Hi,
I told the community, but let me remind you again: NO, NO, NO! Yes,
I'm angry, and yes, I mean it: please do not ask the community to
email you about feature backports, as that will not happen. Sorry - case closed.


-----Original Message-----
From: nvda@nvda.groups.io <nvda@nvda.groups.io> On Behalf Of zahra
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2020 4:11 AM
To: nvda@nvda.groups.io
Subject: Re: [nvda] Statement from Joseph Lee regarding NVDA add-ons
and Windows XP support requests: no more, period

hi,
thanks for your message.
for several reasons, nvda 2017.3 is the best version and even 2017.2
works very well, and they work very perfect for my need.
but, two or three items which are included in newer versions of nvda,
i wish to backported to nvda 2017.3, not only for myself, but for the
benefit of all users of this versions like me!
if someone wants to help me in this regard, please email me!
God bless you everyone!

On 3/24/20, abdul muhamin <abdulmuhamin600@...> wrote:

Hi, Zahra, why you don’t update your operating system and the NVDA to
the latest versions to solve all your compatibility problems instead
of asking support of the old software, you should use the new and
fresh peace of software to avoid all the security risks

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: zahra
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2020 3:00 PM
To: nvda@nvda.groups.io
Subject: Re: [nvda] Statement from Joseph Lee regarding NVDA add-ons
andWindows XP support requests: no more, period

hi joseph.
as i mentioned in my emails, i only need two or three fixed in newer
versions of nvda for backporting to the supported versions of nvda on
xp.
and i promise that my request does not cause nvda crashing or
unresponsiveness in any version of windows!
my requests are only specific for firefox and contains important
fixes which i am sure benefits everyone.

On 3/23/20, Joseph Lee <joseph.lee22590@...> wrote:

Hello NVDA users and add-on developers,



First, I would like to reiterate how important it is that everyone
listen to advice from reputable sources regarding COVID-19,
including public health officials recommending folks to exercise
social distancing for a while.
Even
if you do not feel sick, please help others by washing hands,
practice social distancing, and monitor the situation regarding the
pandemic and community spread. And since the NVDA community is a
global movement, please support each other.



Onto the matter at hand: for several days I have received requests
about NVDA add-ons and Windows XP support. Requests have included
making add-ons compatible with Windows XP again, compatibility
issues, and backporting newer NVDA bug fixes and features to users
of NVDA 2017.3, the last version compatible with Windows XP.



At the moment there is no community guidance on support for Windows
XP, with many people asking others to upgrade to newer Windows
releases. But as an individual add-on author and a contributor to
NVDA screen reader project, I would like to take this time to make
the following personal announcement:



Effective April 15, 2020, if you ask me to do one or more of the
following for Windows XP users, the answer you will get is, "sorry,
no more, period."
These include:



* Making add-ons compatible with Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, and
Server 2008
* Fixing compatibility issues and non-working add-ons after you
knowingly install newer add-on releases on NVDA 2017.3 or earlier
* Backporting features and bug fixes from newer NVDA releases to NVDA
2017.3
* Maintaining a long-term support version of NVDA for Windows
XP/Server 2003/Vista/Server 2008 users



Most importantly, I will flatly say "no" if you ask me privately to
ask NV Access and/or add-on developers about Windows XP support.
Many features introduced in newer NVDA releases cannot be backported
for various reasons, including risk of crashing NVDA (grammar error
announcement, for example), incompatibility with Python 2 (broader
Unicode support, for example), features that will not work properly
with XP (screen curtain, for example), support for apps no longer
recommended for wider use (outlook Express, for example), and broad
changes that alters how add-ons work (speech refactor and
multi-category settings dialog, for example). Several add-on authors
have indicated reluctance to support XP, and in case of add-ons I'm
either maintaining or have passed onto the community, none of them
support NVDA
2019.2.1 or earlier, let alone Windows XP and friends.



My personal statement above will not be in effect until April so
that you can help others going through COVID-19 and for my statement
as an individual developer to sink in. Note that I'm not speaking on
behalf of other developers - others have their own policies
regarding support for Windows XP. NV Access does provide a download
link for NVDA 2017.3, the last version compatible with Windows XP.



I know my statement is a huge blow to many of you. As much as I
wanted folks to understand that end of support means end of support,
and I understand that many of you cannot afford newer equipment and
software releases (including moving to newer Windows releases), I
felt it is time to make a bold statement and say "no" to Windows XP
support. In the past, I did note on various NVDA forums that my
add-ons will not and does not support Windows XP, but didn't
announce a statement like this then, hoping that folks will
understand the reality at last. But alas, it is time to officially
close the doors to Windows XP support from my end - once again, this
is an individual developer saying this, not on behalf of the
community at large, knowing that others will make statements on their own.



Thank you for understanding.

Cheers,

Joseph

--
By God,
were I given all the seven heavens
with all they contain
in order that
I may disobey God
by depriving an ant
from the husk of a grain of barley,
I would not do it.
imam ali

--
By God,
were I given all the seven heavens
with all they contain
in order that
I may disobey God
by depriving an ant
from the husk of a grain of barley,
I would not do it.
imam ali