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JAWS (''Job Access With Speech'') is a computer screen reader program for Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a Refreshable Braille display. JAWS is produced by the Blind and Low Vision Group of Freedom Scientific, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. A July 2015 screen reader user survey by WebAIM, a web accessibility company, found JAWS to be the most popular screen reader worldwide; 30.2% of survey participants used it as a primary screen reader, while 43.7% of participants used it often. This level of usage is significantly lower than that found in the January 2014 survey, where the respective figures for JAWS were 50% and 63.9%.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Screen Reader User Survey #6 )〕 JAWS supports all versions of Windows released since Windows Vista. There are two versions of the program: the ''home use edition'' for non-commercial use and the ''professional edition'' for commercial environments. Before JAWS 16, the ''home use edition'' was called ''Standard'', and only worked on home Windows operating systems.〔"(Enhancements and Improvements in JAWS 16 )", Freedom Scientific. Retrieved October 29, 2015.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=JAWS System Requirements )〕 A DOS version, sometimes also known as ''JDOS'', is free. The JAWS Scripting Language allows the user to use programs without standard Windows controls, and programs that were not designed for accessibility. ==History== JAWS was originally released in 1989 by Ted Henter, a former motorcycle racer who lost his sight in a 1978 automobile accident. In 1985, Henter, along with a $180,000 USD investment from Bill Joyce, founded the ''Henter-Joyce Corporation'' in St. Petersburg, Florida. Joyce sold his interest in the company back to Henter in 1990. In April 2000, Henter-Joyce, Blazie Engineering, and Arkenstone, Inc. merged to form Freedom Scientific. JAWS was originally created for the MS-DOS operating system. It was one of several screen readers giving blind users access to text-mode MS-DOS applications. A feature unique to JAWS at the time was its use of cascading menus, in the style of the popular Lotus 1-2-3 application. What set JAWS apart from other screen readers of the era was its use of macros that allowed users to customize the user interface and work better with various applications. Ted Henter and Rex Skipper wrote the original JAWS code in the mid-1980s, releasing version 2.0 in mid-1990. Skipper left the company after the release of version 2.0, and following his departure, Charles Oppermann was hired to maintain and improve the product. Oppermann and Henter regularly added minor and major features and frequently released new versions. Freedom Scientific now offers JAWS for MS-DOS as a freeware download from their web site.〔〔(More JAWS downloads ). Freedom Scientific. Retrieved August 31, 2008.〕 In 1993, Henter-Joyce released a highly modified version of JAWS for people with learning disabilities. This product, called WordScholar, is no longer available.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Henter-Joyce Newsletter )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「JAWS (screen reader)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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