Hi, I will check this out, but it does sound a great deal like quicksilver. which used to be more accessible than it is now...
Is anyone having better luck than I with using QS? Joel On Jul 17, 2010, at 12:14 PM, Alfredo Holguin wrote: > I would like to request that all board members sent the following > message to the posted email to request greater accessibility to the > launch bar application. This application lets you open WebPages, > application, recently worked on documents from application such as > Text edit, or works and the like, select and paste from a history of > clipboard items, play a iTunes album or song without having to open > iTunes, and index folders of your choice so that you can search those > folders fast. This is like a spotlight search, but to the second > power. It makes using your Mac way better. If you have or have used, > the feature of jaws, where you press, Insert spacebar, then the R key, > then type in search term to search on a dictionary, or Wikipedia, then > you will like this program. This program lets you search your > dictionary application, Google search, and the Wikipedia site, among > other sites, through one window. This makes using your Mac way > efficient. The application runs for 35 dollars. It might sound > expensive, but it is well worth it. Seems like everyone here knows > how to use their mac here, to this will only enhance their Mac > experience so that they have more time for other things, like playing > with your child, being with your family, etc. I am not affiliated > with the developer of this program; I just want it to be more > accessible. I have sent the below message to them. However, since > more attention will be given to this problem if more people point out > the flaws of this program with voice over, we can get accessibility > faster. I would greatly appreciated if you sent the following message > to the below email. This email is there support email. If you have > questions of how to use the program, just let me know, although it is > limited right now, I am able to use it. > Alfredo > > Email the following to: > launch...@obdev.at > > > Topic: Question / Technical Problem > Product Version: 5.2 > Operating System: 10.6 > CPU: Intel > > I am an apple voice over user and have a few questions and concerns > regarding your launch bar application. I am one of the thousands of > blind users that have switched to the Mac from windows, and learned > from your application from the Mac power user podcasts, and decided > that if my apple experience was to be productive then I had to get > launch bar. I was not sure if the program was going to be accessible, > but I tried it, and have count a few bumps on the way. At the first > the program was totally inaccessible, the only 2 items that voice over > recognized on the dash board window, where , the “checkbox” (which was > a checkbox, and “button”, which was a button that if I pressed gave me > menu options such as preferences, quit, etc. I then started messing > around the preferences window of launch bar and, checked the box, > “speak selected item” checkbox in the general area of the launch bar > preferences. This enabled me to hear all he search results that I was > getting when blindly typing into the launch bar search field. After > this I found out that if I pressed the launch bar hotkey, which I > configured to control-space, and launch bar was already running, I > would be in in the launch bar window, then, although Voice over was > unable to “see”, what I was trying on the search edit field, I was > able to use it since I would get results when typing in websites, > like, google.com, or, text, and then selecting the text edit > application, then pressing space bar to see the list of previously > open documents. Then I manage to look at my clipboard list. My > concerns are the following: > > 1. I use voice over at a faster speech rate, than the speed at which > you have your default when you checkbox the “speak selected item” > option of the general preferences of the launch bar preferences. > Because of this, it takes longer, thus it is less efficient, for me to > use launch bar. If the speech rate is slow, a keystroke pressed, such > as tab to move between the search results, takes longer. It would be > a great option to either have the launch bar voice speed, be the same > as the Voice over speech speed configured by the user account that is > using the launch bar application. Alternatively, you can have a > slider in the general preferences of launch bar, preferably after, the > checkbox, “speak selected item”, checkbox that would increase the > speech rate speed of launch bar. This is a deal breaker for me, > meaning that if this feature cannot be implementing, then I cannot use > launch bar to its full potential and would have to look elsewhere for > alternatives to such a great program. > 2. Inaccessible text edit field, on the launch bar window, either > through the compact action menu checkbox checked or not (this features > is an option of the appearance preferences of launch bar). This means > that when I press control spacebar, Voice over, does not, “see”, what > I am typing on the screen. This means that if I make a mistake when > typing in a webpage, or application, or name of a document, I cannot > efficiently backspace, since I would not know what I am deleting, as > voice over does not read back what I have typed or deleted. It would > greatly enhance the programs appeal to voice over users if they could > hear and correct what they are typing into the search field of the > launch bar window. I have only used launch bar for a limited time, > but if I required typing more than 8 characters in the search edit > field of the launch bar window, I might lose track of what I was > typing, and make such an efficient tool, inefficient. > 3. Navigation, I can currently navigate the laucnhbar window only with > the tab key; enter key and the space bar key. The tab key gets me to > the search results, the spacebar, brings up the submenu, and the enter > key selects an option. However, since voice over is not “accessing” > this features, I hear the options since I have selected the “speak > selected item”, feature, but I cannot go back a search results easily, > or cannot command voice over to read the search results character by > character in case I did not understand what was spoken. I can cycle > through he search results but only one way, the shift tab, is not > supported. Usually shift tab will cycle through options in reverse > order. It would be a great enhancement to its efficiency and > accessibility if voice over were able to access he search results and > the submenus (which are access with the space bar). By this I mean, > that instead of just having the option to type the “tab” key, I can > press the down arrow key, or the tab key, after typing in my search > results, to go into the search results list, and then use the up and > down arrow keys to select an option, or use, the left arrow or > spacebar key to open a submenu, if it has one, and then use the enter > key to selected that search result. > > I currently am a luster of 2 voices over Mac forums, and if these > features are implemented I will personally make me responsible for > advertising launch bar on these lists. There are currently about > 1,000 users on this list. If launch bar is tweaked just a little bit > to make it more accessible to be able to use it as efficiently as > sighted users you will definitely increase your profits and market > share. I would greatly appreciate if you contact me as soon as > possible. I am available to beta test any launch bar software > application which has voice over accessibility so an accessible launch > bar application is ready for prime release. > > Sincerely, > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
