Hello AppleVisers, I hope you’re doing well! I’m curious about your opinions on MS Narrator. I’m typing this post using Narrator, and I’m considering ditching JAWS to stick with Narrator and the good old NVDA. What are your thoughts?
Compared to when it was first launched back in the days of xp or vista, Narrator has come a very very long way. I think I could mostly use a pc with just narrator, though I much prefer NVDA, mostly due to the flexibility with addons, as well as the other voices available for it. But honestly, unless you have a job that specifically requires JAWS, because there is some fancy JAWS script you can't find an NVDA addon to replace, I see no need to keep paying for JAWS. I haven't used it in years. When I did, I found it to be much more bloated and a much more resource hungry program.
Narrator has definitely come a long way, and actually works pretty well. However, I would definitely say stick with NVDA for most of your productivity. With all of the available add-ons for NVDA, plus the fact that it's free for use, makes this a no-brainer. I personally have not used JAWS in the last 10 years or so, give or take, and I don't miss it in the least.
I like hated narrator when it was first lunch I’m pretty sure that was like back in like Windows XP or something. But I haven’t really tried it actively for a long time so I may have to try it again because yeah I don’t really wanna be paying for jaws anymore either. It’s stupid that you have to do this subscription every year so yeah, I’ve actually never tried to use any videos so I may have to try that too at some point. The only thing is is my computer is not capable of running Windows 11 so and they really can’t buy a whole new computer right now so I don’t know yeah I don’t have the money for that
Narrator for Windows 10 is actually quite good. There are a few additional features in Windows 11, but you can totally get by with the Windows 10 Narrator. Also, and unfortunately, the Neural voices are only found in Windows 11. As for NVDA, you can use it with Windows 10. I don't know if the absolute latest version would work with Windows 10, but you can use one of the earlier versions of NVDA for sure. This is what I used back when I was still in college.
If you do decide to go the NVDA route, make sure you Google the NVDA user guide. It is worth a read through. 😀
Just to confirm - NVDA works with Windows 11 flawlessly, and you can get the Narrator voices (including the Neural voices, through an add-on). I still prefer NVDA/JAWS over Narrator, but Windows 11 Narrator works fine in a pinch.
It's actually really good, and if you want to use a Windows tablet with touchscreen, Narrator offers the best experience. NVDA's Touch commands are medioker at best, and even with it's enhanced touch gestures addon, it doesn't get that better.
Also, it's the screenreader you've got when you are resetting the device or setting up any windows device for the first time. It's nural voices are also the best, and I wish if MS opened it for NVDA. Actually, at this point, I wish if MS just avoided the entire duplication of efforts and poured their efforts in to making NVDA defacto built-in screen-reader on Windows.
But again, NVDA isn't perfect, it's support for large excel sheets and powrpoint slides with tables is horrible. Jaws much better in that department, and, hence I think many workplace professionals might prefer Jaws. NVDA must focus their efforts in providing better support for entire MS Office suite, which might be actually possible once MS adopts it as their defacto screen-reader. Hell, they can just copy the source-code, call it narrator and pack it in their Windows ISO files at this point, without much leegal miss-hap if I understand NVDA's license correctly. They just need to provide credits, as in name the original source of the code.
I believe that the Microsoft would not intygrate the NVDA to the windows, as it is working on the narrator and I think that they want to reach in the equal stats of the voice over on mac. I think they should do that, although I do love the variety of the options when it comes to screen readers, I would like to use my computer as it comes out of the box like a cighted user.
Adopting NVDA as Narrator would rather boost Narrator's status as default screen reader for many of us.
Many of current narrator's shortfalls might be tackled that way, and, Microsoft and the community can focus on 1 screen reader, rather than duplicating efforts, which might tackle lot of NVDA's current shortfalls as well.
The code can be from NVDA, the name can be anything that MS prefers. Even Narrator. The issue of addons and security can be tackled by careful management and user permissions.
very interesting discussion.my disability sentre, has grans for JAWS, as NVDA is good, byt know phone technicle support. they do not know about the licensing structor, and when i tell them, i don't know what they will do. I, being the first blind person to work there, am seen as the expert on screen reading solutions, as a lot of staff, and management, and partisapants, never me a blind person before.they litoraly bewleave anything i say, regarding all accessibility and don't know who else is more quolified on screen reading software. i should them narrator when my mac wouldn't connect to wifi in a computer course, as there are a lot of pcs connecting at the same time. some think they windows setup is inaccessible at work, as evadenced by the focus on me using my mac, when windows 11 computers were being set up. a staff, went so far as to tell me there is no accessibility on windows 10. told her how to activate narrator, and a partisapent asked me, talking at me, not to me, why doew he need that? unsure if i should stay there or go. no work, now, lucky, apple event to
Comments
Narrator has come a long way.
Compared to when it was first launched back in the days of xp or vista, Narrator has come a very very long way. I think I could mostly use a pc with just narrator, though I much prefer NVDA, mostly due to the flexibility with addons, as well as the other voices available for it. But honestly, unless you have a job that specifically requires JAWS, because there is some fancy JAWS script you can't find an NVDA addon to replace, I see no need to keep paying for JAWS. I haven't used it in years. When I did, I found it to be much more bloated and a much more resource hungry program.
Re: Narrator
Narrator has definitely come a long way, and actually works pretty well. However, I would definitely say stick with NVDA for most of your productivity. With all of the available add-ons for NVDA, plus the fact that it's free for use, makes this a no-brainer. I personally have not used JAWS in the last 10 years or so, give or take, and I don't miss it in the least.
Thanks
I really appriciate your insite and understanding. let's keep the conversation going about the micro-soft screen reader, as I see the potential
I hated narrator when it was first launched, but I’ll have to gi
I like hated narrator when it was first lunch I’m pretty sure that was like back in like Windows XP or something. But I haven’t really tried it actively for a long time so I may have to try it again because yeah I don’t really wanna be paying for jaws anymore either. It’s stupid that you have to do this subscription every year so yeah, I’ve actually never tried to use any videos so I may have to try that too at some point. The only thing is is my computer is not capable of running Windows 11 so and they really can’t buy a whole new computer right now so I don’t know yeah I don’t have the money for that
Windows 10 vs Windows 11
Narrator for Windows 10 is actually quite good. There are a few additional features in Windows 11, but you can totally get by with the Windows 10 Narrator. Also, and unfortunately, the Neural voices are only found in Windows 11. As for NVDA, you can use it with Windows 10. I don't know if the absolute latest version would work with Windows 10, but you can use one of the earlier versions of NVDA for sure. This is what I used back when I was still in college.
If you do decide to go the NVDA route, make sure you Google the NVDA user guide. It is worth a read through. 😀
NVDA
Just to confirm - NVDA works with Windows 11 flawlessly, and you can get the Narrator voices (including the Neural voices, through an add-on). I still prefer NVDA/JAWS over Narrator, but Windows 11 Narrator works fine in a pinch.
nvda addon.
Where can you get this nvda addon, and will it now include the hd voices? that narroater has now.
Narrator is good
It's actually really good, and if you want to use a Windows tablet with touchscreen, Narrator offers the best experience. NVDA's Touch commands are medioker at best, and even with it's enhanced touch gestures addon, it doesn't get that better.
Also, it's the screenreader you've got when you are resetting the device or setting up any windows device for the first time. It's nural voices are also the best, and I wish if MS opened it for NVDA. Actually, at this point, I wish if MS just avoided the entire duplication of efforts and poured their efforts in to making NVDA defacto built-in screen-reader on Windows.
But again, NVDA isn't perfect, it's support for large excel sheets and powrpoint slides with tables is horrible. Jaws much better in that department, and, hence I think many workplace professionals might prefer Jaws. NVDA must focus their efforts in providing better support for entire MS Office suite, which might be actually possible once MS adopts it as their defacto screen-reader. Hell, they can just copy the source-code, call it narrator and pack it in their Windows ISO files at this point, without much leegal miss-hap if I understand NVDA's license correctly. They just need to provide credits, as in name the original source of the code.
the NVDA and microsoft.
I believe that the Microsoft would not intygrate the NVDA to the windows, as it is working on the narrator and I think that they want to reach in the equal stats of the voice over on mac. I think they should do that, although I do love the variety of the options when it comes to screen readers, I would like to use my computer as it comes out of the box like a cighted user.
@roman, perhaps you misunderstand
Adopting NVDA as Narrator would rather boost Narrator's status as default screen reader for many of us.
Many of current narrator's shortfalls might be tackled that way, and, Microsoft and the community can focus on 1 screen reader, rather than duplicating efforts, which might tackle lot of NVDA's current shortfalls as well.
The code can be from NVDA, the name can be anything that MS prefers. Even Narrator. The issue of addons and security can be tackled by careful management and user permissions.
my thoughts
very interesting discussion.my disability sentre, has grans for JAWS, as NVDA is good, byt know phone technicle support. they do not know about the licensing structor, and when i tell them, i don't know what they will do. I, being the first blind person to work there, am seen as the expert on screen reading solutions, as a lot of staff, and management, and partisapants, never me a blind person before.they litoraly bewleave anything i say, regarding all accessibility and don't know who else is more quolified on screen reading software. i should them narrator when my mac wouldn't connect to wifi in a computer course, as there are a lot of pcs connecting at the same time. some think they windows setup is inaccessible at work, as evadenced by the focus on me using my mac, when windows 11 computers were being set up. a staff, went so far as to tell me there is no accessibility on windows 10. told her how to activate narrator, and a partisapent asked me, talking at me, not to me, why doew he need that? unsure if i should stay there or go. no work, now, lucky, apple event to