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On JAWS demo. Was RE: repetitive navigation

for

From: Jim Thatcher
Date: Feb 19, 2003 2:10PM

Rant away, but best that that rant be based on fact. Freedom Scientific's
policy of timed demonstration is, in my opinion, extremely generous. Full
function JAWS runs for 40 minutes and then you have to reboot your computer.
For someone who is not blind and wants to test with a screen reader, it is
hard to imagine a better deal. I don't know what problems you had, but it
sounds like user error to me.

Jim
508 Web Accessibility Tutorial http://jimthatcher.com/webcourse1.htm.
"Constructing Accessible Web Sites:" http://jimthatcher.com/news.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Pawley [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 1:03 PM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: RE: repetitive navigation

Hi Leo,

<snip>
>I really like the idea of using the pseudo-class :focus to accomplish
>the appearing "skip to...." link when tabbing.

Don't forget that you need to use :active as well.
:focus doesn't work in Internet Explorer and :active doesn't work in
Netscape Gecko.

<snip>

>I also like the idea of being able to skip back and forth between
>main content and navigation.
>
>As far as hiding the skip to link in NS4 completely, this seems like
>a good idea based on the fact that the keyboard focus does not
>skip in this browser, as it should.
>
>I am assuming you would use display:none to achieve that, which
>would effectively hide it completely from keyboard access, but still
>make it available to screen reader users who, of course, would still
>find it useful (unless display:none also hides content from screen
>readers?)

I was under the impression that screen readers only worked in conjunction
with Internet Explorer. It would be worth looking into, but ...

Given that the makers of these things don't seem prepared to let web
developers test their sites without paying a hefty fee, I feel inclined to
let them get on with it.

Frankly, they _deserve_ a WWW that doesn't work with their gadgets.

I was, at one time, under the impression, that at least JAWS would work for
forty minutes and then stop unless you re-booted - which would be fair
comment. Then I found that my JAWS demo packed up altogether.

I was then given to believe that the cut-down version: Connect Outloud would
carry on working (though I hadn't yet found the time really get to grips
with it).

I fired it up just now in response to your comment, only to be greeted with
the message that it would pack up after 24 hours working time. How are we
supposed even to learn how it works, let alone test on a continuing basis
under such circumstances?

I'm really browned off. Are the only valuable sites the ones developed by
full-time developers who could justify the expense of buying, JAWS, Window
Eyes and Home Page Reader?

Please forgive the rant. :-) No, sorry, I can't manage a smile. :-(

<snip>
>Thanks for the technique Philip.

Thanks for your comments, Leo. :-)

All the best,
--
Philip Pawley
Liverpool, UK
http://www.alexanderworks.org.uk/
--





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