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AudioGames.net Forum → Off-topic room → Skype 4 and accessibility
Hi guys,
Annoyingly, it seems that Skype are now forcing users from 3.8 to autimatically be upgraded to version 4 of the software, even if the Autimatically Check For Updates feature is disabled in options, and as a result I've been trying Skype 4, which I must say seems very strange.
I was wondering, how have you guys found Skype 4 within regards to accessibility with screen readers?
I'm using NVDA (I can't stand FS and JFW any more).
Cheers.
I'll put it simply. it's close to inaccessible overhere. NVDA sees a bunch of edit fields or something, but the rest are either pains or unknowns. window eyes sees only custum controls. system access happens to work 100 percent with the new interface, which they made how they did probably because people were tired of tabs and multiple windows, so it's 1 giant screen, split into areas for contacts, the directories, and chats.
so, when you get a new message, it appears in 1 window, it's not like there is a special chat window that pops up. that's why I'm really hating skype. I also find the impact on resources is atad too big, so I usually prefer to stick to something like teamtalk for voice chatting
Sure. The only reason I use it now is for my radio shows. Just out of interest, have you tried Skype Talking at all? It can be obtained from the following URL:
http://skypetalking.googlecode.com/
Skype 4 is rather awkward with Jaws using scripts still. That said I'm trying hard to wean myself from my dependence on windows altogether.
Skype 4.2 is userable with jaws. I have heard that 4.0 didn't really work for people. Skype on the IPod touch works just fine. I wil have to try it with NVDA. I do have to a agree with you on the strage statement. It is a little strange on the layout, but it useable. I would point you to a serotech podcast talking about skype, but I don't remember the show title.
Yes iPhone Skype works okay, Mac OS X Skype is clunky to say the least for text chat but is useable just fine for voice.
my jaws is not reading messeges dering the chat. İ not trye it to jaws 10, but İ tryed with older versions with skype 4.0 script.
Same issue with JFW 10 and Skype IM here, haven't bothered installing JFW 11 yet even though I have the SMA. Just too lazy.
İ segest evribody skype 3.8.
Burak, it was stated earlier that Skype are forcing the update to 4. It sounds like they're going to stop allowing 3.8 to be used. Please pay attention to the topic before posting such a statement.
sorry, İ was dont kno.
Burak:
I wasn't asking a question, I was asking you to read previous posts before making a statement which is of no use.
What you did is something like this in terms of impact on the discussion:
Poster 1 asks, what's a good accessible unzip utility for Linux?
Poster 2 replies, I like WinZip
this really reminds me of the wlm2009 upgrade forcing thing with ms. locally, miranda is better so I just switched to that. In fact, I switched way before that happend, so I kind of just giigled and did the accasional check if fs fixed their bugs. of course, they didn't, so, I just don't even have jaws on here anymore, but that's off-topic, so I shall stop.To add something to this though, the iOS skype client works really well. I do use it sometimes.
Hello.I have been useing skype 4.1 with jaws ,and scripts for it.I have never used 3.8 so I don't know The difference in them,but people do say that 3.8 is more accessible.For me,4.1 works just fine.
can you upload to skype 4.1 scripts for jaws?
I have jaws 11, skype 4 and skype talking. Everything is fine for VOIP, but jaws crashes sometimes with chat messages. Anyway, skype talking is excellent and I highly recommand it.
Somebody asked for chat in main window : Having chat messages in main window or in separate windows is a parameter to check in the options dialog.
Somebody told me that skype 5 is better, because they have restored some accessibility features which were present in older skype versions but not 4.x. I don't know if it's really true, because I haven't tested skype 5 beta yet.
Hello,Here are the scripts for skype. Download the uproepreat one for your version of skype
http://www.dlee.org/skype
Hope that helps.
Something else that I've noticed about Skype 4 is that it seems as if you are unable to answer any calls unless you are in a chat window, which seems very strange.
Okay, here's my take on this.
While I do agree that Skype 3.8 is old and people should start upgrading, I don't know why they had to change the interface. They could've put in an option to change it back to the way it was. It's a shame, really, now because of that, I have to help so many configure it to make it usable again, because they either got updated unexpectedly, or they just decided it's time for the upgrade.
Who would've known that if you go to the view menu, and press enter on default view, it makes chats appear in seperate windows again? A person like me who just upgrades because newer is better, wouldn't have known that.
Also I've stuck to Skype 4.1. Newer versions just make it worse, more buttons to tab through, and just a more unstable interface. I also had problems where after a few weeks my mic would cut out and not work properly in Skype, I had to reinstall. Perhaps it was the mic, or the newer version of Skype, or both. That alone made me downgrade. Version 4.1 works and I can use it very well, with hardly a problem. Skype Talking is my friend here.
As for the Skype 5 betas, I haven't tried them yet. Honestly, I really don't want to. It's a pain installing betas and finding out it's just like the last, then having to downgrade and set it to not download or install updates. I hear the new betas have some new accessibility features, and when i have some time when I have nothing to do, I will check them out..
I'm not trying to say that Skype is bad. I have made very close friends on it. But most of them kept going back and fourth between 3.8 and 4.0, sometimes a half a dozen times, then 4.1 came out and most of them were able to use it. But we still miss that nice easy interface of 3.x versions. I don't think emailing Skype would help, as they obviously wanted to change the interface, and they know now that it isn't the easiest to use. I believe that the developers have a decent amount of work to do. Couldn't they incorperate the very accessible 3.8 interface and put it on top of the enhanced calls and whatnot of the newer versions?
Sorry for ranting like this, I just wish they did something about it. i'm getting tired of dealing with it.
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