RE: [libreoffice-accessibility] IAccessible2 / LibreOffice / OpenOffice.org

PS: I have an accessibility question.  I use an e-mail client that sends paragraphs as single 
streams of text.  I believe the assumption is that an e-mail reader will provide line wrap, 
magnification, and text-to-speech in whatever word flow that works.  Others on e-mail lists here 
object to the way text flow works in my e-mails and ask that text be broken up into short lines 
with hard line breaks.  I don't like that idea myself.  And if it made plaintext e-mail more 
accessible, that would convince me to do it anyhow.  Does anyone have advice on which works better 
in an accessibility-support situation?

OK, now a long message about IAccessible2 and what is happening with respect to Apache OOo:

Another place to look for IAccessible2 code is in the separate CWS (Child Work Spaces) of 
OpenOffice.org.  This is where features are often developed before they are ready to bring back 
into the main development.  You can see all of the repositories at 
<http://hg.services.openoffice.org/>.

You can browse them from the web, but it is all code.

It looks like cws/accfixes2, cws/accfixes3, cws/accia2bridge (very promising), and cws/accstuff are 
where anything is.  They all belong to Malte, also.

Other than that, I would ask Malte Timmerman.  Try malte@apache.org

On 2011-07-13 Rob Weir announced that some code from Symphony would also be contributed to the 
Apache OOo project.  In that announcement, Rob mentioned that there is later IAccessible2 work in 
Symphony, suggesting it would work better to rely on that improved version.  The contribution has 
not happened yet.  The current focus on the Apache Podling is cutover of the Oracle-licensed code 
and migration of the OpenOffice.org site and services.  My impression is that accepting more 
contribution will likely follow  development activity for OpenOffice distributions getting back on 
its feet at Apache.  The effort to accomplish that is just beginning now.

Another place to follow this activity and ask more questions is the freshly-minted 
ooo-users@incubator.apache.org list.  It is much quieter than the ooo-dev@i.a.o list.  To
subscribe, send an e-mail to ooo-users-subscribe@inclubator.apache.org from the e-mail address you 
want to receive list messages from.  Then follow the instructions sent in reply to confirm your 
subscription.

There is no separate accessibility list for the Apache OOo project.  I advise staying on 
LibreOffice lists as well as any @openoffice.org lists that you may already be on.  

It is important to remember that, especially now, all development on OpenOffice.org is by 
volunteers, and volunteers work on what volunteers work on.  Even if some of the volunteers are 
supported by their employers, for Apache they are still volunteers and the Apache OOo project 
cannot instruct volunteers on what there is to work on.  The project can identify opportunities and 
arrange a roadmap, but how that road is ultimately paved is up to the efforts of volunteers.  

One thing that is useful: If the Apache OOo effort does produce an improved accessibility 
integration, it will likely be adaptable into LibreOffice.  It may not be without effort, but could 
be much less painful than having to do it over again from scratch.  I am certain that the Apache 
OOo project will be quite willing to accept suggestions and discuss approaches with the LibreOffice 
team and any other team.  

The early learning-curve part of an effort like this always seems painfully slow.  January will 
look much different than September.  May will be different yet.

 - Dennis



-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Chaltain [mailto:chaltain@gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 19:47
To: accessibility@global.libreoffice.org
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-accessibility] IAccessible2 / LibreOffice / OpenOffice.org

I haven't looked into this issue as much as others, but what's left here
for IBM to do? It sounds like they've already donated the code. BTW, who
in IBM did you contact? I used to know some of the guys working on
accessibility inside IBM.

On 08/09/11 12:25, Kevin Cussick wrote:
> Hello,
>
> All read and understood.
>
> Thanks for your explanation,  I have to say it seems that oo and IBM are
> dragging there feet with this one.
>
> I have been in touch with malt Timmerman over the last year or so but I
> have not really gotten anywhere.
>
> I hope you will keep us vi users informed if you hear of ia2 support
> being added into the code.
>
> The reason that accessibility is not switched on by default in oo is
> that it does take a bit longer because the program has to shake hands
> with access bridge and window's.
>
> I am not a programer but I would like to have the program just work out
> of the box like sinthony does.
>
> This code has been around for quite some time now and for some reason it
> seems that oo does not seem to want to get on and put it into the program.
>
> The last time i asked about this on the oo list I was told that it will
> be ready when it's ready not very helpful.  I look forward to hearing
> good news in the near future P.S I use nvda for window's an open source
> screen reader I am sure you have heard of it but just in case you can
> check it out..
>
> On 08/09/2011 13:49, Christophe Strobbe wrote:
> > Hi Kevin, All,
> >
> > (I'm answering Kevin's question in a separate thread.)
> >
> > When I browsed the OpenOffice.org source code at
> > <http://incubator.apache.org/openofficeorg/source.html>, I found a lot
> > of Java Accessibility code but nothing that looked like IAccessible2
> > code (which should contain some names starting with IAccessible...).
> > Unless I looked in the wrong place, there is no IAccessible2 code that
> > can be reused by LibreOffice. I have asked where the IAccessible2 code
> > ended up on two mailing lists and contacted someone at IBM (i.e. the
> > person who seemed to have checked in most of the source code). I have
> > not received any answers, so I don't know what is going on. In my
> > opinion, this makes a rather strange impression, especially since IBM
> > reportedly donated that code to Oracle and an Oracle developer wrote in
> > June (on the Apache Incubator list) that he was quite sure it would find
> > its way to Apache OOo...
> >
> > I hope Oracle and/or IBM will soon clarify the situation. As long as it
> > remains unclear if the IAccessible2 code will be released or not,
> > LibreOffice cannot decide whether it should reuse the code or reinvent
> > that particular wheel.
> >
> > The LibreOffice bug about enabling AT support during the installation is
> > still open: <https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=39803>.
> >
> >
> > At 13:29 8-9-2011, Kevin Cussick wrote:
> > "(...) Can someone give a summary to how ia2 support is coming along? or
> > maybe not? i have heard it is now being worked on is this true? I would
> > like to be able to just download and install without going threw hoops
> > to get it working with the access bridge software. If ia2 is not being
> > worked on at the moment I think the accessibility switch should be on
> > buy default or if not during install you should be asked do you want
> > this switched on buy default? and do you want to install the access
> > bridge? this would be OK until such times the ia2 support that has been
> > in sinthony for a long time now makes its way into the current code with
> > thanks as always."
> >
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Christophe


-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain@gmail.com

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