🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1088

                        Wednesday, November 02, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                           Sale of Textreader 320
                    Bioptic Glasses Info Requested (rcpt)
                               German Braille?
                   Re: NEW: TV2NITE-L - Daily US TV Digest
                          text editor for the blind
                     New FREE ZACK editor for the blind


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To subscribe to the Blind News Digest mailing list or have your
thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


UUCP:       uunet!bunker!wtm
INTERNET:   wtm@bunker.afd.olivetti.com
BITNET:     blindnws@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-926-6168
            (300 - 14,400 baud, 24 hours)

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: Sale of Textreader 320
From: bradcj@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU (Christopher James Bradley)

For sale: Robotron Textreader 320 (Step 2).  This scanner/textreader with
inbuilt OCR and speach synthesizer is available for A$3500 with the
optional Rainbow update for A$850.  The unit is 3 years old with only one
owner and is as new.  Any more details please E-Mail
bradcj@ucs.unimelb.edu.au.


Cheers,
Chris Bradley




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Subject: Bioptic Glasses Info Requested (rcpt)
From: nva1726@dsacva2.dpsc.dla.mil (Gregory Sanborn)


I am considering purchasing either Bita or Acutech bioptic glasses.  I am not
sure which would be best for me.  My best vision corrected is 20/70 and I have
some nistagmus (involuntary eye movement).  If anyone has any experience with
these devices I would welcome your feedback.  Currently I own a pair of bioptic
glasses made by Designs For Vision, but they are sooooo heavy and strange
looking, I use them only rarely at work.  I am leaning towards the Bita glasses,
especially due to the fact that they have made themselves available for any
information I may need.  Even if you wear other glasses that are similar to
these, I would like to hear about your experience with them.  I plan to wear
them to assist me in driving, but I'm sure they will be useful for many other
situations too.  Please send responses directly to me, after awhile I will send
them to this newsgroup, unless you would rather that yours not be posted.
Your input is appreciated!


                                ******
********
 * Any sufficiently advanced programming bug will become a feature........... *
 *============================================================================*
 * Gregory H. Sanborn                  *                INTERNET:             *
 * DLA Systems Design Center           *     gsanborn@dsacva2.dpsc.dla.mil    *
 * DSDC-VFD                            *     Commercial:  (215) 737-7646      *
 * P.O. Box 8529                       *     Autovon:           444-7646      *
 * Philadelphia, PA  19145-8529        *     Fax:         (215) 737-2080      *

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Subject: German Braille?
From: davros@eden.com (Buddy Brannan)


I'm in a German course at UT (Austin, TX), and because of this I became
the home for a number of old (pre-ww2, some of them) collections of
poetry...in German braille. Well it's all beyond me right now as this is
my first semester of German, but...does anyone know where I can find a
book (or something) that will teach me German braille contractions and
such-like? (Yes, I know English braille already.) Any help would be much
appreciated. Email davros@eden.com.


--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV        | This is the song that doesn't end.
3508 S. First St. #208       | Yes, it goes on and on, my friend.
Austin, TX 78704             | Some people started singing it,
(512)441-3246                | Not knowing what it was,
Internet: davros@eden.com    | And they'll continue singing it forever,
davros@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu    | Just because... [Repeat]



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Subject: Re: NEW: TV2NITE-L - Daily US TV Digest
From: spb@ntrs.com (Steve Bonine)

In article <34157@handicap.news>, mikenist@pipeline.com (Michael Nist) writes:
> Index Number: 34157
>
> TV2NITE-L on listserv@netcom.com        Daily US TV Schedule

I have tried this in both upper and lower case, and I get

>>>> subscribe TV2NITE-L
**** subscribe: unknown list 'TV2NITE-L'.
>>>>




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Subject: text editor for the blind
From: dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil (J. Dashiell)

Everything not just menus has to go out to bios.
In fact, if you can't redirect the output
of your editor to a text file with
some line like:
edit >file.txt
and have everything write out to file.txt it probably won't work
on speech synthesizers well or at all.
There's an additional requirement too.
Everything must be written out in text and that means no
characters from the c6 memory block that are pixel based.
Even so, I'd ask the person who requested support along these
lines to become a beta tester for you and remain as one for any future versions.
You could enable bios writes with a /b switch on he
command line and leave the fast screen writing code
in for those who don't use speech synthesizers.
I suggest you download and look at a version of
the source code for elvis and jove which are editors that
already work nicely for more details if you program in C.
If you program in C, the cprintf() statements you've used
need to have another case on them to test for that /b switch
I mentioned earlier and the other case should use a
printf() statement rather than the cprintf() statement
and your editor will then work.  Hope this has been some help.

jude <dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil>




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Subject: New FREE ZACK editor for the blind
From: MYERS@AB.WVNET.EDU (Roger Myers \)
Organization: West Virginia Network

Hi Bill,

I have just uploaded to your handicap FTP site in the /pub/upload
directory the file ZACK10.ZIP which contains the program ZACK.EXE
(which is my editor) and 3 text files ZACK.DOC (User's manual),
ZACKREF (quick reference to commands), and ZACKREG (registration form).

[Note from Bill McGarry: This is now in the /pub/uspeech directory]

I am providing my ZACK editor version 1.0 as a free text file editor
for the blind.  It is the unrestricted full working program.  Everyone is
encouraged to share it and use it as much as they like.  They are also
encouraged to register a copy with me for only a low cost of $2.50
for which they get certain benefits spelled out in section 2 of the ZACK
user's manual.  Please make this editor available on your BBS and FTP
site and feel free to announce its' release where ever you like.  I am
including a sample release notice below which you could use and add comments
to as you think best.

Sorry it took me 2 years to get around to sending it to you but better
late than never. :-)

Take care,
Roger

Internet:  MYERS@AB.WVNET.EDU
Postal:  Roger Myers  Route 3 Box 269-D  Philippi, WV  26416



OFFICIAL RELEASE NOTICE


ZACK V1.0  -  A new free editing tool for blind computer users
Release date: November 1, 1994

Copyright 1994 - CRS Printing Company - Route 3 Box 269-D  Philippi, WV  26416
All rights reserved

ZACK is a versitile free editor designed by Roger Myers a blind computer
programmer at CRS Printing Company in Philippi, West Virginia for the use
of blind and partially sighted individuals.  You are encouraged to
register your copy ($2.50) to get notices of future improvements and to
receive other benefits spelled out in the 32 page user's manual
which is included with this release.

Zack is a free unrestricted editor which is easy to learn to use.
It is what is known as a line editor meaning that to Zack the text
file is a collection of lines each of which can be changed, copied, moved,
deleted, etc.  Zack handles lines upto 248 characters in length.

To obtain a copy of Zack look on your favorite bulliton boards and FTP
sites for it.  Zack will in many cases be available as file ZACK10.ZIP

Please copy Zack and share this editor with your friends as well as
upload it to FTP sites and bulliton boards where you think it will reach
blind computer users.

Roger - MYERS@AB.WVNET.EDU



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                 End of Issue # 1088 of the Blind News Digest

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