The transition to Unified English Braille has meant some tough decisions for companies who produce software that involves braille translation. To this end, Duxbury Systems has confirmed that their secondary transcription product, MegaDots, has been officially discontinued and is no longer being sold. MegaDots was originally produced by Raised Dot Computing, later Braille Planet, and was the chief competitor to Duxbury's own product until it was purchased in August of 1999. The interface and feature set of MegaDots had a loyal following, and Duxbury Systems continued to sell both products until the recent announcement. MegaDots does not support the UEB code, which will become the standard in the United States by 2016. Technical support will be available through July 4, 2016 and those who purchased MegaDots recently are being given the opportunity to transition to Duxbury. The complete message from their website is below.
After much consideration, Duxbury Systems confirms that MegaDots will not be made UEB capable. MegaDots sales will be discontinued immediately.
It is with much sadness that we have come to the point where we must say goodbye to MegaDots. Thank you to all the loyal users, contributors, programmers and supporters over the years.
We will be contacting those who have purchased MegaDots since January 1, 2015 for a special offer. All registered MegaDots 2.4 customers will be able to upgrade to the current version 2.5 at no charge. We will continue MegaDots technical support until July 4th, 2016.
Thank you all for your past, present and future love of braille and literacy as keys to individual determination and freedom.
We, at Duxbury Systems, are very proud to have carried on the heritage of literacy for the blind that was shared by Raised Dot Computing & Braille Planet. We will honor and continue that tradition with the current and future editions of the Duxbury Braille Translator and future developments.
We look forward to an exciting future as Duxbury Systems moves into its 40th year of working with braille
Category: News
I'm surprised that they maintained MegaDots as long as they did. I remember that programe I'm also surprised that they couldn't add UEB support to MegaDots, though I haven't used it in over fifteen years and don't remember if its Braille tables were modular.
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
