CompuServe Messages

I sent such a note, and the response was quite amusing…. They said they are concerned for their 'sight impared' members…. The message follows: ——————- Action! Subj: Feedback reply (Ref #3100) Date: 04-Aug-95 07:59 EDT From: CompuServe > [70006,101] Customer Service Representative Re: Migration from ASCII Interface Thank you for using Feedback! I am writing in response to your concerns regarding the future of the ASCII interface. I am glad to try and address your concerns about CompuServe's migration away from ASCII. CompuServe is converting to HMI as it moves toward up-to-date, user-friendly graphical interfaces that meet the needs of today's customers. Graphical capability is a given on today's personal computer systems and more and more content online is tailored for the access by graphical interfaces. As CompuServe advances into this new marketplace, it is vital that we put our resources into these new technologies while smoothly transitioning away from outdated protocols. However, we recognized early on in this process that maintaining high-quality service to our visually impaired members presents a challenge to CompuServe that we are committed to resolving. Today, we are looking at hardware and software solutions that will provide equal access to members who need special assistance in viewing or operating CIS client software. Because of the state of some of these technologies, we do not yet have a specific solution to the challenge of equal access. However, we're not going to abandon those members who presently depend on terminal emulation/ASCII for access. Some of the products we have examined, or are examining, include: ScreenPower for Windows, ProTalk for Windows; Slimware Window Bridge; Windows Master; and ProTalk32 (an as yet unreleased product). Since the transition will take more than a year, we are al,so looking for new products to come on the market that will offer even more advanced solutions and are putting a great deal of effort to searching them out. Some of the products I mentioned above have very promising features and we are evaluating them further. Others, upon evaluation, clearly do not meet our needs. Though we have not made any decisions as yet on what technologies we will adopt, I wanted to share this information with you. I hope it helps reassure you that we are devoting effort and resources to create a solution that will meet your needs and conform to our quality and reliability standards. We also welcome input and feedback from you and other sight-impaired members to help us achieve a solution that will allow us to smoothly transition away from HMI and make it possible for you to employ the next generation of interface technology. Thanks for your feedback. Jaime Gary Vassalotti Using AP 1.80