Category: Geeks r Us
Hi all.
I just discovered a free screen reader. You can get it at http://www.screenreader.net/.
I didn't use it yet. I am downloading it at the moment. By reading the FAQ i can tell you the following about it.
It's a basic one. It works with microsoft word, outlook express and there is also another programme called web eye which reads websites and it's free as well. I don't remember if it works with other programmes.
Did anyone else is using this free software? Good or bad points it has got? Le us know.
Thanks
Nikos
Sorry. I forgot to tell you the name of the screen reader. It's called thunder.
And sorry for the spelling mistakes at post 1.
Nikos
Sounds interesting. This would probably be most suitable for someone with very low income as I don't think it will ever take the place of jaws or win eyes.
Troy
I agree with the post above mine. I downloaded it just now just out of curiosity though. It seems pretty easy to figure out, although I had to turn on JAWS while I was setting up the voice as it started up speaking too fast for some reason. Other than that, it seems to work alright. I'm using the web browser thing at the moment after having set it up, and found that it numbers everything. I'm wondering if the numbering could be used as some kind of shortcut thing? I've been having to down arrow so far to find the links I want. The pages are pretty much set up the it is in the JAWS layout, and when you get on an edit field (which you'll know because it is numbered), you enter on it to edit andcan press enter or tab to OK, and it's the same thing with combo boxes, minus the editing of course; it's pretty much the say you use JAWS actually, except like I mentioned about the quick navigation keys which I don't know about yet.
Oh, and I just now learned something: after editing, at least on here, you tab once to OK, and then you also have to go to the "post reply" button after that. And I haven't tried any other things besides setting up the speech, reading some of the Help document for Thunder, and coming on here to use it, so when I try out other things, I'll let you know how that goes for me.
OK. Something else: I learned that when you're typing in an edit field on here, you have to tab around to make sure you're in the edit field somethimes and you'll know that because it won't say anything for it. Also, speaking of editing, Thunder also works with Notepad and Windows Messenger pretty well. Now I'm wondering about other Messenger programs, which I may try sometime later.
Well, it's been interesting trying that Thunder screen reader out, but I'm uninstalling it and the other features for it. In short, it's a pretty good screenreader, similar to JAWS but with different shortcuts, which you could find in the help document. For the Help document, you just alt-tab 'til you get to "help"; there'll only be that and "settings", so anyways when you enter on help, it just opens that window and will have all the keystokes and shortcuts you'll need to know for using Thunder easily. I found out that you can use it on both Windows and MSN Messenger, and so I'm assuming you can also use it on AOL and Yahoo, although I (and the few contacts I have *smile*) don't use those ones often enough to try it out. So generally, it's pretty cool, although the only big disadvantage that might be annoying is that with me, it always started up talking very fast. When I was able to understand generally by the sounds which button was "settings" and where the "speed" was, I was able to adjust it for that session, but you have to keep readjusting it when it starts up with your computer, which is another thing. Unlike JAWS and WindowEyes, it does not have something, (that I know of) to say that you didn't want it alwasy starting up with the computer. Of course, you could shut it down while using the computer, but I don't think there's a way to stop it from starting up automatically when you turn on or restart the computer. So, I think if you want to try something different or for someone who can't afford a screen reader and/or doesn't just want a 30- to 40-minute demo, it can work out pretty fine for them, but because of the two drawbacks I mentioned, it can be annoying. OK. That's my long personal evaluation of this program. *smile*
Hello Lelany. I hope i spell your name right.
Thanks for the comments you posted.
I think you are right. There are some problems with it. When somebody close it down it doesn't save the settings somebody chose like voices, speed etc. After i close it down i get an error report message and i get the options of send or don't send the report to the microsoft website.
Another disadvantage is that it hasn't got its own voices and it's using the sapi5 voices. There is one voice we can download from the website which is a 15 days trial. After the 15 days we have to pay.
Finally there is a way of making the programme to stop starting when you restart the computer. You will have to delete the shortcut from your startup folder. You can find it in start, programmes, startup. If you delete the shorcut the programme will only start when you click on it from the desctop or the start menu.
But the oficial released day was the 18th of July. I don't know why it's available earlier. They might improove it until the 18th so the best thing to do is to keep checking out the website.
Nikos
Hi.
I think that if this is done&marketed in the right way, this could go very far.
Advantages:
Its free.
It is quite small, and is good for beginers.
You can use ellaquence with it, so if you are moving from jfw then that'll be handy.
Disadvantages:
It performs better with webie than internet explorer; webie puts numbers infront of everything; for the fast user, this is annoying.
You WILL need to change some of the settings for it to work for you.
I downloaded this just before i started lessons, and thought that i would put it through its pases for the day.
So, i open up a notepad window, and start typing; little do i kno that when i use the arro keys, it makes a lil ding sound for each line, which is kinda handy, but not in a lesson, you can disable this though.
Crashes hal
I unloaded hal to test this, and hal would not start untill i rebooted; this has happened everytime i have used the program.
It doesn't read enough:
For example, it says backspace in notepad, instead of saying deleeted: letter or what ever it should say.
Scripts:
The program uses scripts by the sound of it, you can tell this coz it keeps on going on about how it is loding scripts for every program that you open; this is annoying; but, if this program needs scripting for the aplications that you use, there will be limited support for it, considering that it is free, and the author has to make some money some how. There will be less user made scripts for thunder than there will be for jfw.
Ahh and i kinda like how it beeps when you make an spelling error in word.
I'm going to make a btc podcast for it when i get back home.
BEN.
i think i agree with ben, this could go along way
Thank you Nikos! I will try it out! Seeing that I'm getting tired of my Jaws demmo! And I've had trouble with Window Eyes and Connect Out Loud! In fact my computer has disabled both programs and I can't remove them from the control panel! Your friend, Hope
I tryed thunder out as well, I don't like changing those settings every time I start the program. It installs web ie as part of it I think. It's good for certain things I guess. It doesn't work with ie verry much. But, it's a cool program even though it has those little problems. It works better than narrator in my opinion.
Bryan