how to make the review better, you can leave a comment.
An HTML Tutorial For the Blind and Visually Impaired Developer
There is a beginner's tutorial on HTML. It has been around on the net for quite a long time but maybe this tutorial will help you learn HTML with no prior experience. If you don't know wich beginner HTML tutorial is for you then this may be the one. The following is a description of what this tutorial is about.
What is this publication? This document covers the development of
World Wide Web pages with an emphasis on accessibility for people with
disabilities. This is a very basic introduction which covers only the
minimum amount of information necessary to get started. There is a
wealth of information about the World Wide Web available on the World
So as you've gather from that little description, it is made for the blind in mind. You can click the link to go to the tutorial. The tutorial is entitled,
Getting A Grip on HTML.
I hope you found this information helpful. Tell me if it is helpful or if it's not. . You can leave a comment on this blog.
What is this publication? This document covers the development of
World Wide Web pages with an emphasis on accessibility for people with
disabilities. This is a very basic introduction which covers only the
minimum amount of information necessary to get started. There is a
wealth of information about the World Wide Web available on the World
So as you've gather from that little description, it is made for the blind in mind. You can click the link to go to the tutorial. The tutorial is entitled,
Getting A Grip on HTML.
I hope you found this information helpful. Tell me if it is helpful or if it's not. . You can leave a comment on this blog.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
New Free Accessible Game, Terrestrial Invaders
Terrestrial Invaders is another take off the classic video game Space Invaders. This game includes several accessibility features that can be switched on
and off, both off-line and on-the-fly, such as:
List of 10 items
1. Adjustable game speed.
2. Adjustable size of all game graphics.
3. Separately adjustable FX, music and speech volume.
4. 2D sound for localizing objects on a 2D plane.
5. Presentation of spatially localised captions using text and / or graphics for visualizing all game sounds.
6. Reading aloud (for the visually impaired) and automatic scanning (for the motor-impaired) of the game menus.
7. Two high contrast modes (bright graphics on dark background and the inverse).
8. Two novel alternative types of audio descriptions that verbalise the relative position of attacking spaceships in relation to the player and warn for
incoming fire.
9. The option of using simple shapes (e.g., rectangles, ellipses) to render all graphic elements.
10. Controls can also be redefined, but currently this can only be done by editing the respective XML level description files.
list end
You can find more information about Terrestrial Invaders by clicking this link: http://ua-games.gr/ti
The MS-Windows, Linux and Mac OS X versions of Terrestrial Invaders can be downloaded freely by clicking this link:
http://ua-games.gr/ti/downloads.html.
If you try Terrestrial Invaders, please take the on-line survey and share with us your opinion and thoughts about it, it will not take more than 5 minutes.
You will find the survey at:
http://ua-games.gr/ti/feedback.html.
and off, both off-line and on-the-fly, such as:
List of 10 items
1. Adjustable game speed.
2. Adjustable size of all game graphics.
3. Separately adjustable FX, music and speech volume.
4. 2D sound for localizing objects on a 2D plane.
5. Presentation of spatially localised captions using text and / or graphics for visualizing all game sounds.
6. Reading aloud (for the visually impaired) and automatic scanning (for the motor-impaired) of the game menus.
7. Two high contrast modes (bright graphics on dark background and the inverse).
8. Two novel alternative types of audio descriptions that verbalise the relative position of attacking spaceships in relation to the player and warn for
incoming fire.
9. The option of using simple shapes (e.g., rectangles, ellipses) to render all graphic elements.
10. Controls can also be redefined, but currently this can only be done by editing the respective XML level description files.
list end
You can find more information about Terrestrial Invaders by clicking this link: http://ua-games.gr/ti
The MS-Windows, Linux and Mac OS X versions of Terrestrial Invaders can be downloaded freely by clicking this link:
http://ua-games.gr/ti/downloads.html.
If you try Terrestrial Invaders, please take the on-line survey and share with us your opinion and thoughts about it, it will not take more than 5 minutes.
You will find the survey at:
http://ua-games.gr/ti/feedback.html.
Review of Ninjam from a Blind Person's Perspective
Today
Andre Louis
has announced on his
Blog
that he has done a review of
Ninjam
which is a program that will let you play in real time with other musicians on the internet. You can get this review in OGG by
clicking here
You will need a player like
Winamp
to play ogg.
He would like to have some feedback on how well he did this review since he has never done a review before.
This Review will also be on
Blind Cool Tech
Andre Louis
has announced on his
Blog
that he has done a review of
Ninjam
which is a program that will let you play in real time with other musicians on the internet. You can get this review in OGG by
clicking here
You will need a player like
Winamp
to play ogg.
He would like to have some feedback on how well he did this review since he has never done a review before.
This Review will also be on
Blind Cool Tech
TextPal 3.6 with more JAWS scripting & other support
TextPal is an excellent text editor. You can get TextPal which is developed by Jamal Mazrui, at the following link:
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/palsetup.exe
Here are the details of the enhancements and fixes found in this version.
Version 3.6
Released May 1, 2007
Fixed TextPal treating a document as having been modified after a search
and replace with no matches. Replaced the Word Wrap Toggle command with
Control+W to turn this setting on and Control+Shift+W to turn it off.
Control+Shift+J is the new key for joining (wrapping) lines with hard line
breaks.
Modified the Yield command, Alt+Y, to operate on selected text rather than
all text when a selection is in effect. Made TextPal say "characters"
instead of "bytes" when reporting the size of a file or selection.
Adjusted the optional JAWS scripts so that PageUp and PageDown read the
current line after navigating by screen.
These scripts now require at least JAWS 6.2. They use the latest Homer
script library, available with other components of HomerKit at
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.exe
or
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.zip
The files Homer6.jsh, Homer6.jss, and Homer6.jsd, previously used by
TextPal, are now obsolete and may be manually removed from the user script
folder. They may also be left there without a resulting problem.
Changed enhanced navigation commands to be consistent with JAWS
conventions. Reassigned keys are as follows. Press Control+DownArrow or
Control+UpArrow to go to the next or previous paragraph, and then read it.
Press Alt+DownArrow or Alt+UpArrow to navigate by sentence.
Alt+RightArrow and Alt+LeftArrow are new commands to navigate by chunk. A
chunk is defined as a sequence of nonblank characters. It is usually, but
not always, the same as what Control+RightArrow or Control+LeftArrow
consider to be a word, since these keys stop at some punctuation marks.
In programming source code, press Alt+PageDown or Alt+PageUp to go to the
next or previous cdefinition of a class or function -- including a sub or
method. Press Control+I or Control+Shift+I to go to the next or previous
change in indentation (developed for Python). Press Tab or Shift+Tab to
indent or outdent the current or selected lines by one level.
As before, Control+Shift+R replaces with a regular expression, and
Control+Shift+E extracts. Now Control+Shift+C counts matches of a regular
expression without changing text.
The Export Script Dictionary command has been replaced by the more
powerful, Refresh JAWS Text command, JAWSKey+F5, for updating a .jss
(script source), .jsd (script dictionary), or .jkm (key map) file. If the
current editing window contains a .jss file, its routines are sorted
alphabetically, with functions placed before scripts. If a .jsd file, the
dictionary entries are syncronized with the corresponding .jss file. If a
.jkm file, the key assignments are sorted by script name.
PHP has been added to the list of languages with preconfigured support. If
you have an existing TextPal version installed, it is necessary to delete
the TextPal.ini configuration file before installing this in order for the
PHP settings to become available. The default file location is C:\Program
Files\TextPal\TextPal.ini
More precisely, at least the [Compilers] section of this file should be
deleted. Within TextPal, you can do this by pressing Alt+Shift+M for
Manual Options, and then either deleting that section or the whole file
with Alt+Shift+D.
After launching the new TextPal, use the Pick Compiler command,
Control+Shift+F5, to choose PHP settings. TextPal assumes that php.exe is
on the Windows search path, so if that is not the case, you may wish to
add it by going to the System applet of Control Panel, and then inserting
(assuming the default directory target of the latest PHP for Windows
installer)
C:\Program Files\PHP;
at the beginning of the Path environment variable on the Advanced tab
page.
The Compile command, Control+F5, would then perform a syntax check of the
PHP file in the current editing window. If an error is found, the cursor
moves to the start of that line. The error message spoken is abbreviated
to eliminate irrelevant output. If no syntax error is found, TextPal
simply says "Done!" To execute the file with the program associated with
its extension (usually .php), use the Run command, F5.
Jamal
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/palsetup.exe
Here are the details of the enhancements and fixes found in this version.
Version 3.6
Released May 1, 2007
Fixed TextPal treating a document as having been modified after a search
and replace with no matches. Replaced the Word Wrap Toggle command with
Control+W to turn this setting on and Control+Shift+W to turn it off.
Control+Shift+J is the new key for joining (wrapping) lines with hard line
breaks.
Modified the Yield command, Alt+Y, to operate on selected text rather than
all text when a selection is in effect. Made TextPal say "characters"
instead of "bytes" when reporting the size of a file or selection.
Adjusted the optional JAWS scripts so that PageUp and PageDown read the
current line after navigating by screen.
These scripts now require at least JAWS 6.2. They use the latest Homer
script library, available with other components of HomerKit at
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.exe
or
http://www.EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.zip
The files Homer6.jsh, Homer6.jss, and Homer6.jsd, previously used by
TextPal, are now obsolete and may be manually removed from the user script
folder. They may also be left there without a resulting problem.
Changed enhanced navigation commands to be consistent with JAWS
conventions. Reassigned keys are as follows. Press Control+DownArrow or
Control+UpArrow to go to the next or previous paragraph, and then read it.
Press Alt+DownArrow or Alt+UpArrow to navigate by sentence.
Alt+RightArrow and Alt+LeftArrow are new commands to navigate by chunk. A
chunk is defined as a sequence of nonblank characters. It is usually, but
not always, the same as what Control+RightArrow or Control+LeftArrow
consider to be a word, since these keys stop at some punctuation marks.
In programming source code, press Alt+PageDown or Alt+PageUp to go to the
next or previous cdefinition of a class or function -- including a sub or
method. Press Control+I or Control+Shift+I to go to the next or previous
change in indentation (developed for Python). Press Tab or Shift+Tab to
indent or outdent the current or selected lines by one level.
As before, Control+Shift+R replaces with a regular expression, and
Control+Shift+E extracts. Now Control+Shift+C counts matches of a regular
expression without changing text.
The Export Script Dictionary command has been replaced by the more
powerful, Refresh JAWS Text command, JAWSKey+F5, for updating a .jss
(script source), .jsd (script dictionary), or .jkm (key map) file. If the
current editing window contains a .jss file, its routines are sorted
alphabetically, with functions placed before scripts. If a .jsd file, the
dictionary entries are syncronized with the corresponding .jss file. If a
.jkm file, the key assignments are sorted by script name.
PHP has been added to the list of languages with preconfigured support. If
you have an existing TextPal version installed, it is necessary to delete
the TextPal.ini configuration file before installing this in order for the
PHP settings to become available. The default file location is C:\Program
Files\TextPal\TextPal.ini
More precisely, at least the [Compilers] section of this file should be
deleted. Within TextPal, you can do this by pressing Alt+Shift+M for
Manual Options, and then either deleting that section or the whole file
with Alt+Shift+D.
After launching the new TextPal, use the Pick Compiler command,
Control+Shift+F5, to choose PHP settings. TextPal assumes that php.exe is
on the Windows search path, so if that is not the case, you may wish to
add it by going to the System applet of Control Panel, and then inserting
(assuming the default directory target of the latest PHP for Windows
installer)
C:\Program Files\PHP;
at the beginning of the Path environment variable on the Advanced tab
page.
The Compile command, Control+F5, would then perform a syntax check of the
PHP file in the current editing window. If an error is found, the cursor
moves to the start of that line. The error message spoken is abbreviated
to eliminate irrelevant output. If no syntax error is found, TextPal
simply says "Done!" To execute the file with the program associated with
its extension (usually .php), use the Run command, F5.
Jamal
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