[nabs-l] NVDA Questions

[Steve Jacobson]

Arielle,

In case you didn't see the announcement, NVDA has just come out with a new version within the past week or so.  Therefore, if you have a version you 
downloaded a while back, it would be worth downloading again before you test it out.

I think it is really very hard to answer your questions about NVDA in an accurate manner.  NVDA is, even though it is free, a very powerful screen reader.  
In addition, it sometimes embraces newer technologies, particularly regarding web browsing, more completely than do JFW and Window-Eyes.  However, 
there is software out there that work with the expensive screen readers that will not work with NVDA.  Also, I've seen cases where the expensive screen 
readers work a little more smoothly than NVDA, but I've seen cases where NVDA outperforms the expensive screen readers.  Some of NVDA's more 
complex navigation, particularly "object navigation," can be confusing at first because it is a little different than what JFW or Window-Eyes do.  However, 
one would most likely use NVDA's ability to explore objects when one is getting familiar with software so it may not be all that much of a disadvantage, and 
it can actually be an advantage in some cases.  

What I would strongly urge is that you just load NVDA on your computer and force yourself to use it for everything you do for a while.  If you use mostly 
modern software, you may find that it works fine, or you may find something that is a show-stopper for you.  You may want to consider buying a different 
voice for it, although I've gotten used to the voice that comes built in.

If you do give it an in depth try, it would be interesting to hear what you think.  I use some software at work that NVDA will not work with so I will remain 
with Window-Eyes and I probably would anyway, but I would not say that would be true for everyone.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Thu, 8 Nov 2012 19:27:41 -0700, Arielle Silverman wrote:

>Hi all,
>I apologize if these are dumb questions to ask, but I know nothing at
>all about NVDA and I am wondering what your experiences have been with
>it, how it compares to JAWS in terms of compatibility with basic
>Microsoft applications and what the learning curve is like to
>transition from JAWS to NVDA. I have been a consistent JAWS user for
>the past twenty years and I have generally been happy with JAWS, but
>recently I have been feeling kind of disappointed with the Web browser
>support in Windows 7 and I am also getting tired of paying for JAWS
>upgrades, so I am considering switching to NVDA. I need a screen
>reader that works smoothly with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Web
>browsers but not much else (though SAS support would be nice too).
>What are your suggestions? And if I already know JAWS commands, is it
>a big switch to go to NVDA?
>Thanks,
>Arielle

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