[nfbcs] NVDA product question

[Larry Wayland]

Besides that, Blind people are being told who they have to buy from and not
be allowed to shop for best prices.
There is only one company in this area I can by Jaws from, well, not just
Jaws many other products. As well. This doesn't allow me to shop around the
country and find a better price. I am not sure if this is even legal. I
can't think of any other product other than assistive devices that are sold
this way.


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bryan Schulz via
nfbcs
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2014 1:51 PM
To: Brian Buhrow; NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] NVDA product question

Brian,

That's not completely true that vendors are not getting rich from the
adaptive technology field especially when other vendors are forced to close
or relocate when a specific vendor is favored!
Bryan Schulz


----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Buhrow via nfbcs" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
To: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>; "NFB in Computer Science
Mailing List" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>; "Michael Forzano" 
<michaeldforzano at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2014 12:45 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] NVDA product question


> 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
>
>
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