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Re: [LUG] 20190105 OT (maybe) Voice operated computer control question.

 

On 05/01/2019 17:56, maceion@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> To DC LUG, List DC LUG <list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 20190105 OT  Voice operated computer control question.
> 
> Help please re Mac Computers and an add-on app. 'Dragon speech' broken 
> by MacOS upgrade
> 
> 1 Short story
> An acquaintance  is a former academic physicist whose subject is Quantum 
> Physics.  He now does part time (or rather to him full time unpaid) 
> research in Quantum Physics from home, and still publishes and gets  
> published the odd paper or two. Reason for no full time post is that he 
> suffers from Motor  Neuron Disease and has been left wheel chair bound 
> with very little hand/arm movement, slight head movement, very little 
> speak capability but OK if you listen, very hard, and almost no leg 
> capability. He is cared for by his wife.
> 
> 2 Problem.
> 2.1 He was totally dependent on a piece of voice control software. 
> Software Outfit has been bought by a larger company, who have now 
> stopped development of it for Mac Computers.
> It worked OK with MacOS 10.13 High Sierra, which is what he used on a 
> MacOS MacBook.
> The software does not work at all with the MacOS 10.14 Mojave.
> This has left him in a bad position as he uses a Mac computer (model 
> unknown to me) and it upgraded to MacOS 10.14 Mojave a month or so ago.
> He sent an appeal to me for information/help as to what he should do.
> 
> 2.2 I investigated and deduced that the new owners of software have 
> little profit from MacOS computer users,
>   and have concentrated on Windows  users and USA (very profitable) [and 
> UK] Health  market totally on Windows machines.
> 2.2.1.1 Owners: Nuance Communications, Inc.,  it obtained the software 
> through multiple buy-up chain. website:
> https://www.nuance.com/en-gb/about-us.html
> 2.2.1.2 Software: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Systems
> 2.2.1.3 The MacOS version is called Dragon Professional Individual for 
> Mac, version 6 or Dragon for Mac.
> ONLY works on MacOS 10.13 High Sierra
> 
> 3 Dragon software is now only available for a Windows  machine (Windows 10).
> To continue using it he would need to change machine type and operating 
> systems.
> A big problem.
> 
> 3.1 The inbuilt assisted communication app in the Mac OS ("VoiceOver") 
> has both free and commercial offers.
> He has tried the one inside the MacOS and it is partly usable but has no 
> "Cursor Grid".
> A necessity as he has no capability to move cursor by hand.
> 
> 3.2 I have no access to Mac software of Mac store, as I do not use any 
> Apple products.
> HELP REQUESTED.
> 3.2.1.1 Can anyone advise on alternative Voice Control software?
> 3.2.1.2 Is there any other voice control software in the Mac store?
> 
> WINDOWS
> 4 If he changes to a Windows machine, he could use Dragon software, but 
> all the other MacOS apps  he uses are not there.
> He is firmly in MacOS walled garden.
> 
> 4.1  Alternatives in Windows OS or Linux systems.
> 4.1.1 With a Windows machine, he could also, if necessary or as alternative,
> use a Live Linux "Knoppix" in its "ADRIANE" version. (Possibly dual boot 
> via USB key))
> This Linux Distro was developed by Hr Prof Dr Knopper for his wife to 
> use as she has growing blindness.
> It can be used with Braille keyboard; but for sighted or head-possible 
> movement folk it has when
>   using a laptop camera a head tracking feature that gives  a head 
> operated cursor.
> Head movement can adjust and alter cursor and 'click'. You train it to 
> user's head speed and
>   movement capability.  I used this and other simple FOSS voice command 
> software for a stroke victim
> in recovery at my library tutoring sessions.
> However Knoppix ADRIANE is based on *the user being capable of some 
> finger  keyboard interaction*.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> Regards
> Eion MacDonald.

Ah, I know this field pretty well - Dragon was super popular amongst Mac 
wielding medical professionals in the NHS for all the years I was there.

Really short answer: not as bad as it looks.

If he has a functional TimeMachine backup system running then he'll need 
to roll back (read: reinstall from scratch) to the last supported macOS 
version 10.13 and then restore his personal data on top of that from the 
TimeMachine. 10.13 will at least be supported for the next year or two. 
There is *no* functional alternative for Dragon unfortunately on any 
other platform, especially for someone with accessibility issues and in 
the academic field. Google or Apple may finish inventing the replacement 
shortly but I wouldn't hold your breath. Nuance seem unlikely to change 
their decision unfortunately despite the considerable backlash from 
users. To be fair to them Apple's notorious lack of support for 3rd 
parties in their very closed ecosystem probably didn't help ongoing 
development.

He could switch to Windows further down the line but that will be a 
nightmare if he's a long term Mac user. So he's going to have a tough 
decision to make before too long but he's got breathing space for a year 
or two at least.

Cheers

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