Ah Eric, I think I see your point? It looks as if the CNIB has what the NLS calls web braille. You just want to grab the books that come in the web braille brf format and read them in braille from your mac like people do when they put them on something like a braille note? That's fair enough, some people like reading braille over listening to spoken word. Pointless or not, brf seems to be the file of choice by groups who provide electronic access to their libries for braille content. There's nothing wrong with wanting to read a book in braille via a braille display, note taker or whatever. Having said this though, I've gotta say I'm with Josh and find it faster and just more enjoyable to have whatever it is read to me and wish that the different programs who offer etexts to us would offer a HTML or TXT version along with the BRF version. But then you run into all that copyright stuff so I guess you deal with things as they are. : smile :
Am I kind of right? Or have I missed the mark altogether? Best regards Jenny On 7/4/09, Josh de Lioncourt <[email protected]> wrote: > > > With the advent of grade 2 translation in screen readers for English, > the point of BRF files is basically non-existent. They only were ever > there because, initially, screen readers didn't translate into grade > 2, so BRF files were a convenient way to read books without the > painful necessity of reading them in computer Braille, (AKA Grade 0). > > These days, BRF is convenient on some note taking devices, though > hardlya necessity. It serves now, or so it seems to me, as a sort of > quasi-DRM. They figure sighted users who might get hold of such files > won't know how to read them, and therefore will not pirate them. > > If I was so fortunate to be able to afford a ridiculously overpriced > Braille display, (LOL), I wouldn't bother with BRF at all. I think > they are far more trouble than they are worth. I have always, and > expect I always will, back translate BRF files to read them, > regardless of them method. > > The only other use for BRF files, really, is if you plan on printing > to a Braille hard copy. But really, who is going to do that? LOL. > > On Jul 4, 2009, at 7:11 AM, erik burggraaf wrote: > >> >> OK ppl. Here's what I'm reading. >> >> If I want to grab a fantasy novel from CNIB library in BRF format and >> read the thing, I first have to back translate it. But if Louis will >> back translate the thing, won't it just open up nicely and allow me to >> read without any palaver? And if you have to back translate to ge >> access to a brf file, then what is the point of having brf files in >> the first place? >> >> Maybe I should just stick to doing this on my phone, but I saw a >> friend of mine using his braille display on his mac and it looked very >> inspiring. Especially given that snowleppard will support bluetooth >> conectivity for braille displays. >> >> Best, >> >> erik burggraaf >> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >> Phone: 888-255-5194 >> Email: [email protected] >> >> On 3-Jul-09, at 8:19 PM, Josh de Lioncourt wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> Back translating is really the best way to go. I mean, if you're >>> reading with a braille display, TextEdit or any other text editing >>> program should do the trick for you. If you want the TTS to read it, >>> then what you're looking for is an app to do back translation on the >>> fly. Either way, it amounts to the same. Personally, I'd prefer to >>> just back translate it and get on with the business of reading it >>> normally. That will also allow for easy searching of the text with >>> standard find functions, and such. >>> >>> Louis works great for back translating. >>> >>> On Jul 3, 2009, at 4:06 PM, erik burggraaf wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Well, no, I just want to hit command O on a brf file that I download >>>> from CNIB and read it. Does anything do that? >>>> >>>> I guess if I had to I would back translate them but that seems >>>> like a >>>> wasted step. >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> >>>> erik burggraaf >>>> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >>>> Phone: 888-255-5194 >>>> Email: [email protected] >>>> >>>> On 3-Jul-09, at 6:58 PM, Greg Kearney wrote: >>>> >>>>> >>>>> Do you want to back translate brf files to text? If so Louis will >>>>> do >>>>> that for you. >>>>> >>>>> Greg Kearney >>>>> >>>>> On Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 1:37 AM, erik burggraaf<e...@erik- >>>>> burggraaf.com> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> Hi friends, I've just sifted a few pages of google results, but I >>>>>> haven't been able to find a brf reader for Mac OS. Can some one >>>>>> point >>>>>> me to it please? >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>> >>>>>> erik burggraaf >>>>>> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >>>>>> Phone: 888-255-5194 >>>>>> Email: [email protected] >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Gregory Kearney >>>>> Manager Accessible Media >>>>> Association for the Blind of Western Australia >>>>> 61 Kitchener Ave. >>>>> Victoria Park 6100 Western Australia >>>>> >>>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> >>> >>> >>>> >> >> >> > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
