This update may be of interest to you.
David Andrews
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 12:41:41 +0000
From: Gareth Collins <gareth.collins@DOLPHIN-SYSTEMS.COM>
Reply-To: Access to GUI via Speech <GUISPEAK@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU>
To: GUISPEAK@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU
Subject: Dolphin's Development Schedule for 1997
Dear All,
I thought some of you might be interested in Dolphin's development plans for
1997.
The information in this e-mail is accurate at the time of writing, but
specifications under the sections entitled "Future Releases" may be subject
to minor changes later in the year, due to user feedback and other input
variables.
Hal Screen Reader for Windows® 95
Next Release: Version 1.03
Release Date: 30th April 1997
New Features
The only significant new feature is support for spreadsheets such as
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Works, Lotus 1-2-3 and Corel Quattro Pro. This
support includes the automatic detection of the highlighted cell in a
spreadsheet, as well as the automatic speaking of the cell's column and row
headings when they change. Also, an additional speak key has been added to
enable the user to read the column and row headings.
Hal for Windows® 95 v1.03 will be distributed on two floppy disks and will
continue to use SSIL (Speech Synthesiser Interface Library) drivers. This
is because Dolphin's SAM (Synthesiser Access Manager) module, which will
replace SSIL, doesn't have it's own installation program yet.
The SSIL drivers for the Dolphin Series 2 Synthesisers have been greatly
improved and now support the use of exceptions dictionaries. (Although
users will have to use their DOS screen reader to edit their exceptions
dictionaries, as a Windows version of the exceptions dictionary editor has
not yet been developed).
Future Developments
Version 1.04 of Halfor Windows® 95 will be released in July 1997 to coincide
with the release of Lexis Text Reader for Windows® 95 and Windows NT®
Workstation 4.0. This version of Hal will be distributed on CD and have
exactly the same feature set as version 1.03, except that it will now
include SAM. (SAM will allow the sharing of the synthesiser between Hal and
Lexis. For more details see the section of this e-mail entitled "SAM").
After version 1.04 the development of Hal for Windows® 95 will run in
parallel to the development of Hal Screen Reader for Windows NT® Workstation
4.0. (Please see the section entitled "Hal Screen Reader for Windows NT®
Workstation 4.0" for further details).
Hal Screen Reader for Windows NT® Workstation 4.0
Hal Screen Reader for Windows NT® Workstation 4.0 will be developed in
parallel to Hal Screen Reader for Windows® 95 and will contain an almost
identical set of features.
Both of these products will be distributed on CD.
Release: Windows NT® version 1.01, Windows® 95 version 2.01
Release Date: August 1997
New Features
Obviously, the most important new feature is that we will have a Windows NT®
compatible screen reader.
The second most important new feature will be the incorporation of support
for mainstream applications that use Microsoft Active Accessibility.
Microsoft Active Accessibility enables mainstream applications to be more
accessible by providing the tools by which mainstream software developers
can enhance the accessibility of their products.
Incorporating Microsoft Active Accessibility support will mean that Hal may
work more successfully with mainstream applications that incorporate
Microsoft Active Accessibility, such as Microsoft Office 97.
Both versions of Hal will use Dolphin's SAM module, but the NT® version will
not include support for SSIL drivers. This is because most SSIL drivers
will not work under Windows NT®. This means that the NT® version of Hal
will only support speech synthesisers that have 32-bit SAM drivers, i.e.
only Dolphin series 2 synthesisers at present.
Future Developments
This section details the features that will be incorporated into future
releases of Hal. It is difficult to give a precise time scale in which
these changes will occur due to the unknowns involved.
· Improved Navigation Mode.
· Improved idle detection.
· Application status bar detection and an appropriate Speak key to read it.
· Improved focus detection for foci drawn in a non-standard way.
· Support for spin controls, scroll bars and track bars.
· The ability to read underlined text and shortcuts.
· Fix font identifiers for 16-bit graphics drivers.
· Document Read.
· Network specific version.
· Graphic objects identification and labelling (including a bitmap database
editor/reviewer).
· The ability to beep on capital letters.
· Windows exceptions dictionary editor.
· Speak keys for speaking the time and date.
· Hot keys to change the speed of the voice directly.
· Translation utilities to enable OEMs to make non-English versions of Hal.
· Key describing facility.
· Repeated characters and leading zeros control.
Cipher Braille Translation System for Windows® 95 and Windows NT®
Workstation 4.0
Cipher is Dolphin's Braille translation system for Windows® 95 and Windows
NT® Workstation 4.0.
Cipher is a single product that will run on both the Windows® 95 and Windows
NT® platforms.
This product will be distributed on CD, although it should fit on a single
floppy disk.
Release Schedule
Release: Version 1.01
Release Date: July 1997
New Features
The features of Cipher Braille Translation System for Windows® 95 and
Windows NT® Workstation 4.0 will be exactly the same as those of Cipher 3.0
for DOS, except that it will only contain an ASCII import filter in the
first release. (This will not be a problem for users as all word processors
have an "export to ASCII" facility). Also, because Cipher uses the Windows
printing sub-system this means that users can print to networked Braille
embossers as well as ones connected directly to their PCs.
The main selling points of Cipher will be:
· Quick and easy translation of text into grade 2 Braille.
· Requires no prior knowledge of Braille.
· Let's you preview your Braille document on-screen before you print it.
· Style templates. Cipher allows you to set up templates containing all
your preferred settings, which Cipher refers to every time you create a
Braille document.
· Print to networked embossers as well as ones connected directly to your
PC.
Future Developments
Support for word processor filters will be built into future versions of
Cipher, but no timescale has been decided yet.
Lexis Text Reader for Windows® 95 and Windows NT® Workstation 4.0
Lexis is Dolphin's Text reading system for Windows® 95 and Windows NT®.
Lexis is a single product that will run on both the Windows® 95 and Windows
NT® platforms.
This product will be distributed on CD only.
Release: Version 1.01
Release Date: July 1997
New Features
The features of Lexis will be exactly the same as those of Lexis 2.02 for
Windows 3.1/3.11.
Lexis will use Dolphin's SAM module to enable sharing of the synthesiser
with Hal for Windows® 95 and Windows NT® Workstation 4.0.
The main selling points of Lexis will be:
· It's a quick and easy to use text reader for your PC.
· Once a document has been recognised by Lexis you can transfer the text
directly into your favourite Windows word processor or Braille translation
system.
· Supports a wide range of scanners. (Although the scanners supported under
Windows NT® are less than those supported under Windows® 95).
· Support for a wide range of speech synthesisers (both SAM and SSIL
compatible).
· Automatic detection of blank pages.
· Automatic detection and adjustment of a page's orientation.
· The ability to de-skew slanted text.
· Automatic and manual brightness control.
Future Developments
Support for sheet feeders and fax recognition will be built into future
versions of Lexis, but no timescale has been decided yet.
Lunar Screen Manager for Windows® 95
This product will remain the same for the foreseeable future.
Lunar Screen Manager for Windows NT® Workstation 4.0
We have no schedule yet for the release of this product, although it does
form an integral part of our development plans. A schedule and feature list
for Lunar for Windows NT® Workstation 4.0 should be available sometime in
July 97.
SAM (Synthesiser Access Manager)
With the increasing number of talking access products on the market, users
can now encounter problems when they want to use their screen reader in
conjunction with other talking applications, such as Lexis. One of the
major issues is deciding which access product has the right to talk to the
synthesiser at any given point in time. Currently, if a user wants to use a
talking application, they have to close down their screen reader and vice
versa. That is unless they are fortunate enough to have two synthesisers!
SAM resolves these issues by automatically and intelligently deciding which
access product has the right to pass information to the synthesiser. This
allows users to run all their speech applications seamlessly.
SAM provides a hardware-independent interface to any speech synthesiser that
has either a SAM or SSIL driver (for Windows® 95) or SAM driver (for Windows
NT®) available for it.
SAM will be released when we have an installation program and new 32-bit
drivers for Dolphin series 2 speech synthesisers.
Next Release: Version 1.01
Release Date: June 1997
New Features
SAM provides device-independent control of compatible speech synthesisers
and allows multiple applications to share a single synthesiser.
SAM allows the installation programs of Hal and Lexis to "talk"
automatically without prompting the user for their synthesiser type
(providing that SAM is already installed on their system).
I hope that you find this information of interest.
If you have any further queries then please e-mail the Dolphin Sales
Department, sales@dolphin-systems.com.
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