Opposing Freedom Scientific's Secure and Compatible Braille Display Initiative Petition
Posted by Ginny on October 25, 2009
Am quoting directly from the petition so as to better explain the issue to those unfamiliar.
On August 11, 2009 Freedom Scientific announced its “Secure and Compatible Braille Display Initiative” which it says is being introduced in the name of security with respect to its JAWS for Windows screen access program. This announcement may be found at:
http://www.freedomscientific.com/news/pressroom/2009/secure-compatible-braille-displays.asp
The announcement explains that, “The goal of this new program is to follow Microsoft's move to signed drivers to improve security and compatibility for customers who use a Braille display.”
According to Freedom Scientific, this policy will go into effect with the 64-bit version of JAWS 11, which is soon to be released; Users of 32-bit versions of the Windows operating system will not be affected.
In the same article, Freedom Scientific points out that “most new computers now come with 64-bit Microsoft Windows preinstalled,” implying that in the very near future, it will no longer be possible to purchase a new computer with the 32-bit version of the Windows operating system.
Put into layman terms, Braille displays require a screen reader in order to work. Freedom Scientific has steadfastly refused to provide Braille display manufacturers with the driver development kit required to enable a particular Braille device to communicate with JAWS. Instead, the manufacturer must first pay an outrageous sum of money before support for the Braille device will be permitted. What's more, this charge to the Braille display manufacturer is not a one-time fee but is imposed annually.
In his article posted to the GW Micro Blog entitled A Thought on Braille Driver Signing, posted on August 15, 2009, Doug Geoffray, lead developer of the
Window-Eyes screen reader wrote:
“I have a hard time accepting the concept of requiring digitally signed
Braille drivers in the name of security when the JAWS mirror driver itself
isn't digitally signed by Microsoft.”
You will find Mr. Geoffray's article in its entirety at:
http://www.gwmicro.com/blog/index.php/all/?title=a-thought-on-braille-driver -signing more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#c434
One might ask how Freedom Scientific can play the gatekeeper to its JAWS product where Braille driver support is concerned. The answer is simply and for no other reason because it can. It is certainly not because Freedom Scientific's Braille displays in and of themselves offer any higher level of security.
This petition contends that Freedom Scientific's Braille driver signing program is not in the best interest of consumers and will only serve to harm the Braille reading community as a whole.
In the September, 2009 FScast, a Podcast produced by freedom Scientific Product Manager and Host Jonathan Mosen, Mr. Mosen asked Glen Gordon, Freedom Scientific's Chief Technology officer, if he%2
via Opposing Freedom Scientific's Secure and Compatible Braille Display Initiative Petition.
The article goes on… But the part I’d copied and pasted was cut off and unfortunately I don’t have the energy to go back and repaste it, you can view the entire article at link above. As a Jaws user, and a fairly satisfied one at that (except when it comes time to upgrade and I have to spend oodles of money to do it, which my husband even just finished railing about when we got the letter that the warranty on my Braille display had expired and they wanted me to pay $385 to renew it, even though it won’t cover accidents, only maintenance), I feel really defensive when Freedom Scientific does this, especially when on email lists and blogs I read comments like “I’m a proud Window Eyes user and GW Micro would never do anything like this”, etc. I feel like that by using FS products that we that use them are somehow implicitly supporting their business practices. Or that we, by our use of their products, agree with what they are doing. I, for one, don’t. However, I use Jaws at work and at home, Jaws can do things, in my opinion, that no other screen reader can do, or I’ve not been able to get it to do said “things”, and I really don’t have the money to switch to another screen reader, except for System Access, and while we’re on the subject of System Access, they only support *one* kind of Braille display, the name of which I can’t remember right now. So while Freedom Scientific is going to require digitally signed drivers, SA is saying that if you want to use Braille with their screen reader, you can only use the Braille display that they’ve decided they want to support, because, if I’m understanding it correctly, they are trying to push the assistive technology market in another direction, i.e., having Braille displays utilize generic Windows device drivers instead of proprietary drivers for each display.
And to be honest, I’m not sure what the difference is, other than Jaws used to work with certain Braille displays that, if they don’t digitally sign their drivers, they won’t work in the future. Whereas System Access is doing the same thing by saying that their screen reader will only support Braille displays which only use generic Windows drivers. Which means that someone like me, who can’t afford to purchase the Braille display that System Access is supporting, just simply can’t use Braille any time I want to use System Access. So the same goes with Jaws for Windows, meaning that if you have a Braille display wich doesn’t have digitally signed drivers, then Jaws won’t work with that display.
In any case, I can’t say I’m particularly happy with SA’s decision, just as many aren’t happy with FS’s decision, however, I don’t see, or haven’t seen, anyone crowing about Serotek’s decision to exclude the majority of Braille displays from being supported, unless and until they “do the right thing” according to Serotek (the makers of System Access) and start using generic drivers.
I don’t like Serotek’s decision, but I still use their products, and I have no plans to boycot them, as many are considering doing with FS. But I suspect that much of this has to do with a general “hatred” of anything FS, as many consider them to have a monopoly and thus an unfair advantage in the screen-reader market.
Christopher Michael Brannon said
Nope, System Access isn’t doing the same thing at all.
Generic drivers make for a simpler world, from the point of view of a
software developer. The same code will work for many different kinds
of devices. That brings down cost. It also eases the task of people
who are developing open-source solutions.
Die, Tyranny Superstitious, die!
Jaws is a pretty appropriate name for a product made by a company that cannot
get its fill of man-flesh.
I can’t wait for the day when governments and corporations stop funding
these thugs and their monopoly.
Time for this particular band of sharks to drown in the sea.
Ginny said
How does the use of generic drivers drive down costs? And let’s just say FS starts implementing generic drivers for their Braille displays tomorrow, will programs such as System Access work with said Braile displays then?
If it won’t, then that would mean that even if Freedom Scientific were to dispense with the digitally signed requirement and implement generic drivers, I’d still have to spend thousands of dollars to get a Braille display that would work with their products, money that I don’t have, assuming that I wanted to continue to use Braille with their products, just as those using Jaws would or may need to purchase another Braille display that has digitally signed drivers that will work with Jaws if their Braille display isn’t working with Jaws 11. And to me, that is the same thing. It most certainly isn’t going to drive down my cost if I have to purchase a whole other Braille display just because I want to use Braille with another screen reader. And the fact that I can’t use my Focus 40 with System Access is the only thing that’s keeping me from switching to system access entirely, so tis’ not that I don’t want to switch, it’s just that I have already spent money on a Braille display, I don’t have the money to spend on antoher Braille display, and Braille support is a must have for me, as well as deaf-blind people who don’t have the option of using speech.
If someone’s not purchased their equipment yet, than System Access together with a Braille display they do support is definitely an attractive option, but for those of us who already have our equipment, we’re pretty much being shut out because the company that we’ve purchased our displays from doesn’t want to provide the types of drivers System Access is requiring for us to use their products. Which isn’t doing much to drive down costs as if we really want Braille support with our System Access, we’d have to purchase a whole other Braille display. It’d be nice if SA could offer a temporary solution or something to give Braille support to those who can’t afford to shell out the money for a cost of a new display.
Also, I’m a Jaws user and I understand that you don’t like FS, heck, I’m a Jaws user and I don’t like FS’s practices either! They’re charging me $385.00 for a PMA on my Braille display that won’t even cover repairs, just maintenance and I had to learn this the hard way as my display was accidentally knocked off of the table this summer, and they charged me as much for the repair as they’re now charging me for the warranty. However they have a good product, that coudl be better but it’s a good product.
And I understand that you don’t like the company but I’d appreciate not sending the hatred and vitriole my way thanks. I’m not a shill for the company or anything, I just use their products.
Christopher Michael Brannon said
I see your point about braille displays.
In an ideal world, the manufacturer would just rewrite the firmware
for their devices. They could replace your firmware as part of routine
maintenance.
That may not be much of an option if the display is no longer in production.
And of course, this world is less than ideal.
It’s a catch-22.
Sounds like you’ve had the same experiences with overcharging that I had.
For me, it was $125 to replace the battery on a Braille ‘n Speak.
$350 to upgrade Jaws, because after two years, newer versions of programs
weren’t working with the older version of Jaws.
At the time, I was unemployed, and I was paying out-of-pocket.
The deal of it is, their whole attitude seems to be that the government
will pay for it. I’ve heard that from their reps on the phone.
Sorry for the tone of my previous comment.