Freedom Scientific has come out with a new update to JAWS 8.0. This makes the third update for Windows 2000 and XP users and represents Public Beta 2 for Vista users. Most importantly on Vista is that this version now supports User Access Control (UAC).
In the update’s release notes, the following interesting statement is made: “JAWS successfully handles and reads Ajax-enabled Web pages when using Internet Explorer 7”. What exactly is meant by this statement? I just tried the standard Ajax view of GMail, which still does not work with JAWS after the update.
The jury is still out on whether or not the issues with blank virtual buffers in Adobe Reader, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express have been resolved. I sure hope so, as this issue is keeping us from installing JAWS 8.0 on Karen’s computer. She’s still running 7.1, as are many others.
“JAWS successfully handles and reads Ajax-enabled Web pages when using Internet
Explorer 7″. What exactly is meant by this statement? I just tried the standard Ajax view of GMail, which still does not work with JAWS after the update. As you say “what is meant by this statement?” We would all love to think the most of a statement like that and we all really want it to be true, but the fact that it is a very vaigue statement combined with the fact that it already has been quickly been proven to not be true in a comon place where it would be desirable to make use of what is implied seriously diminishes the credibility of the statement. In that case what we are unfortunately left with I am sorry to say appears to be more marketing hipe which has become all too common from freedom scientific. Come on FS, we want more than lip service. We want to be users that have success in the real world with your product and we are growing sick and tired of a product that has way more effort put into marketing than the quality of the product. Meanwhile the competition is delivering on their promises and gaining ground by leaps and bounds. The issue with blank virtual buffers is a huge issue as well and tramendously can kill productivity and reliability of the product. Why, why, why would this not be a huge priority to fix and why would it not come before anything else being marketed? This kind of thing should be addressed immediately and continue to be addressed in house until fixed as a critical issue. AS users we are becoming more than sick and tired of the lip service, the empty marketing hipe and the refusal to put quality before making yourselves rich. Put the effort into the product or get out of the damn business!!