[NFBCS] Windows 7 Support Has Ended As Of January 14, 2020

Wed Feb 19 16:34:00 UTC 2020

This is how they make money.  U I changes reflect overall changes 
today.  That's just the way the ball bounces.

On 2/19/2020 10:58 AM, Nicole Torcolini via NFBCS wrote:
> 	I will write more later, but what bothers me is not change itself
> but rather what sometimes seems to be change just to get something
> different. Yes, stuff often needs fixing, updating, etc., but there is also
> the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.", and many companies seem
> to have completely forgotten that. And, even if some people like the newer
> designs better, what is wrong with letting people choose between the old
> design and the new design? For example, different people prefer the ribbon
> menus or the older menu bar. Would leaving the old menu bar as an option in
> Windows Explorer of Windows 10 have somehow presented a security risk? In
> other words, why did increased security have to come with the price of
> forced UI changes?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBCS [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
> via NFBCS
> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2020 7:22 AM
> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
> Cc: Steve Jacobson
> Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Windows 7 Support Has Ended As Of January 14, 2020
>
> Nicole,
>
> The gap between Windows Upgrades and resolving issues with JAWS and NVDA is
> really much smaller now than it was at one time.  Given some of the issues I
> have encountered on my iPhone when I upgraded too quickly, I'm not certain
> that the gap is any greater than it is within IOS even though Apple owns
> VoiceOver.  Having said that, I sometimes share what I read as your
> frustration with dealing with sudden and unexpected changes that seem to
> come at us.  Given the state of development now, though, I don't see how we
> can avoid dealing with change as blind people, and I'm an old guy who isn't
> all that fond of change.  Since I work most closely with Microsoft products,
> I am impacted more by Microsoft's changes than I am by other changes, but I
> see a lot of constant change within Google and IOS, and you don't really
> even have options there to hang onto an older version if it is a web-based
> change.
>
> The upgrade process sometimes goes very smoothly but there are times it does
> not, I'm not going to kid you.  It isn't the sort of thing that anybody
> looks forward to.  However, I have generally found Windows 10 to work all
> right, and the ability to use Narrator more than before during Windows
> update and repair functions has been one of the bigger benefits to me
> personally.  The Disability Answer Desk that Microsoft now has in place can
> be very helpful as well.  Sooner or later, sticking with Windows 7 will
> probably bring you pain in some form.  If you are using a computer that will
> likely be replaced relatively soon, upgrading is probably not worth it.
> However, on a computer that you plan on using for some time, it probably
> makes sense to upgrade before you run into a security problem or before some
> other piece of software doesn't run correctly under Windows 7.  The whole
> issue of constant change is something we need to help each other overcome
> because I don't see it going away, and some of us here can probably help you
> make the transition should you decide to do so.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve Jacobson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Nicole Torcolini via
> NFBCS
> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 9:25 PM
> To: 'Christopher Chaltain' <chaltain at gmail.com>; 'NFB in Computer Science
> Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Nicole Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Windows 7 Support Has Ended As Of January 14, 2020
>
> 	You are comparing apples to oranges with iOS/Android versus Windows.
> Both of the mobile OS have built in screen readers that change with the
> OS--or at least are supposed to do so. Although some people may use
> narrator, people who use JAWS or NVDA have to wait for the people who make
> those screen readers to update them, and, even when they do, it still is not
> always a smooth ride.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christopher Chaltain [mailto:chaltain at gmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 4:37 PM
> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List; Nicole Torcolini
> Cc: Kevin
> Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Windows 7 Support Has Ended As Of January 14, 2020
>
> I suppose this is true, but any given version of IOS is only supported
> until the next version comes out. Android gets three years of support.
> Ubuntu gets five for it's LTS releases. Microsoft supported Windows
> Seven for 10 years. I suppose you can say any company making an
> operating system and not supporting a version forever is holding us
> hostage, but any proprietary operating system will only be supported as
> long as the company is around anyway.
>
>
> On 2/18/20 10:55 AM, Kevin via NFBCS wrote:
>> This is yet another example of Microsoft holding the user hostage.  We
>> have little recourse.
>>
>>
>> On 2/18/2020 12:34 AM, Nicole Torcolini wrote:
>>>      Thanks for the information, but my Windows 7 ain't going
>>> anywhere. If Microsoft wants us to use Windows 10, then maybe they
>>> should consider how some of the major changes impact blind users.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NFBCS [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kevin via
>>> NFBCS
>>> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2020 2:05 PM
>>> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Kevin
>>> Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Windows 7 Support Has Ended As Of January 14, 2020
>>>
>>> This was a good thing to read but I admit a hard pill to swallow.  I
>>> guess I'll need to get my rear in gear.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2/17/2020 4:57 PM, Curtis Chong via NFBCS wrote:
>>>> Windows 7
>>>> Support Ended After January 14, 2020
>>>>
>>>> By Curtis Chong
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Windows 7 has been around for about a decade, and for people who are
>>>> not in
>>>> the habit of regularly buying new computers, this operating system has
>>>> served them well. For many blind computer users, Windows 7 became
>>>> the gold
>>>> standard of operating systems.  Because of the stability of this
>>>> operating
>>>> system, some folks allowed their service maintenance agreements for
>>>> JAWS
>>>> and/or ZoomText to expire, figuring that everything was working fine
>>>> and
>>>> hence not in need of any updates. Many of us have read the Microsoft
>>>> announcement declaring that support for Windows 7 ended as of
>>>> January 14
>>>>
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.m
> icrosoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fhelp%2F4057281%2Fwindows-7-support-ended-on&data=
> 02%7C01%7C%7C3aa927edad3c4e76389608d7b4eb851e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaa
> aaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637176795946490459&sdata=OsEXB37yItq0dkswoc9AtWNCUjcKXoFA
> irWLpXLpLlY%3D&reserved=0
>>>> -january-14-2020> , 2020. What does this mean for Windows 7 users?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> First, while computers running Windows 7 will continue to work,
>>>> Microsoft is
>>>> no longer sending out any security or other updates. Using a good
>>>> antivirus
>>>> program (I'm not talking about the free ones) can reduce your
>>>> computer's
>>>> vulnerability to security threats, but if your system is actually
>>>> compromised, I can guarantee that you will eventually not be able to
>>>> get any
>>>> help at all to recover from the attack.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Secondly, Microsoft customer service is no longer available for
>>>> Windows 7
>>>> technical support. This means that you will not be able to get any
>>>> telephone
>>>> help at all from Microsoft for Windows 7-not even from the Microsoft
>>>> Disability Answer Desk.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Finally, technical support for screen reading and magnification
>>>> software
>>>> will become less and less available as technical support personnel
>>>> necessarily focus most of their attention on current versions of
>>>> programs
>>>> like JAWS and/or ZoomText. There will come a time when Freedom
>>>> Scientific,
>>>> the company which sells these two programs, will announce that the next
>>>> version of JAWS and/or ZoomText will no longer work with Windows 7.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What should a Windows 7 user do? Here are my suggestions.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 1.         Buy a new computer.
>>>>
>>>> While it is certainly possible in some cases to upgrade your existing
>>>> computer to Windows 10, experience has shown that upgrading an existing
>>>> Windows 7 computer to Windows 10 creates enough problems that the
>>>> upgrade is
>>>> hardly worth the effort. A brand new computer with a clean
>>>> installation of
>>>> Windows 10 will give you a much cleaner (and more stable) operating
>>>> system.
>>>> For around $500, you can get a respectable laptop computer with a
>>>> decent-sized keyboard and a good amount of memory and disk storage.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2.         Update your screen reading or screen enlargement program.
>>>>
>>>> It is essential that your screen reading or enlargement software is
>>>> current.
>>>> Windows 10 has been around for a few years now, but it is
>>>> continually being
>>>> updated-with a major update coming about once every six months. Screen
>>>> reading and enlargement software has to be kept up to date to deal
>>>> with the
>>>> sometimes significant changes which Microsoft continues to introduce
>>>> every
>>>> time a major update is released. If you have allowed your service
>>>> maintenance agreement to lapse, you are likely going to have to pay
>>>> a few
>>>> hundred dollars to bring your access technology up to date.
>>>> Fortunately, for
>>>> users of JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion, Freedom Scientific now offers home
>>>> annual licenses
>>>>
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.fre
> edomscientific.com%2Fcollections%2Fsoftware-for-home&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3
> aa927edad3c4e76389608d7b4eb851e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7
> C637176795946490459&sdata=r%2BorfqMOUOSkpTDIxSaJFQSx0qBiVqUPXtpfrRsVQRg%
> 3D&reserved=0> .
>>>> Instead of paying, say, $300 to bring your software up to date, you
>>>> can pay
>>>> an annual fee of $90 (for JAWS), $80 (for ZoomText) or $160 (for
>>>> Fusion,
>>>> which includes both JAWS and ZoomText) by acquiring the appropriate
>>>> home
>>>> annual license from the Freedom Scientific eStore, located at
>>>>
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.free
> domscientific.com&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3aa927edad3c4e76389608d7b4eb851e%7C8
> 4df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637176795946490459&sdata=wkFhY
> 3wmaPYieeLmmdapWhiHOjUnOR9VT71t6KmrX%2BM%3D&reserved=0.
>>>>
>>>> The good news for long-time users of Windows 7 is that Windows 10
>>>> continues
>>>> to offer the same keyboard commands and Windows Desktop which Windows 7
>>>> users know. In other words, once you move to Windows 10, you will
>>>> hardly
>>>> notice the difference between what is happening on your new system
>>>> and what
>>>> used to happen on your old equipment-with the possible exception that
>>>> everything will seem to run a lot more quickly.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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