[nfbcs] jaws so sensitive is BS!

[Aaron Cannon]

Hi Gary and all.

I don't disagree with you.  For most users, it is not burdensome,
until you start playing with hardware, which most users won't, or
won't to the level that causes issues with Jaws.

I think the real problem is control.  Yes, I am also grateful for
Jaws, as NVDA is not yet up to replacing it (at least for some of what
I need it for).  I have used it for about 15 years, in which time, it
has been instrumental in keeping me employed.  In fact, it has been,
and remains,  essential to most of my daily activities.  And I think,
therein lies the problem.

I, and many of you, are dependent on a commercial piece of software
that can be taken away or altered in ways that you or I don't like,
and this can happen at almost any time.  Now, I'll grant that that's
not all that likely, but it could happen.  So even if it is pretty
improbable, is it worth the risk, considering to what degree it would
affect us?

It's nothing personal.  The support I have received from FS and now
VFO has always been excellent, and the robustness of the software, to
be able to work with so many different software packages, and in so
many different environments without crashing too much is really quite
remarkable.  Yes, I find the fragility of the activation scheme
annoying, and the implication that a not-insignificant number of us
blind folks are software pirates troubling.  However, it almost always
works, and bugs are routinely being fixed.  Yet, at the core of this
issue remains the fact that we do not control something which is a
vital part of our independence.  No matter how benign they have been
in the past, I don't think it's in our best interests to remain
dependent on their goals continuing to align with ours.

When I pay for Jaws, I am mostly benefiting myself, the company, and,
to a much lesser extent,  other Jaws users who enjoy the new features
funded in small part by my contribution.  However, this group of users
is limited to those who can either afford it themselves, or have a
connection who can and will purchase it for them.  On the other hand,
when I make a donation to NVAccess, I am likely to see very little
personal benefit, but a significantly greater benefit to other users,
many of whom lack the resources and social safety nets I often take
for granted.

When I give money to VFO, I'm paying a rental fee.  When I send money
to NVAccess, I'm investing in something that both belongs to, and that
can potentially benefit almost every blind person with access to a
computer.

Again, I don't think we significantly disagree.  The NVDA developers
continue to close the gap between it and Jaws with each new release,
and I believe that there will come a time in the next few years where
the disparity no longer exists to any meaningful degree.  Depending on
what you use your computer for, that time may already be here.  But
whenever it comes, when we finally have a real choice in screen
readers again, I sincerely hope that we will decide to choose the
option that is better for all of us collectively, even if it requires
a sacrifice of our time to learn a new screen reader, and even if we
have a lot to be grateful to VFO for.

Aaron

On 12/29/17, Gary Wunder via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> When I first started using JAWS for Windows, a user had a fixed number of
> authorizations and they came on a 3 1/2 inch disk. When you ran out, things
> were tough. I cannot for the life of me see how the current process is
> burdensome. If I go to FSACTIVATE, I can request that my authorization
> count
> be reset. This seems eminently fair and reasonable.
>
> As much as I detest the need to endure any protection scheme, I know people
> who are very proud of the fact that they have versions of JAWS that have
> been given to them by others. Although I have never investigated it, some
> people tell me that they have hacked versions of JAWS in which the
> authorization scheme is disabled. His Jaws expensive? I consider it so, but
> I appreciate its support, its training materials, and people I can actually
> talk with when I have a problem. I made a living as a programmer for more
> than thirty years, and whether people value the cost of intellectual
> property or not, I know that I needed to be paid for my work.
>
> Do I have NVDA on my system? I certainly do. Am I glad that it exists? Yes
> I
> am, and I vote not only by using it but by making contributions. But as an
> editor I can't find all of the functions that now serve me well in my use
> of
> JAWS for Windows, so I will continue to support a for-profit company while
> at the same time being open to other alternatives and encouraging them as
> well.
>
>
>
>
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