Geia sas/hello, I'm a totally blind 25-year-old college graduate who adores DOS. I've been into it for 11 years now, beginning in 1996, when it was already considered obsolete by most people. I tried to teach myself all that I could, but eventually got dragged into the world of windows and then got a Macbook.. Well, 13 computers and several operating systems later, I'm returning to my first tech love, DOS. For the record, I've never used unix or Linux. I recently found FreeDOS but it seems that it hasn't been updated in awhile. Then, I discovered Enhanced DR-DOS (EDRD) and was amazed. Here's a system that's still being updated and whose developers want to make it a truly modern os. I downloaded the latest stable version and am planning on installing it as the only os on my Compaq Armada. I know that there's at least one other blind person on the EDRD forms so will also pass these questions onto them. But I found a thread here about using an open source screenreader on DOS. So I'm hoping I can get answers for the following questions. Feel free to email me if you think it'll cause a problem. 1. Which screenreader works best with EDRD? I have Vocaleyes, JAWS, Provox and Tinitalk. I also know there are one or two leser-known readers out there, though I haven't got them yet. I'm mostly a VocalEyes user in DOS and have used JAWS in Windows so am familiar with it through that os. But are there any compatability issues between MS-DOS and EDRD that would make one screenreader work better than another? 2.Is it possible to use a software synthesizer with EDRD? I recently heard of a program called Interface that works with the MBROLA synthesizer, JAWS and MS-DOS but am not sure if it's compatible. If not, can I use the standard synths that work in MS-DOS? I heard here that ESpeak is compatible with DOS too. Is this true? If so, what program does it use and what versions of DOS can handle it? 3. What's the most accessible web browser? I've heard Nettamer and Lynx are pretty good but can they handle the web today? Is there a more modern one that we can use? What are some of the most accessible DOS programs in general? 4. Can DOS screenreaders handle the multitasking capabilities in EDRD? They sound great but how are the menus in the task manager read? 5. What's the best ocr program and scanner to use? Do drivers and software exist for more modern scanners or should I stick with an older one like the Pagescan and Omnipage or Recognita and whetever it supports? Does anyone know where I can find OSCAR? 6. Is there a way to create a backup disk once the os is installed so that I can install it on my own with speech? I highly doubt it but figured I'd ask. 7. How do I create a bootdisk for EDRD? they say you're supposed to use a disk formatted to work with Enhanced DR-DOS but how do I do that when I haven't even installed the os yet? Alternatively, has anyone done an install purefly off a cd rom? 9. What's the best wireless card to use? I've got Verizon Fios if it makes a difference. 10. I have a 10 gb hard disk. Will this cause a problem with the os because it's larger than 7 gb? Thanks, Eleni
