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Independence Day

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Re: Independence Day

#51

Post by simonh »

fourstar wrote: post #37
dbpatterson wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps it worked better on your browser, but the content was so delayed that many times I scrolled past it before it decided to load. So I was constantly having to scroll back and forth to try to figure out whether a blank spot was truly blank (sometimes it was). Pretty frustrating. And the irony is almost too much...

There's a big button in the upper right hand corner for an audio version, ya dingus. Ever thought that might be useful for people who can't read the website?

I can read perfectly well. But if the web site I'm looking at is so badly designed that it's unreadable, why should I expect that an audio version will be better thought out?

There are perfectly good reasons for providing audio content on a web site, but having a badly designed site isn't one of them.

Re: Independence Day

#52

Post by pataracts »

hrktb wrote: post #34
kaptain wrote: post #26

It's disappointing to see the cynicism and negativity directed to this announcement. Yes, the presentation is a bit lacking: the website is difficult to read for many and the video seems to be a big ad. But the message is so hopeful. I'm not blind/visually challenged/whatever the correct terminology is, but this announcement/description/advertisement made me happy. It made me happy not because this is another channel…

What bothers me is that the most important part of this project is to get a lot of existing entities to do something for the visual impaired people (e.g. put bluetooth devices everywhere, create sevices to push the information to users), and I feel this part of the project is brushed away in a "we have great ideas, surely everyone will be conviced to make them possible" attitude. There is already realtime tracking of…

Should we dismiss ideas because they don't work as intended right now? All I see here is room for improvement. Rarely, if ever, do new approaches work perfectly the first time around, and the problem is especially complex.

Regardless of how Microsoft profits from this, it is still a good idea that could improve the lives of millions of people. If a company can make money while improving the lives of people, that is a good thing for both parties, wouldn't you say?

Re: Independence Day

#53

Post by hga »

kaptain wrote: post #26

It's disappointing to see the cynicism and negativity directed to this announcement. Yes, the presentation is a bit lacking: the website is difficult to read for many and the video seems to be a big ad. But the message is so hopeful. I'm not blind/visually challenged/whatever the correct terminology is, but this announcement/description/advertisement made me happy. It made me happy not because this is another channel…

It might be worth mentioning that this sort of thing is something Microsoft has cared a lot about for a very long time. I attended the huge, 7,000 attendees unveiling of NT for developers in SF in 1992, and one of the things they did, pretty much orthogonal to the rest of the program, was give us a handout and maybe a CD on accessibility, and strongly urge us to incorporate it in what we developed.

Re: Independence Day

#54

Post by xyclos »

kaptain wrote: post #26

It's disappointing to see the cynicism and negativity directed to this announcement. Yes, the presentation is a bit lacking: the website is difficult to read for many and the video seems to be a big ad. But the message is so hopeful. I'm not blind/visually challenged/whatever the correct terminology is, but this announcement/description/advertisement made me happy. It made me happy not because this is another channel…

if the configurability is there, I will happily withdraw my cynicism. I too am happy when I see technology being used in new ways to help people live richer lives.

Re: Independence Day

#55

Post by Eyas »

simonh wrote: post #51
fourstar wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a big button in the upper right hand corner for an audio version, ya dingus. Ever thought that might be useful for people who can't read the website?

I can read perfectly well. But if the web site I'm looking at is so badly designed that it's unreadable, why should I expect that an audio version will be better thought out? There are perfectly good reasons for providing audio content on a web site, but having a badly designed site isn't one of them.

I think he GP was referring to visually impaired people, per the post they were responding to (about the "irony", etc.).

Re: Independence Day

#56

Post by higherpurpose »

yantramanav wrote: post #41

I'm not sure what's the reason to be cynical here. I'm an iOS developer who uses an Android device personally and I'm loving this new Microsoft (Post Ballmer). This was exactly the wish of developers in 2002, that MS should become contributing OpenSource citizen. The Roslyn project, F#, Docker integration, MS Band etc clearly show that MS has learned it's lessons and are responsible citizens of OSS world. Kudos Micro…

The MS Band has an open source OS? I must've missed that.

Re: Independence Day

#57

Post by gtirloni »

johnloeber wrote: post #31
kaptain wrote: post #26

It's disappointing to see the cynicism and negativity directed to this announcement. Yes, the presentation is a bit lacking: the website is difficult to read for many and the video seems to be a big ad. But the message is so hopeful. I'm not blind/visually challenged/whatever the correct terminology is, but this announcement/description/advertisement made me happy. It made me happy not because this is another channel…

I'm also disappointed by the cynicism and superficial judgement ("bad web design!") that this piece is receiving. This might be a serious innovation, easing the lives of a (large!) marginalized group. Blindness is a serious disability, and I'm really happy to see Microsoft taking this step. This is actually something that might help people . Can we appreciate that?

I've a feeling most of the HN audience is comprised of people working on websites. Almost every time something shows up, they usually contribute with what they know (css, javascript, design, etc). I've learned to ignore it but it's a bit sad anyway.

Re: Independence Day

#58

Post by lnanek2 »

lukasm wrote: post #7

The site is unreadable. Here is the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEzncMLLOxE

I got some text to show by scrolling down past a bunch of animations and then scrolling up again.

Re: Independence Day

#59

Post by radiorental »

hrktb wrote: post #34
kaptain wrote: post #26

It's disappointing to see the cynicism and negativity directed to this announcement. Yes, the presentation is a bit lacking: the website is difficult to read for many and the video seems to be a big ad. But the message is so hopeful. I'm not blind/visually challenged/whatever the correct terminology is, but this announcement/description/advertisement made me happy. It made me happy not because this is another channel…

What bothers me is that the most important part of this project is to get a lot of existing entities to do something for the visual impaired people (e.g. put bluetooth devices everywhere, create sevices to push the information to users), and I feel this part of the project is brushed away in a "we have great ideas, surely everyone will be conviced to make them possible" attitude. There is already realtime tracking of…

'There is already realtime tracking of the train delays where I live, and it just doesn't work'

The important point is not that the data is flawed, it's accessibility to that data. Leveling the playing field.

Re: Independence Day

#60

Post by radiorental »

higherpurpose wrote: post #56
yantramanav wrote: post #41

I'm not sure what's the reason to be cynical here. I'm an iOS developer who uses an Android device personally and I'm loving this new Microsoft (Post Ballmer). This was exactly the wish of developers in 2002, that MS should become contributing OpenSource citizen. The Roslyn project, F#, Docker integration, MS Band etc clearly show that MS has learned it's lessons and are responsible citizens of OSS world. Kudos Micro…

The MS Band has an open source OS? I must've missed that.

OSS is not the same as 'Open Source Operating System. While I wouldn't say there's much OSS in the Band I think the OP's intent is that Microsoft is being more open

"Plays well with others. We've established partnerships with key service providers who embrace our vision of healthier living. And we're open to even more. Microsoft Health as a platform will be strengthened by broader collaboration from device and service partners. See how connecting to the partners we have today can make your Microsoft Band experience even more amazing."

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