[blindlaw] Windows Eyes or JAWS?

Stephen Alexander Marositz samarositz at gmail.com
Tue Jun 2 22:45:04 UTC 2015


Okay, taking a break from bar prep to answer this one.  

Ed, this is obviously a loaded question.   A lot of this comes down to your
own preferences and needs though.  Here are some things to think about.  You
say you are new to screen-readers.  Does that mean you are losing your
vision slowly?  If so, I found that window-eyes has some stability issues,
that Jaws and NVDA do not, not at first, but after a few hours of use.  If
you have enough residual vision to recover the program when this happens,
then this will not be a problem for you. 
Next, are you a braille reader who uses a braille display?  I find that in
terms of connectivity, NVDA presents the least difficulty connecting and
configuring your braille display.  If you test it out, and find that you
have no trouble connecting your braille display to Jaws and Window-eyes,
then I would say that all three are superior at outputting braille, even to
Voiceover. 
Do you work in a corporate environment?  Do you use a virtual desktop or
anything like that?  If so, Jaws is your best bet for making that happen.
Also, if this is the case, cost may not be an issue for you.  
Do you access a lot of complex websites/web 2.0 applications like google
docs and sheets?  This is one of NVDA's strengths but both NVDA and Jaws are
superior to Window-eyes on this point.  Window-eyes is making strides in
this area but I found that many student management web based applications I
had to use for work wouldn't work with it whereas the others would.  I would
imagine case management programs work in much the same way.  
Is security important to you?  NVDA is open source and for some, this means
that it is potentially more secure than the other commercial screen-readers.
Learning curve. I think Jaws is the clear loser here, it is the most
complex, except when you consider that because it is the industry leader
there is a lot of documentation out there for it.  Freedomscientific also
puts on excellent webinar based training which is superior to anything that
Window-eyes (in particular the free Microsoft version) and NVDA have.  NVDA
and Jaws share many of the same commands so if you are familiar with one, it
isn't difficult to move to the other.  NVDA's command structure, I found
through training people to use both, was easier to pick up than Jaws's
though.  Window-eyes is completely different.  many of the skills you learn
in Window-eyes cannot easily be brought to the other screen-readers.  One
thing it has going for it is that it is completely customizable though.  

If I were introducing someone to screenreaders for the first time, and they
were going  to be a Windows user, I think I would begin with NVDA because it
is free and, because most if not all of the skills you learn in NVDA can be
brought over to Jaws if need be.  I would move over to Jaws if the need
arose or if the person needed more support and/or training than I could
provide.  I frankly can't think of a good reason why I would start with
Window-eyes.  

What do I use on Windows?  Well, I use Jaws most of the time at home.  Jaws
is what I am using right now to study for the bar and write this e-mail.  I
have been a Jaws customer for almost 20 years except for a 3 year period in
the early 2000s when I used Window-eyes.  At work, I have used a combination
of NVDA and Window-eyes for the last 2 plus years (almost exclusively NVDA)
because I couldn't justify the cost of Jaws to my employer.  

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you.  

Alex
-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Susan Kelly
via blindlaw
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2015 11:29 AM
To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
Cc: Susan Kelly
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Windows Eyes or JAWS?

I use both, depending on what device I am using, and also prefer Voiceover.
That said, most legal firms, especially in my home state, are totally
invested in Windows / Microsoft type computers.  For that, JAWS is likely
the best.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cody J.
Davis via blindlaw
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2015 11:18 AM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Cc: Cody J. Davis
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Windows Eyes or JAWS?

If you are not set on a Windows computer, all Apple computers come with a
built-in screen reader called voiceover. I have found that voiceover is much
easier to learn, at least it was for me. It seems to be more intuitive than
JAWS. In high school I was taught how to use JAWS but it didn't really stick
and I was very slow and limited with it. I think it really is a person by
person basis though. I found quite a few YouTube videos that were helpful
when deciding whether or not to switch from jaws to voice over.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 2, 2015, at 12:11 PM, Ed Rizzuto via blindlaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> 
> Hi Folks,
> 
> 
> 
> I'm new to the world of screen reader technology and would appreciate 
> any thoughts on whether Windows Eyes or JAWS are preferable for use in 
> practicing law.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ed Rizzuto
> 
> 
> 
> Edward Rizzuto
> 
> Law Office of Edward Rizzuto
> 
> 1280 East 9th Street, Suite D
> 
> Chico, California  95928
> 
> (530) 899-9280
> 
> edrizzuto at edrizzutolaw.com
> 
> www.edrizzutolaw.com <http://www.edrizzutolaw.com/>
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> blindlaw mailing list
> blindlaw at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindlaw:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/cjdavis9193%40gm
> ail.com

_______________________________________________
blindlaw mailing list
blindlaw at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindlaw:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/susan.kelly%40pima.gov

_______________________________________________
blindlaw mailing list
blindlaw at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindlaw:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/samarositz%40gmail.com





More information about the BlindLaw mailing list