[nfbcs] NVDA product question

[Brian Buhrow]

	Hello.  Everyone who has been following or contributing to this thread
on this list needs to read, multiple times, tim Connell's article in the
November 2014 Braille Monitor, "What is the Cost of a Free Product?"
	In that article, he lays out the various funding models for all the
access technology available today and lists the vices and virtues of each
model.  He makes the point, in a few wores, that I've been trying to make,
in a very clumsy fashion, for a number of years.  Free is not always better.
I'll add to his point that even more important is the fact that we as blind
consumers need to be aware of the cost of free products before we end up
paying the ultimate price of freedom, i.e. with our jobs and, potentially,
our independence.  I find Jaws to be just as frustrating as the next guy
and I don't use it in my daily work.  However, I purchase it because it is
there if I really need it and there may be a day, and there have been a
few, when it did something I really needed.  Many blind professionals I
know rely on Jaws every day and I would be very sad to see them lose their
livelihoods because Freedom Scientivic could no longer afford to support
their products.  Sure there are excesses in the market place and companies
who've stocked their treasure chests with the gold of the poor who bought
their products.  However, let's not let the exception make the rule.  Most
folks working in the access technology arena are not becoming filthy rich
off our baksand, even better for us, they are dedicated individuals who
truly believe in helping us achieve independence through improved access to
technology and training.  As Tim points out, the philanthropic model, which
is how NVDA is funded, is a fragile beast and subject to the whims of the
funders which, are, in turn, influenced by a wide array of factors
including political considerations, share holder concerns and issues I
can't even think of.  Contrary to Tim's essay, I'd argue that technologies
like VoiceOver in Apple's iOS  and Talkback in Google's Android survive on
the philanthropic model as well, all be it from one donor rather than many.
The point I want to make here is that while everyone is discussing the
merrits of NVDA versus Jaws relative to their costs, remember that, as Tim
points out, we probably don't truly know the cost of free yet. I pray that
we will before we actually pay it!

-thanks
-Brian