So in broad terms, the features are equivalent to MSAA? However, there's a cleaner interface than what MSAA provides because of the overal standardization of what is already standardized in Linux??? Amanda Lee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Ward" <tward@xxxxxxxxxx> To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 7:43 PM Subject: Re: Needs educating: Message from Linux (fwd) > Hi. Wo, hold on here! > > Ok, let me explain what we are doing with Gnome to clarify things. First, > the gtk tool kit, from which Gnome is written in, is being rewritten so > that anyone using the standard controls, widgets, etc will build accessible > apps from the get go. Gnome has also been upgraded with speech hooks that > will tell the screen reader what is being presented. Finally, Sun will be > introducing something like the Java Access bridge so that Gnopernicus can > handle Java applications under Linux. Does this clear things up? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Charles Crawford <ccrawford at acb.org> > To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> > Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 2:27 PM > Subject: Re: Needs educating: Message from Linux (fwd) > > > > Thanks. I understand what you are saying. Does this mean that > > there would not be a fix for X-Windows like the MSAA in Windows? Would we > > need some kind of major off-screen model? > > > > -- charlie Crawford. > > > > At 11:09 AM 1/22/02 -0700, you wrote: > > >Actually, being familiar with X myself, I'll answer this one. > > > > > >Xwindows, is a misnomer, in reality, it's just an X server, and clients. > The > > >server draws to the screen, and sends user input to the clients. The > clients > > >are the applications, the clients are usually on the same machine as the > > >server, but they don't have to be. > > > > > >X itself is nothing more than a network protocol for sending graphic data > to > > >an X workstation, the X protocol has no provisions for button, text box, > or > > >any widgets for that matter, it has: line, circle, filled circle, > rectangle, > > >filled rectangle, pixmap, etc... > > > > > >X also sends keyboard input and mouse click locations to the applications > > >that own the windows they occur in. Beyond that, X's only other > capability > > >is to send text glyphs (rendered in a given font) back to applications > that > > >request them. > > > > > >As for widgets, and controls, and a nice unified API for writing > programs, > > >you need a "toolkit library". What's a toolkit library you ask? A better > > >question might be "what isn't a toolkit library?" > > >First of all, there are a lot of toolkit libraries out there, some are > very > > >simple (Athena) while some have a full-blown callback API and can be > adjusted > > >with themes (GTK, GTK+) and some are object-oriented C++ based APIs (QT). > > >They all basically do the same thing, provide > functions/objects/structures to > > >the application to draw typical GUI widgets, and send draw requests to > the X > > >server. Here's the hairy part, each toolkit has its own look and feel, > has > > >its own API, has its own conventions, and basically has its own > everything. > > > > > >There's also the seperate window manager, which is simply another X > client > > >which registers a few special functions with the X server so it can get > the > > >location and owner of each window and add decorations and task switching > > >behavior. Some (most) window managers do more than this, but they all do > at > > >least this. > > > > > >Windows, on the other had, has the equivalent of the toolkit library and > > >window manager built into the kernel (sort of) and most applications > either > > >use that, or a custom one that is very similar to it. > > > > > >I'm sure this is incomplete, but I've already been wracking my brain for > an > > >hour over it, so I'll close here, feel free to ask questions or tell me > about > > >parts that are unclear. > > > > Good to see you on this list. I wonder if there are some folks > > > out there > > > > familiar with XWindows to share the kind of navigation that goes on > with > > > > it? I have no idea. Is it the same icons and rdio buttons and all of > > > > tht? How is it different than windows and how much more easy would > access > > > > be to develop in the XWindows environment? These are important > questions > > > > to your point I imagine. > > > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > > >Speakup mailing list > > >Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > >http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Speakup mailing list > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Speakup mailing list > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > >
