[nabs-l] Macs Verses PCs

Sun Mar 6 19:13:18 UTC 2011

A basic MacBook pro will cost you less than a Jaws license...

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 6, 2011, at 11:39 AM, Brianna Scerenscko <bfs1206 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hopefully my VR councilar will get me a laptop; however, I'm worried
> that she will get me a really out of date laptop. That's what she did
> with my friend. That's one of the reasons why I was looking into a
> Mac.
> 
> On 3/6/11, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Commands in VoiceOver are certainly not hard. To me they actually end up
>> making a lot more sense than Jaws commands, although this might not be the
>> same for other people. Also, you can control a laptop with the trackpad
>> which is very similar to using an iPhone with one hand. VoiceOver can also
>> be controlled with the numpad on keyboards that have one, and with the arrow
>> keys alone if you are just navigating websites etc.
>> In the end, it really doesn't take any extra effort to use it, but there is
>> a learning curve. To make it simple, elements on the screen are very well
>> organized, and you need to interact with certain items to find other items
>> inside. What this means is that if you know what you are looking for,
>> finding it is very, very fast. Also VoiceOver allows you to literally type
>> whatever you are looking for and get to it quickly. This works in any
>> context, in any window in any applications. I like that part about it.
>> I don't know, I would say if you are in a situation where you need to be
>> 100% productive the day after you get your computer, maybe getting a mac
>> right now is not the best choice because you'll have to learn how to use it.
>> Maybe you can get Windows installed on it until you have time to actually
>> learn the mac. But if you are willing to read the documentation and you are
>> willing to discover a very different approach to screen reading software
>> which actually works well, you'll probably love Apple computers.
>> On Mar 5, 2011, at 7:30 PM, <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>> <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> 
>>> Briana,
>>> I don't use a Mac, but this is what I heard.
>>> The built in screen reader is a learning curve; you have more keys to
>>> press for each command.  You almost need extra fingers!
>>> Also, its been my experience that schools primarily use windows and
>>> windows applications.
>>> I don't know whether all handouts such as powerpoint slides will be read
>>> alright on the Mac.
>>> If you need a lot of things embossed, you're better off with a PC with
>>> duxbury; most braille translation like DBT and tiger work with windows.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Brianna Scerenscko
>>> Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2011 5:41 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Macs Verses PCs
>>> 
>>> One of my vision teachers suggested I get a Mac, but another of the
>>> vision teachers in our school system said that Macs are hard to use;
>>> but I guess I could learn it. Is it the same keyboard set up on a Mac
>>> as on a PC? How does Mac work with braille embossers? Was it hard to
>>> learn the new opperating system? Do most of the programs you need come
>>> preloded into the computer?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 3/5/11, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I like macs. What's clear is that if you're used to JFW or other Windows
>>>> screen readers you will have to take the time to learn and understand Mac
>>>> OS
>>>> X and VoiceOver. For me, the great thing about OS X is that application
>>>> interfaces are generally very consistent. In other words, application
>>>> windows are really similar across programs because people usually write
>>>> their apps with the tools provided by Apple.
>>>> Also, remember that every time the operating system is updated, VoiceOver
>>>> also gets an update. Even minor system updates can contain updates to the
>>>> screen reader.
>>>> I've been playing around with OS 10.7 which should be out this summer,
>>>> and
>>>> VoiceOver gets lots of improvements.
>>>> 
>>>> IC
>>>> On Mar 5, 2011, at 4:34 PM, Bernadetta Pracon wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Hey Briana,
>>>>> Personally, I think a Mac is a great machine to have. They're fully
>>>>> accessible with voiceover being a fully functional screen reader right
>>>>> out
>>>>> of the box. You are able to set it up by yourself without any sighted
>>>>> assistance, because the screen reader is on at the initial setup window
>>>>> by
>>>>> default. So that's just one of many advantages the mac has over the PC.
>>>>> Plus, Macs are extremely durable machines, where hardware is concerned.
>>>>> Because most of the software you would use on your Mac is produced by
>>>>> Apple, you would have the garentee that it is compatible and functional
>>>>> with voiceover, with few exceptions. You can use Open Office as a word
>>>>> processor, in place of Microsoft word, since word  for apple  isn't very
>>>>> accessible with voiceover as far as I know.
>>>>> Also, remember that you can always install windows on a mac, and you can
>>>>> do that without sighted assistance for the most part as well. This is
>>>>> great, because you basically have two computers in one. Your hard drive
>>>>> is
>>>>> partitioned in two when you install windows onto a mac. So if you
>>>>> weren't
>>>>> sure how to do something using the apple operating system, you could
>>>>> always complete the task on your windows side of the mac.
>>>>> Also, I've found that Apple's operating systems are more stable and less
>>>>> clunky than windows. There's a bit of a learning curve when transition
>>>>> to
>>>>> apple if you've been a PC user, but once you get the hang of it, it's
>>>>> extremely intuitive.
>>>>> I think getting amac is definitely a safe bet.
>>>>> 
>>>>> HTH
>>>>> 
>>>>> Bernadetta
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network.  Visit
>>>>> www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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