Hi Thomas, So the cout object works with screenreaders? I wasn't sure if that would.
Best Regards, Hayden -----Original Message----- From: gamers-boun...@audyssey.org [mailto:gamers-boun...@audyssey.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Ward Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 7:01 PM To: Gamers Discussion list Subject: Re: [Audyssey] Possible WWE Roster Hi Jim, Yeah, I know. In C++ they call this streaming. You can open a file stream and then send it directly to the console and most screen readers will read it automatically. That's basically what I was thinking of doing for my wrestling game. I still believe that writing to the console directly as you mentioned in your example is the most accessible way to design programs for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc as every screen reader I know can and will read it. When you get into graphics toolkits like the Windows API, GTK+, Cocoa, QT, etc is when you begin running into accessibility issues. For instance, let's take Java as a quick example. If I use the console class and print text directly to the console using the WriteLine() function Jaws, Window-Eyes, Hal, Orca, and pretty much anything out there can read the text on the screen. Now, if you write a Java graphical application using the Swing API suddenly you have to start using the Java Access Bridge, figuring out which screen readers support it, and it becomes an accessibility nightmare. So I believe accessibility issues begin and end with this drive towards more and more graphical programs. The thing is that as blind developers we don't actually have to use a window to write audio games. Most accessible game devs just create an empty window, which is completely blank, just to direct sound and input to. The thing is we don't actually have to do that since we aren't using killer 3d graphics etc. All DirectSound, DirectInput, etc need is a valid window handle. A developer can do that by writing a Dos program that runs in the command prompt window, and simply grab the window handle from the command prompt and pass it to DirectX. Bingo you just saved yourself all the hastle of creating an empty window in the process, and you can, if you wanted to, just write text directly to the console for those using braille displays etc. I'm strongly considering this as a possible upgrade to MOTA since the application really doesn't need a physical window. Cheers! On 4/14/11, Jim Kitchen <j...@kitchensinc.net> wrote: > Hi Thomas, > > Actually in dos there was a specific way to put text on the screen so that > every single dos screen reader would speak it automatically. It was called > writing to the consul or bios of the computer. It looked like; > > OPEN "o", #1, "con" > LOCATE 24, 50: PRINT #1, " Jim Kitchen" > > So once you opened a file number to the "con" every thing that you printed > to it would automatically get spoken by a dos screen reader. I sure do wish > that there was something similar for putting text on the screen in Windows. > > Thank you for the suggestion to check out the NVDA screen reader. I down > loaded it once, but never did install it. I do need to do that one of these > days. It's just that I have been using Jaws since December 1989. > > BFN > > Jim > > I got my degree from Briggs and Stratton. > > j...@kitchensinc.net > http://www.kitchensinc.net > (440) 286-6920 > Chardon Ohio USA > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
