NOAH AOC

After reading Ed Dalton's excellent post in "NOAH Insight", I found myself thinking that maybe I should buy a Mac for my son who has albinism instead of getting yet another windows machine. 

As a "business computer professional", I've spent my career trying to avoid buying Macs, althought that seems to be a losing battle these days as I try to get my new Vista home workstation to treat my iPod with the proper respect.  So, as a last ditch effort, has anyone compared Vista's accessibility functions with a Mac to see if it rates comparably?

Any info given will be appreciated (especially if I can get away with buying a very cheap emachines box ) 

P.S., I'm not posting this as a troll.  I'm really interested in what people have found... 

Thanks

As far as I know, Vista can do anything accessibility wise as a mac can (And there's actualy support since windows holds more than mac's low market share).

 

But don't skimp out on a cheap PC for Vista, well at least processor speed/memory wise

 

I rather enjoyed his writing.. I'm an avad MAC user. I really don't know much about vista but I will say that I love the zoom feature on the mac.. I used to use a PC before I switched to a MAC and at the time used zoom text. I prefered the MAC version once I tried it. If you go to a MAC store I'm sure a rep could show you how it works and so on. While a MAC might be more expensive than a PC I will say I have few problems with my MAC compared to the PC. And while this is not necessatly relevant to what you posted Virus's don't exist fpr MAC's. They just don't make them for a MAC... Something to think about. 

On my computer (Windows XP) I don't use magnifying tools (because I don't like them), but this configuration:

• Resolution: 800*600
  
• Microsoft Office: predefinied zoom percentage adjustation (say 85/110%)
• Internet: Opera (best) or Firefox, which zoom and unzoom pages very simply

What about the standard use of Mac (without magnifying tools)? It is similar or better than WinXP?

(I've no Apple shops near here, so can't see it directly)

I switched to Mac from PC last November and have not looked back. I loved the design but wasn't ready. When I found out I could still run Windows and played around with the amazing zoom feature, I was hooked! Even with my visual impairment, I can comfortably use a laptop with a 15" screen using the zoom instead of lugging around a 17" laptop and still have trouble seeing it. 

Oh, and Circuit City and maybe Best Buy also sell Macs if you don't have an Apple store. Apple just released updarted laptops and will probably be relseasing updated desktops next month, so it's a great time to buy. they also offer nice stduent discounts and now a back to school program where you get a free iPod Nano. (no, I don't work for Apple :) )

I seriously don't like either Vista or MAC's.  well for one MAC's are to expensive and the to upgrade a MAC is close to impassable.  Now on the other hand you can go with Vista, the most crappiest version of Windows Microsoft has to offer.  maybe in about another year I might consider going to Vista.  you just have to use what works for you already.

Wow, what do you use then? Linux? Do they have any kind of zoom or screen enlargement software? I've been thinking of trying them.

actually I have a dual boot system, but ya it's good just to stay with either XP pro or media center and ya the accessibility options ain't that great but with zoom texts or whatever program you have already really helps.  linux is great if you know how to use the command line, I use most of the time.  but anyway it's what you feel comfortable with.  remember if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I would first off go with XP rather than Vista.  It is best to wait for a service pack, that way they fix "most" problems.  Also as I see it Vista is just a bloated version of XP, that needs to much.  You can find many zoom programs (free and other wise) almost everwhere.  I got to use I think Zoomtext the newer version and was really impressed.  Macs aren't that great.  At least they went to a Unix OS instead of the old junky OS.  There are at least a few programs for the mac (as far as I know.  I haven't bothered to use a mac in the past 7 years).

 

I hope this helps some.  

Also for internet stuff check out ether Firefox or Opera.  Opera can enlarge graphics as well as text.

 

"Friends don't let friends use Microsoft."  -Me

I actually became a Mac user because I was tired of my Windows computer crashing--not a good thing for a graduate student! I was absolutely sold and reassured in my switch by the zoom features. The zoom on Mac is so easy to work, and it's built right into the operating system, which makes it virtually seamless. I don't like the magnifier on XP, and while I was happy with ZoomText on my XP machine at work, I still ran across my share of headahces, mainly because it's another program running, not part of the overall operating system. When you figure in the additional cost of buying software like ZoomText, I don't think the extra cost for a Mac is a problem, at least not for me. The Intel-based Macs ability to run Windows makes everything better...I can still get the work stuff I need that's Windows-based on my Mac. I've never had any kinds of problems like I used to have with my Windows machine; the system was just not reliable, but the Mac system is intuitive and reliable. I'm honestly not familiar with Vista, and I hope not to be. I'm hardcore in my Mac love now. And, for the record, I have a friend who works for Microsoft on the Vista project who recommends not signing on board for Vista until the first service pack comes out. For the record, my friend at Microsoft is a Mac-user. T

 Hi All.

I went to the Apple store at my local mall on Valentines Day and  I had an opportunity to see the MacBook Air laptop that they released back in December.  And, I was talking with their accessbility person and she that now you can load windows on the Mac computers because not all of the porgrams that word on Windows works on Macs. And, by the way if you are student she also said that you cauld get a discoint on the computer.