Thanks ... I just hope things don't keep coming up ... but once December rolls on in, my schedule will obviously be different, and so I can probably dedicate some time into getting some of this out of the door. I definitely want to finish one, if not the first two bullets on that list I sent out, before the end of this year, but we'll see ... thanks for the support. Oh, Jamal: I've been working with the office of legal affairs and the university's patent board and such, so everything I mentioned should be able to be open source and open to modification, but you must understand how difficult and arduous of a process that is at a huge university, so we need to go through that step by step. Luckly, the java screen reader I wrote isn't subject to that. Take care, Sina -----Original Message----- From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jamal Mazrui Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 3:05 PM To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release That's an exciting roadmap -- go for it, Sina! Jamal On Fri, 30 Nov 2007, Sina Bahram wrote: > Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:34:50 -0500 > From: Sina Bahram <sbahram@xxxxxxxxx> > Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > Unfortunately not, as far as a date goes, but I can give a tentative > order of operations schedule, I think. > > I want to merge my group's work with Jay's various packages, and > develop a story that we can start to tell about how these tools can > come together and be useful. Often times, releasing something is only > the most basic and minimal of steps ... putting them together in a > coherent way, such that they are useful, visible, and accessible to > all, in lots of different senses of those words, makes for a much more > comprehensive and, I humbly feel, better user experience. > > Next, I want to work with Mike Grace, the lead developer, to finish up > a release of the universal access bridge, which will include a plug-in > that will make the application self-voicing ... this plug-in will > contain the same technologies as used in the java screen reader I have > written, and will most likely get significantly expanded with Jay's > assistance. We also have some other features that are necessary for > the Remote Access Bridge, such as single sign-on support, API > compliance with the Virtual Computing Lab's XML RPC protocol at NC State University, and so on. > > Finally, we want to all start working on putting things together in a > completely modular, package based way. Think of Eclipse's plug-in > infrastructure, but a bit easier to use, I dare say, and much more > simple to implement once our helper classes are complete, which will > be happening during this entire process. We already have this > mechanism working quite beautifully for the Remote Access Bridge, and > I'd like to extend it to a library based approach to offer SSIP > services, speech recognition services, screen reading services, remote > desktop services, multiple voice TTS services, and a lot more. > > Take care, > Sina > > -----Original Message----- > From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jamal > Mazrui > Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 2:09 PM > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > I understand. Can you give a time estimate on the first public beta > (explicitly designated as such)? > Jamal > On Fri, 30 Nov 2007, Sina Bahram wrote: > > > Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:50:38 -0500 > > From: Sina Bahram <sbahram@xxxxxxxxx> > > Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > > > It can do a lot more, at any case. You see, the java access bridge > > isn't the only thing that has access to such things, so sometimes, > > folks can gleam more information about objects. > > > > I'll want to do lots more integration on the screen reading > > component before releasing it. I've learned, and gotten burned by, > > releasing too soon, especially on this list, remember? > > > > So I really want to make sure things are up to snuff, some QA is > > done, and so on, before I dare even releasing a beta. > > > > Take care, > > Sina > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jamal > > Mazrui > > Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 11:02 AM > > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > > > Are you saying that a Java screen reader you have written will > > enable Java applications that are currently not accessible with JAWS > > to become accessible? That would be major, so I look forward to any > > URLs you can post that show this capability. > > > > Jamal > > On Thu, 29 Nov 2007, Sina Bahram wrote: > > > > > Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:48:54 -0500 > > > From: Sina Bahram <sbahram@xxxxxxxxx> > > > Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > > > > > Everything you said and a lot more is possible with the > > > combination of the screen reader I've written, the SSIP > > > technologies a friend and coworker of mine have worked on, and the > > > use of the abstraction layer that Jay has developed. > > > > > > Take care, > > > Sina > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jamal > > > Mazrui > > > Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 10:31 PM > > > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > > > > > Hi Jay, > > > Are you saying that this would make a Java application self > > > voicing even if it was built without accessibility in mind, or > > > that a developer interested in accessibility could make an > > > application self-voicing by making calls to this server? If the > > > latter, is the idea similar to the extra speech messages I have > > > implemented in my applications? In other words, is this an API > > > whereby a developer can make an application generate speech using > > > the screen reader currently in use? Is the idea that the > > > developer does not have to know the particular screen reader API, > > > but can write to a general one and SSIP will determine what screen > > > reader is in use and how to make > it talk? > > > > > > Jamal > > > On Wed, 28 Nov 2007, Macarty, Jay > > > {PBSG} wrote: > > > > > > > Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:43:39 -0600 > > > > From: "Macarty, Jay {PBSG}" <Jay.Macarty@xxxxxxxx> > > > > Reply-To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > > > > > > > Jamal, > > > > I'll let Sina respond to the Linux questions. But for the java > > > > questions you asked, here are the answers: > > > > > > > > 1. Yes, the sample SSIPClient jar, which will come with the > > > > server installation, could be used to self voice a java application. > > > > > > > > 2. To simply self voice a java application would not require > > > > knowledge or use of the accessibility framework. If one simply > > > > wished to self voice a particular event, such as a button being > > > > pressed or the content of a JTextArea, one would only need to > > > > create an instance of the SSIPClient object in the desired class > > > > and then call the sayString method to vocalize the desired text. > > > > > > > > While the use of swing and the accessibility framework are not > > > > required, certainly choosing to take advantage of the fact that > > > > the framework is there is a big plus in self voicing an application. > > > > also, if one wishes to create accessibility tools of a more > > > > general purpose, such as a java based screen reader solution, > > > > then utilizing the java accessibility API would be the best approach. > > > > > > > > 3. If one were simply wishing to self voice a specific java > > > > application, the only thing you would need to do is include the > > > > SSIPClient jar in your classpath. If you were executing multiple > > > > applications from the same JRE, you could place the jar in the > > > > jre\lib\ext directory so that it would be picked up automatically. > > > > However, if you were simply self voicing a single application, > > > > it would likely be preferable to include the SSIPClient jar in > > > > the classpath > > > definition for that application. > > > > > > > > NOTE: While you need only include the client jar to be able to > > > > gain connectivity to the SSIP server, you must, of course, make > > > > sure that the server executable is running to receive the > > > > connection prior to when the java application tried to establish > > > > a session. This could be handled as simply as placing the launch > > > > of SSIPVoiceServer.exe in your startup folder. > > > > > > > > Again, if your intention was to develop a general purpose > > > > accessibility technology, such as a java screen reader, the > > > > configuration of the SSIP client itself isn't any harder but you > > > > would likely have to define the accessibility application to the > > > > JVM thru the accessibility.properties file. > > > > > > > > In addition to the work Sina is doing, the SSIP server, by > > > > itself, will include the server executable and some client > > > > wrappers for various environments such as java, AutoIt, ruby, > > > > and a DotNet assembly dll to allow one to include a SSIPClient > > > > namespace in whatever DotNet environment they are using. > > > > > > > > Hope this helps. > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > > [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of > > > > Jamal Mazrui > > > > Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 11:47 AM > > > > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > > Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release > > > > > > > > Congratulations on your progress with this project, Jay! Like > > > > others, I confess having trouble understanding the full > > > > ramifications. Could you or Sina describe some vignettes from a > > > > user's > > perspective? > > > > > > > > I think I understand that this technology would allow someone on > > > > a Windows computer (e.g., running JAWS) to operate a remote > > > > Linux computer with Orca. Is that right? Would JAWS need to be > > > > running after the connection was made? If so, would there be > > > > key conflicts to manage between JAWS and Orca? > > > > > > > > Does this technology also allow Java applications to be self voicing? > > > > Do > > > > they have to implement the Swing API according to accessibility > > > > guidelines? If one has a Java app installed, how would the > > > > self-voicing part be added? > > > > > > > > I know from the quality of your skills and the time you have > > > > invested in this project that it is something with exciting > > > > potential. I'm just trying to get a better grasp of what it > > > > would and > > would not do. > > > > If there are any sample apps or audio demos that illustrate the > > > > possibilities, that would be great. > > > > > > > > Cheers, > > > > Jamal > > > > > > > > > > > > __________ > > > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > __________ > > > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > > > > __________ > > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > > > __________ > > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > > __________ > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > __________ > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > __________ > View the list's information and change your settings at > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > __________ > View the list's information and change your settings at > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind