Ask Slashdot: Should You Upgrade To Windows 10 For Accessibility Features?

BarbaraHudson writes: Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free screen reader that is only available for Windows and comes with lots of features for people with visual handicaps. NVDA recommends to delay moving to Windows 10 because of problems with the Edge browser, PDF reading, Cortana, and applications designed for the Windows Store. There's only a few weeks to "upgrade" to Windows 10. My question is, does Windows 10 have compelling reasons for the visually handicapped to switch to it that are worth putting up with these (hopefully temporary) problems? Please note that NVDA doesn't require an internet connection to work; any Windows 10 assistive technologies that require one are a minus because they can leave the user high and dry with no notice. By the way, I've tried the KNOPPIX Adriane Audio Desktop and unfortunately it's really not there yet in comparison. Microsoft did highlight several accessibility features in the Windows 10 Anniversary update. Some of the features include faster text to speech, improved keyboard navigation, verbosity, AutoSuggest results, and support for more languages. In many of the core Windows 10 apps, Microsoft has made changes to Microsoft Edge, Mail, Cortana, and Groove to provide various features like modern web accessibility standards, improved account setup experience when using a screen reader, more reliable search and navigation functionality when using a keyboard, and better support for high DPI scaling and high contrast. There are also new accessibility resources available to developers, including an updated Visual Studio App Analysis tool to make it easier to find and fix accessibility errors, and support for Mnemonics in the Universal Windows Platform to help developers more easily provide Access Key customizations.

Comments

Compelling reasons?

[PPH]

For the visually handicapped to switch to it? Yes. They won't have to look at it.

Re:From my cold dead hands....

[The Real Dr John]

4 years is a long time, and considering that Windows 7 still has about 50% market share, Microsoft has some serious work to do to convince businesses and home users to switch to a service that does not offer significant advantages to Windows 7 users, and has lots of downsides. None of the features added to Windows 10 are of any interest to me at this point. Even Direct X 10 isn't a draw yet. I have 6 machines running windows 7 and none will be upgraded until Windows 10 offers me more control, rather than less. I don't want a service, I want a functioning OS. I am using Windows on computers, not phones, and I don't need it on phones. Microsoft has hundreds of millions of Windows 7 users to convince, and they are doing an exceptionally poor job of convincing them based on "features" (like forced updates).

It is going to be a tough sell to get the other half of Windows users to switch when the new, service based OS has so much baggage.

Re:Most of accessibility features go the other way

[donaldm]

Indeed, Windows 10 improves Microsoft's "accessibility", of your system to them.

That's an understatement. If you buy/get a PC with MS Windows 10 already installed I would be very surprised if any of the privacy settings were turned off. Even installing from ISO (can download from Microsoft for free) you should never just click on the "Express Settings" and instead, opt for the "Customise". If you do select the "Express Settings" all security settings are turned on by default so you will need to customize later and except for the more technically oriented most people won't do this. Yes, the "I have not got nothing to hide" mentality is alive and well.

Even if you are fairly IT technical you still have to fiddle with Registry and while there are third-party applications that can help, you have to ask the question "Do I really trust them". Even if you think you have locked down (good luck) your system it only takes an update from Microsoft to turn some security settings back on.