Ludzie pragną czasami się rozstawać, żeby móc tęsknić, czekać i cieszyć się z powrotem.
This Guide is designed to dispel any remaining anti-GUI feeling by
describing the basic concepts of Windows 95, and to reassure
prospective users that there is a good chance that they will be able
to work as effectively with GUIs as sighted users. Once users
understand the simple concepts behind Windows 95 and its
applications, they will find it much easier to work in Windows 95
with whatever access technology they have available to them. The
training of blind and visually impaired users in Windows requires a
different strategy to training users in a command line system, since
users cannot see the screen as a whole, and concepts are therefore
not easily recognised. This Guide is intended to help to relieve this
problem.
The original Guide for Windows 3.1 was partly based on the training
which was part of a European Union project "Graphical User
Interfaces for Blind Persons, (GUIB) Project", which addressed
Windows 3.1 and X-Windows, and ended in 1995. During this
training, tactile diagrams were used to illustrate the screen at various
times which proved useful in making the descriptions clearer. The
tactile diagrams which accompanied the first Window Concepts
Guide proved useful for some learners, and less useful for others.
"Windows 95 Explained" introduces the concepts behind Windows
95, and describes enough basic functionality to get you started, with
some more advanced functionality also described to keep you going!
The description of the fundamental elements of Windows and its
applications, and what to do with them, should give you sufficient
knowledge so that you can start to work in Windows applications on
your own. However, it is certainly not the only documentation you
will need to work effectively in Windows. There are many books
introducing new (sighted) users to Windows 95, which contain
useful introductory sections on Windows 95 basics, although the
descriptions of interaction with objects on the screen are often along
the lines of "clicking on the minimise button minimises the window",
with no further description. This is obviously not of great use to the
blind or visually impaired new user.
However, as the importance of producing documentation for
non-sighted users spreads to those in authority, appropriate
documentation is being written, Microsoft manuals are being made
accessible, and other institutions are producing useful books. For
more details, see Section V (Resources).
++ B 1: What's Special about Windows 95?
Although Windows 95 looks different to Windows 3.1 in many
respects, many of the objects and events remain fundamentally the
same. This section outlines the benefits of using Windows 95 over
Windows 3.1 and DOS.
I am not trying to sell you Windows, but there are some very good
reasons why Windows (both 3.1 and recently Windows 95) has
become so popular among sighted users. It has made DOS more
accessible for everyday use, and makes it easier for less experienced
users to work with their computer's disks, files and applications by
providing lots of prompts. The Graphical User Interface allows for
powerful and flexible presentation of lots of information at the same
time. Windows also allows you to run more than one application at
the same time, called multi-tasking. There is no restriction on the
amount of memory Windows can use: its applications (even DOS
programs now) can use as much memory as the computer can hold.
To make life even easier Windows encourages a common look and
feel for its applications, and allows you to share information between
applications. Windows 95 has a new, customisable user interface,
designed to be more intuitive than Windows 3.1. Windows 95
offers a range of accessibility features to support users with special
needs, including blind and visually impaired users.
Windows 95 is an entirely new operating system that enhances both
the Windows graphical environment and the DOS operating system.
For comfortable use, a realistic minimum specification machine is: a