Fwd: The Excalibur System
I got this from the Gnome Accessibility list, although it looks like the original e-mail went to ubuntu-devel-discuss . I'm ccing the original writer just so he knows we exist! I thought it's something you all will also be interested in. Penelope Original Message Subject: The Excalibur System Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 14:20:54 -0400 From: Ryan Oram ryano...@trentu.ca To: ubuntu-devel-disc...@lists.ubuntu.com I've caught a big fish for you guys. My university (Trent University) has agreed to sponsor me to develop a Ubuntu-based system to replace the current Windows/Netware system currently employed at Trent. This system will be centered around thin clients, running NX Client, remote desktoping into a Lucid-based server with NX Server installed. It will be called the Excalibur System. Trent IT has also agreed to put NX Client on the Windows Image at Trent, so every computer will be able to access the Excalibur System. A copy of my proposal is availible here: http://tinyurl.com/excalibur-system I have also posted screenshots of my prototype here: http://tinyurl.com/excalibur-screens There is a caveat. The accessibility frameworks on Linux are frankly crap. Because of this, the Excalibur thin client OS will always be dual-booted with Windows on any computers it is installed on. Additionally, it will not be made default on any public labs at Trent. These stipulations will stay in place until the accessibility frameworks meet the requirements of the Disability Services Office. The requirements of the Disability Services Office are as follows: 1. A comprehensive reading and writing support framework (such as Read Write or Kurzweil). Ocra and aspell could likely be used for this, but grammar support would be needed as well. 2. Mindmapping software (such as Inspiration) The DSO has told me that the current open source solutions are insufficient but could be extended to fit their needs. 3. A speech recognition application (like Dragon Naturally Speaking) This can come later. You may ask why Canonical would even develop this software. There is a simple reason: It would make Edubuntu feasible. If Canonical writes the software that the Disability Services Office wants (which were a voice recongition system, a replacement for Kurzweil, and extending the open source mind-mapping software), Edubuntu would instantly become the preferred platform for every school on the planet. Why spend money on Windows and Mac OS X when you can get the software you license for thousands upon thousands of dollars for free, with the exception of tech support costs? Canonical would be able to make a killing on supporting schools using this software, easily getting back their investment. Keep in mind too, this is a university. I'm sure there would be a big list of alumni willing to fund such a project, if external funding is needed. I'm already working on getting the current head of the Concurrent Education program at Trent to support the proposal and get the teacher's union in Ontario aboard. The possibility of having a Kurzweil equivalent available to every student regardless of wealth or background is frankly the dream of every teacher. Please let me know what you guys think of all of this. Thanks, Ryan Oram -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list ubuntu-devel-disc...@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss ___ gnome-accessibility-list mailing list gnome-accessibility-l...@gnome.org http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-accessibility-list -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
New Time and Location: Reorganizing and Reviving the Ubuntu Accessibility Team
Hello, The community-based Reorganizing and Reviving the Ubuntu Accessibility Team has been moved to tomorrow (Wednesday, May 12) at 13:00 UTC in the Snakewood room (#ubuntu-uds-snakewood) as the feedback I got from people was unanimously in favour of moving the meeting up. Hopefully none of the scheduling changes which have been happening here will change any of this, however, I'll keep you all informed if it does! Thanks, Penelope -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
Re: Notes from the May 6 2010 meeting
Hi, It might also be good to have a page listing the various accessibility problems, shortcomings and useful enhancements of the accessibility in Ubuntu. So let me begin with three points: - The incompatibility of gksu with at-spi: There are applications like the Synaptic Package Manager that use gksu to get root privileges. However, gksu is not compatible to at-spi, resulting in a partially freezed desktop when there is an application that actively uses at-spi. Thus, if Maverick is not shipping at-spi2, I might be good considering whether it would make sense and be feasable to replace gksu with something compatible to at-spi. Some time ago, I started a thread about this on the Ubuntu development discussion list: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2010-March/010770.html - Dwell click during GDM: The Ubuntu desktop ships the dwell click feature, that enables users to do clicks by software. (In other words, it enables users to perform the various mouseclicks without using a hardware button.) This feature is not yet available during GDM and the problem has already been discussed and a patch provided in GNOME: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=589906 The solution chosen in the patch adds an icon to the panel in GDM; this item activates dwelling when the user hovers with the mouse over the icon. Another solution would have been to make the already available accessibility icon dwellable; this would however also require a dwellable item in the accessibility dialog of GDM; and above all, I have been told that because of the nature of the accessibility icon on the GDM panel, this solution would require considerably more work. (Unfortunately, I don't know the exact details.) - Do not hide the Universal Access menu: Each time I submit a new version of onboard to the sponsors of main, the package gets patched to hide the desktop file and the Universal Access menu. I would appreciate if the Universal Access menu and the items in it would be visible by default. This might especially be important for new users (not only disabled users, but for example also TabletPC users) that do not know that Ubuntu ships some accessibility tools or that do not know how to make them appear. If these points (especially the first) might be relevant during UDS, it would be great if there would be somebody to represent them. Thanks in advance for reading this, Francesco. PS: Cc'ing Gerd Kohlberger,the author of mousetweaks and the patch to add dwelling to GDM. On 05/10/2010 04:52 PM, Penelope Stowe wrote: Hiya! So we met last meeting and I just wanted to post to the list notes from the last meeting (I'll also put this up on the wiki). The main reason for this meeting was to start thinking about things we wanted to have covered in the session this week at the Ubuntu Developer Summit. Here are some things which people came up with. I'd like some feedback on list as well as it would be wonderful if as many people as possible could make the session! So you know, the Accessibility Team session that I set up is in the community track, however, there is also a desktop track session that I think Luke is doing. I'll post the information for both sessions to the list in a separate e-mail. The main things we discussed as needing to work on for the Maverick cycle (in no particular order): 1) Organizing and getting structure to the team 2) Creating a statement of where the team is and where we want to be. 3) Documentation (ranging from how-tos to basic information about what accessibility programs are in universe and what other things might be useful) 4) structure for the team Please feel free to discuss any of these things here on the list (especially if you can't make the sessions) and we'll try to discuss any concerns. Also if you have any other things you think might be good to discuss specifically to be done during the next 6 months (during the Maverick cycle), please send them to list. Please note that the track that I am running at UDS is really based on community and getting the team working as a functioning group and less on specific development. I certainly think it would be good for as many developers interested in accessibility to attend as possible, however, this particular session is community driven. Thank you! Penelope -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
brltty
Are brltty included in the alternate cd yet I meen 10.04 -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
Remind: Ubuntu Accessibility Sessions today at UDS!
Hiya, Just a final reminder that there are two accessibility sessions today at UDS. Information about remote participation: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UDS-M/RemoteParticipation 8:00 UTC - Get the accessibility infrastructure updated for use with Gnome 3.0 (desktop track) --Cocobolo 1 (#ubuntu-uds-cocobolo-1 on IRC and see remote participation link for how to get audio) 13:00 UTC - Reorganizing and Reviving the Ubuntu Accessibility Team (community track) --Snakewood (#ubuntu-uds-snakewood on IRC and see remote participation link for how to get audio) I hope as many of you as possible can attend! Thanks, Penelope -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
