[nabs-l] questions about a mac bok pro

Bill cassonw at gmail.com
Mon Apr 23 14:08:56 UTC 2012 

Also remember you must purchase a license if you are going to legally
bootcamp with windows. They are somewhere between 120 and 250 I think
depending on which version you buy and if you buy an OEM or student
license.
Bill



> On Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 5:04 AM, Jorge Paez <jorge.paez1994 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Laurel:
>> The only thing I would add to this is be careful with certain windows and Bootcamp versions, for example, I had a huge problem installing Windows XP on my Macbook Pro.
>> It worked, but there was a really annoying volume issue which I never figured out.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Apr 23, 2012, at 12:31 AM, Ignasi Cambra Díaz wrote:
>>
>>> Bootcamp comes with your Mac, but Windows doesn't. Setting up a bootcamp partition takes just a couple of minutes, but unless you have an automated Windows installation dvd you won't be able to install Windows independently. That's one of the things I love about Mac OS X, I can do everything by myself.
>>> On Apr 22, 2012, at 10:40 PM, Laurel wrote:
>>>
>>>> Cindy,
>>>> What is boot camp, and how can I get it? Does it automatically come or
>>>> do I have to buy it, and if I have to buy it, how much does it cost?
>>>> I know I'm asking alot of general broad questions, but I appreciate
>>>> you all helping me out.
>>>> Laurel and Stockard
>>>>
>>>> P.S.
>>>> I am a foreign language major and will be doing alot of interpreting
>>>> and translating. One of the reasons I love vo is it's good support for
>>>> alot of languages, where I don't hafta download extra voices or buy
>>>> extra languages.
>>>> Thanks
>>>>
>>>> On 4/20/12, Cindy Bennett <clb5590 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Laurel:
>>>>>
>>>>> I think that Bryan gave you a lot of good information. I can enlighten
>>>>> you on the switch though. I have a MacBook pro and I split it with
>>>>> bootcamp, and I use the PC side of my computer way more. Like
>>>>> anything, if I had started with Macs, I think that I would have
>>>>> trouble switching to a PC, and I think that is the main reason I
>>>>> haven't switched. Because of the MS Word problems Bryan talked about,
>>>>> I will never fully switch, because I plan to go back to school, and
>>>>> unless you are majoring in something in the arts or graphic design,
>>>>> you absolutely have to have access to the Microsoft Suite while in
>>>>> school. I love VoiceOver though. You'll pick up the track pad quickly
>>>>> because of using an iPhone, and it is amazing. There are a lot of 3
>>>>> and 4 key combinations. Basically, if I could mix the advantages of
>>>>> PC's and Macs when it comes to accessibility, I would. i like and
>>>>> dislike them both for different reasons.
>>>>>
>>>>> One thing to know about VoiceOver is that it gives you an idea of the
>>>>> layout of pages much better than screen readers on PC's. While it's
>>>>> great to know that, I have found that it sometimes slows me down when
>>>>> I just need to navigate to one specific thing.
>>>>>
>>>>> I love Textedit. Numbers is pretty similar to Excel, but you'll have
>>>>> to get used to the fact that Macs are more artsy and eye appealing.
>>>>> Programs are going to automatically look nice. While this takes some
>>>>> pressure off of a blind person when it comes to printing spreadsheets
>>>>> without graphs on top of them, they are sometimes cumbersome to
>>>>> navigate. I found the same thing in Keynote. In some ways, it is much
>>>>> more accessible than JAWS and PowerPoint, but again, you can insert a
>>>>> picture and you won't be able to get feedback about whether you put it
>>>>> in the right place, and text boxes aren't very navigacable especially
>>>>> when you arrange multiple columns.
>>>>>
>>>>> In any case, if you are curious, and if you learn more and really want
>>>>> to switch, just know that you can always split your Mac with Bootcamp.
>>>>> Even though I do use Windows too much, I think that Apple products are
>>>>> made better, and the warrantee is great.
>>>>>
>>>>> I also second getting the refirbished products. I got a 13-inch pro
>>>>> with 3 years of Apple care for $50 less than the New 13-inch pro with
>>>>> only the standard 1 year warrantee. I got the 3 years of Apple care,
>>>>> because it was my first time buying a refirbished Apple product, so I
>>>>> wanted to be safe, and Apple care is much more inclusive than the
>>>>> regular warrantee. There are basically no questions asked if something
>>>>> happens to your product. I do disagree about the air though. Your
>>>>> decision should be made on what you need to do with your computer, but
>>>>> the Pro has more memory, and is not much bigger. It also has more
>>>>> ports to plug things in and an SD card slot which is great if you take
>>>>> a lot of pictures.
>>>>>
>>>>> Good luck in your decision, and I hope I was able to provide some good
>>>>> information for you.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cindy
>>>>>
>>>>> On 4/20/12, Bryan Jones <opensesame at me.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Hello Laurel,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My perspective is as someone who has never used a Windows screen reader,
>>>>>> so
>>>>>> I can't offer much in terms of comparing VoiceOver to Jaws or Window-Eyes
>>>>>> or
>>>>>> NVDA, but I can provide a bit of input to a few of your other questions.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 1. Macbook Pro vs iMac.
>>>>>> I've used a variety of Mac desktops and laptops in the past 5 or 6 years
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> my personal favorite is the current 11 inch Macbook Air. Portability is a
>>>>>> high priority for me, and the Air also offers good performance and a
>>>>>> decent,
>>>>>> though notperfect, keyboard. If you are set on choosing between an MBP
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> an iMac, you might consider waiting another month or two as rumor has it
>>>>>> Apple will soon be introducing updated versions of the MBP.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 3, Kurzweil / OCR options.
>>>>>> I use Abbyy FineReader Express for OCR. It's been able to handle most of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> jobs I've thrown at it, including PDF conversions and multi-language
>>>>>> documents. Again, I've never used Kurzweil, so can't offer a comparison.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 4, anything else.
>>>>>>> 4a. MS Office for Mac is not accessible using VO. In fact, if you expect
>>>>>>> to be editing or creating documents that include tables and several
>>>>>>> other
>>>>>>> key elements, there is currently no word processor that smoothly allows
>>>>>>> VO
>>>>>>> access to these functions. Pages and Nissus Writer are close and getting
>>>>>>> better, but are not there yet. That said, if you do not expect to be
>>>>>>> working with complex documents, you might be OK just using  the Mac's
>>>>>>> very
>>>>>>> good built-in word processor called Textedit. It opens Word documents
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> can save in a variety of formats.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 4b. Web browser options are still limited on the Mac. Safari and it's
>>>>>> cousins Webkit and Chrome work OK with VO, but FIrefox  and Opera aren't
>>>>>> there yet and there is no version of IE on the Mac.
>>>>>> 4c. Generally, when folks ask me if I think they should switch to a Mac,
>>>>>> my
>>>>>> answer is "No, unless you really have a desire to learn something
>>>>>> different
>>>>>> or you just want a new toy." For most Users and functions, the Mac OS is
>>>>>> no
>>>>>> better than Windows. You'll still crash sometimes, you'll still be
>>>>>> vulnerable to malware and other security threats, and you'll find plenty
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> hardware and software that does not play well with VO.
>>>>>> Plus if you've already invested in an expensive windows screen reader,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> expensive Windows office suite, and if they're working OK for you, you'll
>>>>>> lose that investment when moving too the Mac unless you decide to go
>>>>>> through
>>>>>> the hassle of installing Windows on your Mac.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> More than anything else, I strongly suggest spending time in an Apple
>>>>>> Store,
>>>>>> Best Buy or other place where you can get your hands on the Macs and spend
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> bit of time trying them out. If you want to actively learn how to use VO
>>>>>> while sitting in front of any current Mac, you can turn on VO by pressing
>>>>>> Command+F5. The Command key is the key immediately to the left of the
>>>>>> spacebar, and the F5 key is the sixth key from the left in the top row
>>>>>> (the
>>>>>> first key being the escape key). When you press Command+F5, you should
>>>>>> hear
>>>>>> the announcement, "VoiceOver On." Once VoiceOver is running, you can
>>>>>> access
>>>>>> a quick VoiceOver tutorial by pressing and holding the three keys located
>>>>>> immediately to the left of the Spacebar and then pressing the F8 key,
>>>>>> which
>>>>>> is the ninth key from the left in the top row. You should hear VoiceOver
>>>>>> announce, "VoiceOver Quick Start." The quick start tutorial will
>>>>>> introduce
>>>>>> you to the "VO" keys and will point you in the right direction for
>>>>>> learning
>>>>>> more about the Mac and VO. Consider bringing a pair of headphones or
>>>>>> earbuds
>>>>>> when you try this out. It can get pretty noisy in an Apple store.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you haven't already joined, there are a number of active email lists
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> forums for blind and low-vision Mac Users. A quick google will turn up a
>>>>>> list of them.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One last note: I personally think the best way to purchase a Mac is
>>>>>> through
>>>>>> Apple's own refurb store, which can be found from their main shopping
>>>>>> site
>>>>>> at store dot apple dot com. Macs purchased there usually cost a couple
>>>>>> hundred dollars less, come with the exact same 1 year warranty as new
>>>>>> Macs
>>>>>> and can be covered under the same extended Applecare warranty plans. The
>>>>>> only Macs I've had to take in for service were ones I purchased new. My
>>>>>> refurbs have never needed service.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> HTH,
>>>>>> Bryan
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Apr 20, 2012, at 10:29 AM, Laurel wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>> I have to confess, I haven't been watching the recent thread where
>>>>>>> people were talking about mac vs. pc. I wanted to buy a mac but I
>>>>>>> didn't have the money so I was putting it off. This week I got some
>>>>>>> very unexpected money from somewhere (I don't wanna go into all the
>>>>>>> details) but I have enough to buy a mac. I plan to do so but I wanted
>>>>>>> to ask some questions about the mac that maybe some of y'all could
>>>>>>> answer for me.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 1. Do you all prefer the Mac Book Pro (lap top) or the iMac (desk top).
>>>>>>> 2, those of you who use JAWS and switched to voice over on the mac,
>>>>>>> how hard/easy was the switch? I already use voice over on the
>>>>>>> iPad/iPhone but I'm not used to it on the mac yet.
>>>>>>> 3, Do any of you use Kurzweil for scanning? I have Kurzweil 1000 for
>>>>>>> windows, and I don't know what to do for my scanning program on a mac.
>>>>>>> Should I use my Kurzweil, I know you can use mac to run programs that
>>>>>>> run on windows, or should I switch to another program. What other
>>>>>>> scanning programs out there work well with voice over?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 4, is there anything else, accessibility related as far as softwear
>>>>>>> goes, that I should know before I make the switch?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I plan on keeping my pc at least for the summer so I can slowly switch
>>>>>>> over and have time to get used to a mac. I know this is a long email,
>>>>>>> but for you mac users out there, thanks for the help. It's
>>>>>>> appreciated.
>>>>>>> Laurel and Stockard
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Cindy Bennett
>>>>> B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington
>>>>>
>>>>> clb5590 at gmail.com
>>>>> 828.989.5383
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Bill Casson
> University of New Mexico
> M.S. Computer Science
> (505) 695-1374
> cassonw at unm.edu



-- 
Bill Casson
University of New Mexico
M.S. Computer Science
Lewis & Clark Alumnus '11
B.A. Physics and Math/Comp Sci.
(505) 695-1374
cassonw at gmail.com

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