interesting experiment.

[Ann Parsons]

Hi all,

>>>>> "Octavian" == Octavian Rasnita <orasnita at home.ro> writes:

    Octavian> Are there any games accessible for the blind under
    Octavian> Linux, like under Windows?

Yes and no.  If you expect whizzy sound and graphics, no.  But there
are lots of good games.  Do a search on Google.

    Octavian> Are there any good sound editing programs
    Octavian> for Linux, like Sound Forge, Cool Edit, Gold Wave, etc,


Yes, Many in fact.

    Octavian> and programs for creating MIDI music, like Cake Walk?

Dunnow about Cake Walk, but there is no OCR stuff that isn't really
complicated to run, either. 

    Octavian> Is there a text editor, that has macro features, Regular
    Octavian> expressions, the ability to save in Windows/Mac/Unix
    Octavian> format, etc?

Emacs has all that, and your friends and employers can import anything
written in Emacs into whatever Word Processor they're using because
Emacs is basic text.  If you're talking about LaTeX or stuff like
that, then no, you can't import it, but why would you, unless you
absolutely had to for a job.  If your employer wanted hard copy, you
could write rings around MSWord.  Can you program in MSWord?  Can you
write C programs in MSWord?  Can you not only write them but check
them and run them in MSWord?  You can't, but you sure as Hell can in
Emacs!  

    Octavian> A lot of things are accessible, but ... harder to learn,
    Octavian> harder to configure and harder to use, if I am not so
    Octavian> bright to remember 1000 command line parameters.

Well, if you like Windows, then use it, but don't bother us on the
Linux list, then.  Windowws is very difficult to learn for some
people, especially totally blind people who find it easier to use a
command line interface.  Neither OS is bad, Teddy, each has its
strengths and weaknesses.  If you are willing to learn, Linux is
really rewarding.  Windows can be too, I guess, but not in the same
way, not the way Linux makes you feel as if you've really accomplished
something when you get done typing all those hundreds of commands.
<smile>  If Windows works for you, then use it.  It's all in the tools
that fit your hands the best and do the job you ask them to do best.
Nothing is either right or wrong.

One last note.  I repeat, do not confuse wanting Windows look-alike
programs with needing a good word processor/markup language.  Consider
what you are really asking.  If you want Windows look-alike tools in
Linux for the blind, they aren't available yet.  On the other hand, if
you want word processor/markup languages, programming modes, good
sound editing, and web and so on.  Linux has all that.    However,
make sure you know what you're asking for here.  Same isn't
necessarily best, you know, guys.  

Ann P.

-- 
			Ann K. Parsons  
email:  akp at eznet.net 			ICQ Number:  33006854
WEB SITE:  http://home.eznet.net/~akp
"All that is gold does not glitter.  Not all those who wander are lost."  JRRT