So, with blindfold on, I tested the application with JAWS. (Not all developers have JAWS; it's actually a very nice screen reader.) I found the resulting applications no harder to use than were other applications I've tried in the past. JAWS seems to react well to Bindows applications. This is in contrast to not working very well at all with AJAX applications that don't have the required accessibility functionality.
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I also tried the examples with Windows Narrator (a program you get free with Windows; it appears in the Start > Programs > Accessories > Accessibility folder). The results weren't perfect, but they were good enough for testing. Most developers would do well to close their eyes and listen to their application using Windows Narrator. Doing so gives you an entirely different perspective on application usability!
I used both my own test examples and the Bindows samples (described in the next section) to perform these tests. Although I'm not blind, I do use accessibility aids often enough to know that the Bindows results are good — in an environment that isn't very hospitable to accessibility.
Go for the Samples
I had a hard time getting started with Bindows. There is no Setup, nor instructions on how to perform the setup manually. In fact, except for the release notes and a change log, you don't get any documentation at all. A representative from MB Technologies says they don't intend to provide any form of setup in the future, which makes this product considerably more difficult to use than it should be. Their reason is that there are too many different platforms and configurations to consider, but other vendors don't seem to have a problem overcoming this hurdle. The company does plan to include manual installation instructions, at some point, in a quick start manual.
After installation, I found out from the vendor that the User's Manual is downloadable online, but the location seems to be a well-guarded secret. It wasn't listed in any of the materials I received with the initial download. This issue surprised me; this product supposedly helps with accessibility, and I doubt very much that developers with special needs will ever find the documentation. MB Technologies says it plans to work on a "quick start" guide and a larger example in the future, so you might have more materials at your disposal. The PDF manual they do provide contains 85 pages of very helpful information (but no setup instructions). I tried out the examples in the manual, and they all work as stated.
Given the lack of setup instructions, I had to figure out a setup on my own. After wondering about things for a while, I copied the files to my IIS folder and accessed the resulting folder using both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Both browsers worked fine within the limits of the bugs discussed in the release notes (I'll discuss them later). My examples went into a different folder and required that I refer to the Bindows folder, making the code quite brittle.
The Samples folder contains a number of useful samples. They're tools as much as they are samples. For example, the APIBrowser sample provides the only real help you'll get about the various classes that Bindows provides. You can use the ClassBrowser sample for the same purpose. However, in this case, you have to double click the entries. The ClassBrowser sample lets you open multiple windows, each of which can contain a different class.
The APILauncher application is the one to try, though, to see what Bindows can do. When you start this sample, you see the same blank screen that many of the other samples provide. Click on any entry in the left pane, and you'll see the code for that sample. Double click the entry, and Bindows launches the application so you can see it run. This is perhaps the most interesting way to show the running application and associated source code I've seen recently and I think Bindows is smart for using it.
The BiPad example is one of those obligatory samples that every vendor seems inclined to provide. It's a little Notepad editor with some interesting (albeit simple) additions you can use for writing Bindows code. Personally, I'd stick with your normal editor and learn the Bindows coding requirements.
The samples also include the obligatory HelloWorld example. The example does just what you might think it does. However, because of the focus of this product and the lack of other documentation, I found the HelloWorld example a valuable study aid for getting started.
I couldn't get some of the examples to work. The examples in the Chart, DataGrid, LogChart, and Login folders apparently don't perform any tasks outside of the other applications. A readme or other file telling me which applications to try would have been helpful. I got the example in the Inline folder to work, but it really doesn't demonstrate anything useful (at least not that I was able to figure out).
Known Bugs
I always check out the readme file (whatever the vendor might call it; it's releasenotes.html in this case) before I begin working with a product. Generally, these files contain a number of interesting bits of information that many people miss and then grouse about later. Unlike a good many vendors, Bindows actually appears to keep this file updated and truthful. All of the bugs they said I would find actually did appear in the product, and I didn't find any bugs that they didn't list. This is so unusual that I checked my findings twice and then a third time for good measure. Consequently, I advise checking releasenotes.html before you begin using Bindows.
Bindows is a good product that I'm hoping will grow. I give the vendor high marks for knowing that Bindows has bugs and that they're doing something to fix them. Less acceptable are the lack of developer aids. It's my sincere hope that Bindows gets the proper documentation in the near future. The lack of proper documentation is the one thing that is significantly hindering this truly amazing product.
