[RWP] ReaAccess 2.0? Some thoughts

Fri Jan 13 11:11:42 EST 2012

What do you suggest?  Any developers on this list who may have a clue as to 
what bits changed, so that we may be able to ask for spasifics.  I'd never 
ask for all functions of 4 to die for sake of context menus working.  We 
have a version of reaper that has the functions of 4 unavailable to us, its 
called 3.7!  Woo!  Sarcasm aside, surely there is something we can actively 
do as a community which would make a fix practical

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Indigo" <33indigo at charter.net>
To: "Reapers Without Peepers" <rwp at reaaccess.com>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 11:05 AM
Subject: Re: [RWP] ReaAccess 2.0? Some thoughts

> Okay, then it's down to asking that the API be fixed, so hammer that 
> single concept in the Cockos forums until it's done.
> That's what I meant by asking for a specific change, instead of increased 
> accessibility, which is too general and vague to be taken seriously.
> I'm sure the Reaper team know what changes they made in API when version 4 
> came out.
> You know, though, if they revert back to the API of version 3x, it's going 
> to break their improvements in version 4.
> They would need to have the source code for ReaAccess to understand how 
> API changes caused it not to work for Reaper 4, in order to know which API 
> changes to modify
> Since nobody can reach Ivan, how's that source code ever going to be 
> known?.
> Indigo L
>
>
> On 1/12/2012 12:24 PM, Derek Lane wrote:
>> I still say that all we need to ask for is for the API to be fixed in
>> such a way that the context menus work again. The automation stuff in
>> reaper can be taken care of through either a control serfice, or the sws
>> console. So then, all someone would have to do is intigrate reaaccess
>> and sws, and we'd be set.
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Indigo" <33indigo at charter.net>
>> To: "Reapers Without Peepers" <rwp at reaaccess.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 9:33 AM
>> Subject: Re: [RWP] ReaAccess 2.0? Some thoughts
>>
>>
>>> The Cockos forums are full of sighted users who want some particular
>>> change in reaper, and sometimes that user is the only one, or maybe
>>> there are 3 or 4 that think it's a good idea, but they're persistent
>>> and vocal.
>>> If the programmers agree, it'll happen.
>>> More often, though, other smart programmers who frequent the forums
>>> find workArounds, if they get fired up on the idea.
>>> There are usually at least 2 or 3 ways to approach any operation in
>>> reaper, so if you can clearly express what you can't get at, somebody
>>> might suggest an alternative method.
>>> Getting help is a social thing, like everything else, a bllind person
>>> needs to become known, and accepted not as a freak, but as just
>>> another Reaper user, who has different needs, and somebody will
>>> volunteer.
>>> I don't at all believe that developers make every change in their
>>> product only for profit.
>>> There are still plenty of generous and helpful folks out there.
>>> I got the changes in the little program Fractal tuneSmithy,because the
>>> developer became intrigued with learning what a screenreader would see
>>> in his program; Roy Shtupler asked Rob Papen for and got registry
>>> entries to expose screen text in Predator and Blue; I asked
>>> PropellerHeads for a few affordable developer's licenses for Reason 6,
>>> and got them, and a small group of us are now learning how to run
>>> Reason 6.
>>> The developers aren't stupid, they realize what we learn might or
>>> might not result in more sales of reason 6 to blind musicians.
>>> The approach that gets results is to be polite, professional and
>>> reasonable.
>>> I don't think petitions asking for a generality like increased
>>> screenreader access could ever have any good effect.
>>> could you like for someone to get up a petition to force you to do
>>> something?
>>> It's bound to get your hackles up,and piss you off, and you're more
>>> likely to do the opposite.
>>> That's how I am, I hate for anyone to threaten or force me to do
>>> anything, and plenty of others feel the same way.
>>> One of the greatest fears of small businesses in the US is that the
>>> government will suddenly require equal access provisions that will
>>> cost so much to implement that their struggling business will go belly
>>> up.
>>> As an example, I know of instances where small towns around here were
>>> forced to put wheelchair ramps sloping off sidewalks, at a cost of
>>> $16,000 each, because of exact government provisions that must be met,
>>> and these were for 1 user only.
>>> You know I sympathize with anybody in a wheelchair, but I also know
>>> that I could have made a working ramp myself, by hand, for no more
>>> than $200, because I've made some concrete ramps around my place here,
>>> for wheelbarrows to roll smoothly off sidewalks.
>>> These small towns are barely scraping by these days to find enough
>>> cash to hire fireman and police, or keep the waterworks running.
>>>
>>> Indigo L
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 1/11/2012 9:43 PM, Dave wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Guess that depends upon the number of Blind users that use Reaper at
>>>> this time.
>>>>
>>>> As usual, there are about 12 of us, and even if we numbered 112, that
>>>> number would hardly register when compared with the Sighted customer
>>>> base numbers.
>>>>
>>>> The Blind users groups, for just about any software, just do not have
>>>> the numbers needed to really grab the attention of what ever Developer,
>>>> of what ever software package.
>>>>
>>>> Seems like the Blind community has to find a yet to be discovered
>>>> program, that is very good, and has one starving Developer, that will 
>>>> do
>>>> almost anything to start getting a Cash Flow from his product.
>>>>
>>>> Only then do we get Accessibility issues addressed. Then after the guy
>>>> does a few updates, that incorporate a few good changes for the Screen
>>>> Reader crowd, not enough buy his program, because so many screen reader
>>>> users are broke, or are looking for a Free update, or just outright
>>>> steal the software, no matter what taste it might leave in the
>>>> struggling Developers mouth.
>>>>
>>>> Not sure why Ivan, the guy that created Reaaccess, has chosen to stop
>>>> his own efforts. I was hopeful, but looks like that hope has diminished
>>>> along with the other previous projects to give full access to a quality
>>>> Recording program.
>>>>
>>>> If Mr. Ivan would have really given us a solid, Total access, I would
>>>> have paid him $200 for such an ability. $200 is about my top end limit,
>>>> unless I suddenly wake up with a lot more extra cash in my pockets.
>>>>
>>>> I paid a lot of my own money for my computer, and for the Screen Reader
>>>> that allows me to have limited access to most programs. When the Screen
>>>> Reader software costs more than my computer, well, I just don't care 
>>>> for
>>>> it. Seems a bit odd, unless most sales are paid for by the Government,
>>>> which is sure to raise the pricing of most anything. Perhaps it is just
>>>> me that has the wrong idea of what fair market pricing should be?
>>>>
>>>> Sorry, I am off on another rant. Sorry about the Reaper program not
>>>> getting any further access, at least it looks that way for the short
>>>> term, if I were optimistic.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>> I guess we may have to put up with no further ReaAccess versions, at
>>>>> least this is what I learn from recent discussions on this list.
>>>>> I sent an email to Cockos a couple of months ago asking for their 
>>>>> plans
>>>>> on direct accessibility support. They indicated that they have
>>>>> screenreader support on their list but - like with so many SW
>>>>> projects -
>>>>> this list may be long.
>>>>> Nevertheless, I think the only way to support accessibility in the 
>>>>> long
>>>>> run will be to integrate it directly into the Reaper code.
>>>>> On Windows systems there are many ways to do it, Microsoft UI
>>>>> Automation
>>>>> beeing probably the most promissing at the moment.
>>>>> Exposing all UI elements to UIA would allow all modern screenreaders 
>>>>> to
>>>>> work without any extra plugins or auxiliary technology.
>>>>> Reaper already allows all important actions to be bound to key strokes
>>>>> and so this should not create a problem.
>>>>> I wonder if a feature request signed by as many active visually
>>>>> impaired
>>>>> Reaper users as possible could help in bringing this task a bit closer
>>>>> to the top of Cockos's todo list.
>>>>> Their reply to my email left me with the impression that they were not
>>>>> even aware of ReaAccess and what it does.
>>>>> On the other hand screenreader compatibility could help them boost
>>>>> their
>>>>> sales, especially for public institutions who are bound to provide
>>>>> accessible solutions.
>>>>>
>>>>> What do you guys think?
>>>>> /Roland
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> RWP mailing list
>>>>> RWP at reaaccess.com
>>>>> http://reaaccess.com/mailman/listinfo/rwp_reaaccess.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
>>
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