... but that's not what you indicated. You indicated that you feel that by connecting a Braille"n Speak to your system which allows you to access the bios makes that bios perfectly accessible. that's only one option, what if you don't happen to own a braille'n speak? At 19:54 12/23/03, you wrote: >I should think the opposite is a bios you can't read without sight. > >Allan Shaw writes: > > From: Allan Shaw <technews at sympatico.ca> > > > > > > ... I wouldn't consider having to connect a Braille 'N Speak to your > system > > a system with a perfectly accessible bios, in fact the exact opposit! > > > > At 11:45 12/23/03, you wrote: > > >Let's generalize this a bit further. > > > > > >Virtually all non Intel computers can be accessed over a serial port at > > >9600 baud. At least, this has been historically true for systems from > > >DEC, Sun, etc. > > > > > >In other words, the inaccessible bios was first created for Intel > > >computing platforms. > > > > > >I believe this is an important point which should not be forgotten in > > >any advocacy for accessibility on future bios implementations. We're not > > >asking for something new. We're asking that something be maintained. > > > > > >For example, my DEC Alphastation 200 has a perfectly accessible bios. I > > >simply disconnect the monitor and plug a Braille 'N Speakup into its > > >first serial port and have at it. It's brilliant, and this is how I > > >configured the bios on the computer that is now my home server. > > > > > >My experience with this ten year old DEC is the historic norm for > > >computing. > > > > > >Allan Shaw writes: > > >> From: Allan Shaw <technews at sympatico.ca> > > >> > > >> > > >> Back in the very early days of the 8286 CPU's one of the leading bios > > >> manufacturers at that time whom i believe was called Phoenix had a > > >utility > > >> which came with any system containing there bios which would allow > you to > > >> modify/configure/set the parameters within the bios by running this > > >utility > > >> from at that time a command prompt. > > >> > > >> I had a system with this type of bios and was using the Artic speech > > >> product and could change anything I require within the bios and then > only > > >> had to reboot my machine to pick up the changes. > > >> > > >> so as with many things, all we need to do is once again make the old > > >> something new again and develop something similar for the modern day > bios > > >> and make our life a little easier. > > >> If the Phoenix company is still around, maybe that would be a good > > >place to > > >> start. > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Speakup mailing list > > >> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > >> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > >-- > > > > > >Janina Sajka > > >Email: janina at rednote.net > > >Phone: (202) 408-8175 > > > > > >Director, Technology Research and Development > > >American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) > > >http://www.afb.org > > > > > >Chair, Accessibility Work Group > > >Free Standards Group > > >http://accessibility.freestandards.org > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > > >Speakup mailing list > > >Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > >http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Speakup mailing list > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > >-- > >Janina Sajka >Email: janina at rednote.net >Phone: (202) 408-8175 > >Director, Technology Research and Development >American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) >http://www.afb.org > >Chair, Accessibility Work Group >Free Standards Group >http://accessibility.freestandards.org > >_______________________________________________ >Speakup mailing list >Speakup at braille.uwo.ca >http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
