Now available at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/wbtsetup.exe
WinBT 2.0 is an updated distribution of the NFBTrans braille
translator (BT), and the associated WinTrans graphical user interface
(GUI). The original programmers are no longer active in the project,
and the wintrans-bt.org web site is discontinued. Maintenance of
NFBTrans has been led by Steve Jacobson as Vice President of the NFB
in Computer Science. He recruited additional programmers, and improved
the default configuration settings of NFBTrans.
The original author of WinTrans chose not to reveal his or her
identity, using the name "Anonymous John" instead. Since several years
had elapsed since then (2003), we tried to find the author in case he
or she now wished to be publicly acknowledged. Ultimately, we found
him via Tom Dimeo, who had introduced WinTrans to the world in a
podcast of the Main Menu program by ACB Radio (an audio tutorial
included in this distribution). The two of them communicated about
this new effort, and George McCoy has now authorized us to disclose
that he is the one who authored WinTrans.
Recent discussion about improving NFBTrans has occurred on the email
list called "ProgrammingBlind," to which one can subscribe through the
web site
http://FreeLists.org
The NFBTrans code was ported and recompiled by Tyler Littlefield,
using Microsoft Visual C++ 2008, a free Express Edition of which is
available at
http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2008-editions/express
The new build resulted in a 32-bit rather than 16-bit executable, thus
allowing it to run under 64-bit Windows, which, unlike prior Windows
versions, does not run 16-bit programs. The Visual Studio solution
file, NFBTrans.sln, contains compiler configuration information that
allows a developer to easily recompile the C code. Anyone who finds
ways of improving the code, configuration settings, or documentation
is encouraged to contribute such improvements back to the community.
The WinTrans source code, WinTrans.bas, was recompiled by Jamal Mazrui
using PowerBASIC 10.0, a commercial compiler available at
http://powerbasic.com
He also improved the WinTrans installer using Inno Setup 5, which is
freely available at
http://InnoSetup.org
The script file, wbtsetup.iss, gives InnoSetup instructions for
building the installer, wbtsetup.exe. It creates a desktop shortcut
for launching the WinBT dialog, with an optional hotkey assignment,
Alt+Control+B (for braille translator). The installer also creates a
WinBT program group in the Windows Start/Programs menu with options
for launching the program, reading the documentation, playing an audio
tutorial, or uninstalling the program. By default, the documentation
is opened at the end of the installation process, and the audio
tutorial may optionally be played then as well. The program may also
be launched by entering "WinBT" in the Windows Start/Run dialog
(capitalization does not matter).
The original distribution files for NFBTrans and WinTrans,
nfbtr774.zip and winbt.zip (renamed from winbt.exe), are included in
the WinBT program directory. Also included there is the first public
release of the WinTrans 1.0 source code in the PowerBASIC language,
contained in WinTrans.zip. By default, the program directory is
located at
C:\WinBT
The WinBT installer, wbtsetup.exe, may be downloaded at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/wbtsetup.exe
A zip archive containing the same files is available at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/wbtsetup.zip
This documentation is also available online at
http://EmpowermentZone.com/WinBT.htm
The updated distribution can give a new life to WinTrans and NFBTrans.
The installer makes the braille translator friendly to install, use,
and learn. The documentation gives developers information about
recompiling the source code, thus opening a possible path to
improvements contributed by the open source community. The original
WinTrans and NFBTrans archives are also included, so that anyone can
start from there instead if preferred.
WinBT 2.0 has resulted from constructive collaboration among various
parties for the common good of blind people. Although imperfections
undoubtedly remain, there is clear progress that is worth sharing. We
hope these contributions extend the value of NFBTrans and related
technologies to users of electronic braille!
__________
View the list's information and change your settings at
//www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind
