[NFBCS] Blast from the past

Tue Feb 27 19:23:29 UTC 2024

I loved IBM Screenreader and used it when I was a mainframe programmer. When
I migrated to Windows, I started using JAWS.  One of the things I liked
about IBM Screenreader is the possibility of listening to text in one part
of the screen while operating the keyboard with my left hand and using my
right hand to pan a Navigator 20 display. Sometimes I wish screenreaders
could be operated by a keypad to free up the computer keyboard for other
things. I didn't like my navigator. It had a button to link and unlink the
panning keys from the cursor and that button made loud and annoying beeps.
The software which the navigator used constantly crashed my DOS PS/2
computer.

I remember another experience in high school where my school for the blind
acquired the original Kurzweil reading machine. It didn't work well enough
for me to use it for my classes at the public school where I was
mainstreamed. It constantly issued an error message saying it couldn't see a
next line. It ignored column mode which made it next to impossible to read
the magazine articles I needed for one of my classes. In one case it scanned
something and spoke an expletive. I spelled through the text and spelled the
word, and it was an expletive which wasn't in the original print. Being a
typical high school student, I laughed uproariously. The machine crashed
frequently and needed to be rebooted from a tape. That process took about 15
minutes. I fought with the people at the school for the blind and convinced
them that I would need readers to record things I needed for class. The
reading machine wasn't good enough for prime time and I couldn't keep up
reading text with an optacon. I still think there is a place for a new type
of optacon but that's another story.

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NFBCS
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 7:16 AM
To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: carcione at access.net
Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Blast from the past

I used Flipper for a while, but my favorite screen reader was IBM's Screen
Reader.  It had its own keypad, so there were never any key conflicts, and
it was easy to set parameters and triggers, much easier than with Jaws.  It
worked great for mainframe programming.

My favorite synthesizer was the Artic Transport.  I still have it, but no
driver.  It was fast, responsive, and I like the Artic voice.
And, speaking on no driver, I have an Alva that still works fine, but Jaws
doesn't have a driver for it anymore.  Annoying.
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Brian Buhrow via NFBCS
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2024 2:03 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Brian Buhrow <buhrow at nfbcal.org>; 'Doug Lee' <dgl at dlee.org>
Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Blast from the past

	hello.  Doug mentioned Flipper in his historical journey.  I, too
started with Apple II and Street Electronics Texttalker.  I still have the
original Apple II reference manual in braille, which came complete with
tactile diagrams of memory maps and the complete 6502 assembly instruction
set, listed by pneumonic.  I read the thing from cover to cover. (many
covers for those who remember multi-volume braille books.)

	However, it was Flipper that inspired me to write this message.  Of
all the DOS based screen readers I used over the years, Flipper was the
easiest to use, ran the fastest, and provided the most information in the
most efficient fashion!  How good was it, you might ask?
For me, it was so good, that I used it well into the 2000's, retiring it
finally in 2007.
Well, partially.  I now use Mike Gorse's Yasr as my daily screen reader.
Howevr, to make it more compatible with my muscle memory, I rewrote all of
the keymaps to match the old Flipper commands, as well as rewriting some of
the punctuation nomenclature to match what Flipper used to say.  So, for
some of us, Flipper is still alive and well!

-thanks
-Brian

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