Talking bios

[Allan Shaw]

... I wouldn't consider having to connect a Braille 'N Speak to your system 
a system with a perfectly accessible bios, in fact the exact opposit!

At 11:45 12/23/03, you wrote:
>Let's generalize this a bit further.
>
>Virtually all non Intel computers can be accessed over a serial port at
>9600 baud. At least, this has been historically true for systems from
>DEC, Sun, etc.
>
>In other words, the inaccessible bios was first created for Intel
>computing platforms.
>
>I believe this is an important point which should not be forgotten in
>any advocacy for accessibility on future bios implementations. We're not
>asking for something new. We're asking that something be maintained.
>
>For example, my DEC Alphastation 200 has a perfectly accessible bios. I
>simply disconnect the monitor and plug a Braille 'N Speakup into its
>first serial port and have at it. It's brilliant, and this is how I
>configured the bios on the computer that is now my home server.
>
>My experience with this ten year old DEC is the historic norm for
>computing.
>
>Allan Shaw writes:
> > From: Allan Shaw <technews at sympatico.ca>
> >
> >
> > Back in the very early days of the 8286 CPU's one of the leading bios
> > manufacturers at that time whom i believe was called Phoenix had a utility
> > which came with any system containing there bios which would allow you to
> > modify/configure/set the parameters within the bios by running this 
> utility
> > from at that time a command prompt.
> >
> > I had a system with this type of bios and was using the Artic speech
> > product and could change anything I require within the bios and then only
> > had to reboot my machine to pick up the changes.
> >
> > so as with many things, all we need to do is once again make the old
> > something new again and develop something similar for the modern day bios
> > and make our life a little easier.
> > If the Phoenix company is still around, maybe that would be a good 
> place to
> > start.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
>--
>
>Janina Sajka
>Email: janina at rednote.net
>Phone: (202) 408-8175
>
>Director, Technology Research and Development
>American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
>http://www.afb.org
>
>Chair, Accessibility Work Group
>Free Standards Group
>http://accessibility.freestandards.org
>
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