So, I have this fully-functional, super-cool, ultra-handy version 10 of the Hal screenreader produced by Dolphin Computer Access ltd. (or perhaps Dolphin Oceanic ltd. Something with tunafish, in any case).
I also have this shiny new laptop that I bought a week ago. This laptop ships with a fully up-to-date downgrade DVD to Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 x86. Woa, what a name!
Anyway, I have this performance-monster sitting on my desk, and I boot it up, ready to explore the Internet. Scouring the Windows desktop for an appropriate tool, I see a program called "Internet Explorer". So I smash my fist into the enter-key, unleashing all the force that is in me. I AM READY TO GO! My computer, however, is not...
I sit there, looking at the screen, shivering from pure scaredness. It's Internet Explorer version 8!
And off I go, surfing to YourDolhin.com to find out more about this new IE8. And as one would expect from a state-of-the-art screenreader, Hal has got built-in IE8 support. But, and here it comes, I would need version 11.01 to use this precious program. That's not too bad, after all the people over at Dolphin Tunafish Pond Something ltd. need money too. The only thing is that I cannot quite afford this upgrade after purchasing the above mentioned monster-notebook PC. So the big question is: how does Hal v10.03 perform with Internet Explorer 8? Has anybody got experience with this combo? And... What about the free update to Skype version 4? Does that free update actually cost me a 300 euros to make it accessible?
Oh, before I sign out to sit in a corner and sob about the bad bad world, let me make a couple of notes:
- The story above is hypothetical, imaginary, and based on utterly and only thin air.
- Just suppose that Freedom Scientific and its product JAWS do not exist, so that I can't switch screenreaders.
- The same applies to Window-Eyes.
- In fact, I am running all three big commercial screenreaders and I love them all. They are just great! There's no doubt that all three are the best screenreader and the ultimate solution to go with.
Cheers, and sorry for the wickedness!