[Blindmath] re math on apple products

Roopakshi Pathania r_akshi_tgk at yahoo.com
Fri Jan 7 17:09:26 UTC 2011 

Hi Vincent,

You are fortunate that you have such a supportive work environment.
I only switch between Windows and Linux. But I spend a lot of time searching for most accessible programs that would work for me i.e. I wouldn't end up having to write any scripts for them, or at least only a couple of lines.
I'm also angry at the situation with Java Access Bridge, especially since most of enterprise software uses Swing.
I explore Sourceforge for different programs that I need, and Java is dominant there as well.

I would also like Jamal and Sina to comment on this thread even though they may or may not like Apple products.

--- On Fri, 12/31/10, Vincent Martin <vmartin at mindspring.com> wrote:

> From: Vincent Martin <vmartin at mindspring.com>
> Subject: [Blindmath] re math on apple products
> To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
> Date: Friday, December 31, 2010, 11:57 PM
> Roopakshi:
> You are so correct when math and science are concerned in
> the business
> arena.  I have had a little more success in certain
> situations with my MAC.
> I am still annoyed that I have to go between Linux, MAC,
> and Windows in an
> attempt to keep up with everyone and then many things are
> still not
> accessible.  Fortunately, my supervisor at work does
> have a MAC and A
> windows machine and only turns his Windows machine on just
> to check his
> Veterans Administration specific e-mail.
> 
> The sonnification lab at Georgia Tech where I do my school
> research is
> primarily a MAC lab as well.  I absolutely love being
> able to just move
> around the lab at will and make any computer talk with a
> combination
> keystroke.  I still wish Apple would just lower the
> cost of every MAC by
> about 200 dollars and watch their sales skyrocket and watch
> Microsoft
> squirm.
> 
> 
> With the Windows 7 mobile phone platform not being
> accessible and will never
> be, it is quite obvious where we stand with
> Microsoft.  It seems as if MS
> Windows is reasonable accessible and their other item of
> inters is making
> sure that you can use the features in Office that everyone
> else uses.  Other
> than that, we are in deep trouble.
> 
> I know I get truly sick and tired of writing scripts for a
> new program and I
> still need sighted assistance to write the scripts. 
> Using three different
> screen reading programs in Windows, using my MAC, and also
> Linux from the
> command line and with the Gnome desktop, I keep such a
> plethora of
> information in my head that it usually makes my colleagues
> head spin when I
> "change" to a new platform or different operating
> system.  
> 
> With all of that being said, I still love my MAC and the
> other Apple
> products I own such as my Nano and Iphone.
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
> Behalf Of blindmath-request at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Friday, December 31, 2010 1:00 PM
> To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Blindmath Digest, Vol 53, Issue 16
> 
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. Accessibility of Math Applications on
> iOS Devices and    Related
>       Observations (Roopakshi Pathania)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:07:35 -0800 (PST)
> From: Roopakshi Pathania <r_akshi_tgk at yahoo.com>
> To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Blindmath] Accessibility of Math Applications on
> iOS Devices
>     and    Related
> Observations
> Message-ID: <615352.33708.qm at web38702.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> So these days I?m busy playing with my new toy: a shiny
> squeaky new iPod
> Touch and a plethora of accessible apps that can be
> downloaded.
> Naturally, after a few days, my interest shifted to the
> discovery of
> accessible science and Math based apps.
> I downloaded a few, but they weren?t accessible enough to
> satisfy me. I have
> recently found my first fully accessible Math app for iOS
> devices.
> It?s called Equation Genius. The app solves equations for
> you: it can solve
> quadratic and cubic equations as well as system of linear
> equations up to 3
> unknowns. The fields are labeled with the coefficients you
> need to input.
> Once you start editing, the labels disappear, or at least
> they are not
> announced.
> It is free for now.
> http://itunes.apple.com/in/app/equation-genius-math-equation/id372919594?mt=
> 8#
> 
> Besides this, the default calculator on iOS devices is
> completely
> accessible. If you turn your iPhone or iPod into the
> landscape mode, the
> regular calculator becomes a scientific calculator.
> 
> Coming to some of my gloomy reflections, experimenting with
> the iOS
> ecosystem has strengthened my belief that the future of
> accessibility of
> productive applications on Windows in particular looks
> quite bleak from
> where I stand.
> The reason why I?m referring to Windows is because this is
> presently the
> main platform used in corporate environments around the
> world. 
> The ultimate purpose of studying science or math based
> subjects, according
> to me at least, is to work in the same field in future.
> Unless you plan to
> teach, in which case, you can skip the rest of my
> diatribe.
> All technical fields today depend on specialized software
> to perform
> particular tasks.
> For a number of reasons, many of the software applications
> available have
> little to no built-in accessibility.
> Software for data analysis, computer simulation and
> modeling, business
> intelligence tools, cloud-based office applications,
> financial accounting,
> report designers and generators, trading platforms, mind
> mapping, some of
> the developing environments and many other categories- are
> not usable right
> out of the box.
>  Of course, there are accessible software applications as
> well, but those
> are just a handful.
> Not to mention that companies quite frequently use in-house
> software which
> is rarely accessible.
> There is life beyond Microsoft Office.
> And even if we consider only MS applications, accessibility
> issues crop up
> especially while trying to use advance features. I can
> attest to that fact
> since I use Excel regularly.
> 
> Have a happy new year
> 
> 
> 
> 
>       
> 
> 
> 
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> End of Blindmath Digest, Vol 53, Issue 16
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