Chapter 5 Using Overlay Keyboards
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DRIVER SOFTWARE | |||
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| Control, Modifier & Cursor Keys |
| Mouse Control |
| Input Acceptance Filter |
| Post Acceptance Filter | Repeat Filter | Sticky Keys | Auditory Feedback | Digitised sound output | Speech output | |
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BBC | Concept |
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BBC Concept | Keyboards |
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Acorn | Concept |
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Conform+ | Keyboards |
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Acorn, Windows PC | Concept |
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Informax | Keyboards |
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Mac | Concept |
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Intercept | Keyboards |
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Windows PC | Concept |
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Concept Plus | Keyboards |
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Windows PC | Concept |
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Concept Plus |
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Keyboards |
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Multimedia |
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Mac, PC | Intellikeys |
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Intellikeys |
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Mac, PC | Intellikeys |
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Overlay Maker |
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Mac | Key Largo, |
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Discover:Board |
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Ke:nx |
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Ke:nx On:Board |
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To choose an overlay keyboard you have to specify the functions needed by the user, the curriculum and learning tasks, and then select the most appropriate combination of hardware and software. Cost, the computer and software that you want to use, and the ease of use of the keyboard and software are also key issues.
•Acorn
The most popular overlay keyboards for Acorn RiscOS computers are the Concept Keyboards with either Informax or Conform+ software. If you wanted to create overlays for detailed pictures or maps then the Informatrix with 4096 keys, with Informax software, would be the best choice.
It is possible to plug in the IntelliKeys device into A7000 or RiscPC machines as they have ‘PS/2’ keyboard connectors, but you can only use the standard overlays – the OverlayMaker software does not run on Acorn RiscOS.
•Macintosh
If you were working on a particular curriculum topic and using a program like ClarisWorks Templates on a Mac, then the Concept Universal might be most suitable as the Templates are supplied with
But if you wanted an overlay keyboard to work with all programs on the Mac, and replace all the functions of the standard Macintosh keyboard and mouse, you might choose Intellikeys or Discover:Board in preference to the Concept Keyboards with Intercept software, because the latter
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