[Accessibility] Can you join an FSGA Call next week?

[Ian Murdock]

Ok, I have it on my calendar. Could you send call in details etc.? -ian

On 10/25/06, Janina Sajka <janina at freestandards.org> wrote:
> Thanks, Ian. We would like to ask you to join us on our next regular
> FSGA Telecon, which is next Wednesday, November 1, at 14:00 EST / 13:00
> CST. Please feel free to invite anyone else in LSB who should perhaps be
> part of our conversation.
>
> During our call today the FSGA approved Bill's draft statement (below)
> as sufficient to explain our notions of how libspi can become an FSGA
> standard in support of accessibility. So, we now have a draft document
> that can help move the discussion forward, we think. Please feel free to
> share with LSB.
>
> Janina
>
> Ian Murdock writes:
> > Sorry, I forgot to respond to Janina's message. I'm at the FSG Printing
> > Summit today, so I can't do the call today, but I'd be happy
> > to join the next one (or to set up a call to specifically discuss this).
> >
> > Sorry again,
> >
> > -ian
> >
> > On 10/25/06, Bill Haneman <Bill.Haneman at sun.com> wrote:
> > >Attached, my "page" in its current state.
> > >
> > >Bill
> > >
> > >
> > >GOALS for LSB/FSG standardization of AT-SPI interface for a11y
> > >
> > >BACKGROUND:
> > >The "Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface", or AT-SPI, defines
> > >a set of client-server interfaces by which assistive technologies can:
> > >(a) access information about running applications via query,
> > >(b) receive notification of changes to the state of those applications and
> > >the component parts of their         (usually graphical) interfaces, and
> > >(c) interact with those running applications and with the desktop I/O
> > >system on behalf of the user.
> > >
> > >Assistive (or Adaptive) Technologies provide supplemental or replacement
> > >interface modalities for users who cannot use the computer most
> > >effectively via the standard user interfaces (both hardware and software).
> > >
> > >By its nature, AT-SPI is cross-process, requiring RPC/IPC (remote
> > >procedure calls/interprocess communication).  The version of AT-SPI
> > >available at present uses CORBA as its wire protocol, and the native
> > >client and server ABIs are defined by the application of the CORBA
> > >specification to interfaces defined via AT-SPI's Interface Definition
> > >Language (IDL).  The Object Management Group (OMG's) CORBA specification
> > >defines a standard set of bindings for multiple languages such as C, C++,
> > >Java, and Python.
> > >
> > >However, CORBA as a technology is relatively unloved in the desktop space.
> > >It has few supporters within the Gnome developer community, where it is
> > >widely considered deprecated; and its adoption has historically been
> > >actively opposed within the KDE community.  Another IPC technology has
> > >been developed with input from both Gnome and KDE, and is known as D-BUS.
> > >
> > >While D-BUS is not yet a drop-in replacement for our CORBA technology,
> > >there is motivation for migrating AT-SPI to it in the future, or for
> > >providing a D-BUS workalike which exports interfaces which are API
> > >compatible (though not ABI compatible).
> > >
> > >Unlike many FSG standards, AT-SPI is of limited use without complete
> > >interoperability.  Whereas most LSB ABIs provide client applications what
> > >they need simply by being available on the platform, AT-SPI is only of
> > >value to its clients if it is implemented, as a service, by a significant
> > >proportion of the platform's other applications.
> > >
> > >OUR PROPOSAL
> > >
> > >In face-to-face meetings of the FSG Accessibility Workgroup, and in
> > >follow-on discussions, our plan of record for allowing AT-SPI to enter an
> > >FSG standardization process has been as follows:
> > >1) We wish to make the IDL-defined interfaces in AT-SPI the normative part
> > >of the interface.  These IDL files define interface names, methods,
> > >parameter types, and, where feasible, semantics.
> > >2) Recognizing that interfaces can only meaningfully be standardized if
> > >they can be validated, we intend to conformance test against specific ABIs
> > >derivative of the IDL.  However, knowing that the presently existing ABI
> > >introduces dependencies which are not in the long-term interests of
> > >interoperability and cooperation, we wish to propose to explicitly plan
> > >for other, parallel, conformance tests with alternate ABIs in the future.
> > >
> > >Our goal is for future platforms to be able to conform to our AT-SPI spec
> > >without requiring that they be ABI-compatible with the existing
> > >implementation.  This is of course a weaker guarantee than what LSB
> > >normally gives, but realistically we anticipate that since we will want to
> > >define an acceptance process for alternate ABIs, the number of such ABIs
> > >in existance will be small, and clients will at most need to re-compile
> > >some fraction of code for compatibility.  In fact virtually all of the
> > >current clients of AT-SPI access it either via Python bindings (which can
> > >be imported at runtime from different ABIs in a client-transparent way),
> > >or via a set of C wrappers called "cspi" (which for technical reasons we
> > >do not wish to propose as our ABI); this means that in practice a client
> > >may only need to re-link or import a different symbol set in order to run
> > >in either ABI environment.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Ian Murdock
> > 317-863-2590
> > http://ianmurdock.com/
> >
> > "Don't look back--something might be gaining on you." --Satchel Paige
>
> --
>
> Janina Sajka                            Phone: +1.202.595.7777
> Partner, Capital Accessibility LLC      http://CapitalAccessibility.Com
>
> Marketing the Owasys 22C talking screenless cell phone in the U.S. and Canada--Go to http://ScreenlessPhone.Com to learn more.
>
> Chair, Accessibility Workgroup          Free Standards Group (FSG)
> janina at freestandards.org                http://a11y.org
>


-- 
Ian Murdock
317-863-2590
http://ianmurdock.com/

"Don't look back--something might be gaining on you." --Satchel Paige