linux and accessibility applications

[Christopher Moore]

My vote is for text-based apps with the GUI as a last resort.
Unfortunately, blind people in the working world are more often than not
forced to cope with GUI even where text-based alternatives exist.  

What hasn't been mentioned is that we have good access to console apps with
speakup, brltty and/or emacspeak which are all FREE programs.  Contrast
this with the commercial windows screen reader which costs more than your
computer or speech synthesizer.  

While I haven't played with it, IBM's home page reader may be the most cost
effective solution for a blind person who wants to ONLY surf the net and
send email.

I think we're all interested in javascript as it relates to web browsing.
I'm puzzled to see the comment about javascript development cloaked in
secrecy.  If this is to be a commercial product, I can understand, but this
is supposed to be an open environment where ideas and advice are shared.

Chris