[nfbcs] NVDA product question

Mon Nov 3 17:34:09 UTC 2014

I won't argue the fact that often times, you do get what you pay for.  Case in point, I just recently purchased a guitar.  It was not an inexpensive instrument ... and I have played less expensive guitars ... and the workmanship on this guitar amazes me.  It's not even the most expensive one ... not a cheap one either ... but still the point is made that you get what you pay for.  In the case of the guitar, I'd spend the money again.  The guitar is just simply that good.

With that said, here was the reason for my inquiry about NVDA.  Jaws, although it is a good product, is (for the version I have) about $1000 if I was to go buy a copy with no previous version.  That's a pretty stiff price tag and I'm sure there are people who could benefit from a screen reader who may not qualify for it through a state agency who can't afford it.  While I am a developer and I understand that it takes hundreds of hours to code and test a product such as this, charging that much money simply prices some people who could benefit from it right out of the park.  I definitely do understand that when you put as much time as they do at Freedom (or other vendors) into the product, you have to get your money back to stay in business ... but at what price?  Here in Nebraska where I live  ... for example ... they charge 10% in taxes when you buy a car.  On a $30,000 car, you have to come up with an additional $3000 within 30 days when you purchase (don't worry, I'm not driving).  It seems to me that they'd sell more new cars if they'd lower the tax burden.  When prices are high, not as many can buy.  When prices are lower, it opens up the product to more people.  Simple economics there.

I do know people ... in  my wife's family ... that could have benefitted from purchasing these products ... but they absolutely couldn't do it because of the price.  OK, free is totally on the other end of the spectrum, and I can understand paying something ... or as I said above, you get what you pay for.     So I'm sure there could be some sort of happy medium.

Now I do understand that our market is a bit different since our population is much smaller and the vendors have to spread their cost over a smaller group.  That could keep the price high.  But what if the accessibility vendors contracted with Microsoft or Google or others and had Jaws or ZoomText or Magic or whatever built into the O/S?  Then the cost could be distributed over the "whole world" ... and those that didn't need to use the product wouldn't have to turn it on.  The vendors would get paid a bit differently but perhaps that would help distribute the software to the masses and it wouldn't cost as much to the end user.  And, when a student got to a university, for example, the product would already be there (as a side benefit).

I'm digressing on that last point, but I'm just saying ... while I get the whole thing of value for money, and I do understand that quality does come at a price, couldn't there be some other way to do it that doesn't shut people out who could really use the technology?

> From: gwunder at earthlink.net
> To: mrspock56 at hotmail.com; nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> Subject: RE: [nfbcs] NVDA product question
> Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:14:05 -0500
> 
> Hello, Mike. I am delighted that you read the article about NVDA in the
> Braille Monitor, and I want to give you a heads up about something that will
> appear in the November issue. 
> 
> We have run two articles talking about free or essentially free software for
> blind people, but I wanted the Braille Monitor also to make the case for why
> we have for-profit commercial screen readers and what role they play in our
> education and employment. I think I found that article, and I hope that it
> provokes discussion. The essence of the article is that free might not be
> everything it is cracked up to be if we are interested in efficiency, and I
> think anyone who is employed knows that efficiency is a key issue.
> 
> Thank you for being a reader of the Braille Monitor. Please feel free to
> write me with ways in which I can make the publication more responsive to
> the things that you want and need. My email address for Monitor-related
> issues is gwunder at nfb.org
> 
> Warmly,
> 
> Gary
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike Jolls via
> nfbcs
> Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2014 2:00 PM
> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbcs] NVDA product question
> 
> So I was reading the NFB Monitor this morning and came across an article
> about NVDA.  I didn't know much about it up to this point, but as I read the
> article by the person who created the free screen reader, it really
> intrigued me.  Up until this point I've sworn by JAWS ... but it is pricey
> and in a few years I'll be wanting to retire ... and NOT have to pay the
> price for upgrades all the time.  Having a free screen reader would be a
> good thing.... providing it's a good product.  It sounds like it, but I
> wanted to get some opinions.  I know some of you out there have spoken about
> it so I'm hoping we have some users on this list.  Can anybody comment on
> the product?  How does it stack up next to Jaws and does it support Freedom
> Scientific's Braille displays?  In addition, I might be interested in
> contacting the developer and get on board in helping out people once I don't
> have the responsibilities of working for a living.
>  
> Comments welcome.
>  
>  
>  		 	   		  
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