Hi Bruce:
I did some homework yesterday and found Mazilla had tried something along these
lines allowing folks to customize the actual browser but it seems they have
given it up.
The project was called Chromeless if I remember.
I think building a modern browser from scratch would be a daunting task since
it is not just a matter of html but css and the dynamics of java script and
other dynamic layout changes to the code that would happen after you have
downloaded the xml and original view of the code base.
For example, if a user was to mouse over a item that item might pop up more
selections without causing a form postback, some items that might just be text
would become links and all that jazz.
I think it would be more realistic to do something like either create a browser
using the standard browser control in Visual Studio and then use it's methods,
properties and xml operations to try and ensure as much accessibility as
possible. Otherwise something similar for working with a browser's objects,
properties and methods might offer a similar potential.
>From what I've seen so far building a modern browser from scratch would be
>pretty tough, perhaps doable to some extent but a big project.
It sounds like what you are doing is akin to parsing a page you download to
pull off objects of interest based on known tags which would work except for
the java stuff and dynamic stuff from something like Ajax controls and
client-side layout or functionallity changes.
Building a browser is a little diferent from processing a snapshot of a page at
a single point in time.
If I do anything along these lines I think I would either script an existing
browser or create a browser based on an existing model like the one offered in
Visual Studio and tweak it using the standard methods and properties exposed
via the development platform for the new browser.
If you have something else, find that working on a page the way you are doing,
has enough to do something like build a browser I will be listening to your
postings to see how far you get along that path. I dont know nearly enough
about all this to say whether or not it is feasible and am not currently doing
anything along these lines but rather keeping an eye out for my next major
project which this was something I was initially interested in - accessibility
of the web and mobile devices is of primary importance to blind people and not
really an option.
For most of us, including the screen reader developers, it should be job #1
after getting the operations of the OS reading.
Good luck with your project and keep posting up your experiences since you are
learning allot about programming and the internet and xml which is going to
someday be a real benefit to you when you start programming in other languages.
Rick USA
----- Original Message -----
From: LB
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 8:03 AM
Subject: Re: Building A Browser?
Hi Rick
I am actually working on this inside the Breaking News. I was going to
post last night my latest version but got tired and one missing thing on
websites was hidden behind some div tags.
What my program does is get a snap shot of text, or load the site and
split it into text and html for viewing the entire site text or run links
inside.
The one already on the app site 1.3 does run videos and such to a certain
degree and working on making that more universal.
I am getting side track from breaking news but missing text is needed for
breaking news.
there so many options out there in terms of what is being used. If you
don't follow standards then some things get messed up.
I have noticed old and new stuff on CNN Headlines and Fox News seems to
be more stable. But, I can run embedded video and such as long as they don't
hide them. Twitter and Youtube actually do work but time consuming when going
to the site when it is waiting for response and such there; the reason for a
long loading of a page. But I strip out ads.
So this partially is workable as long as you have voice and text on the
page.
Maybe I will upload what I had fixed yesterday since I got side track on
some text not showing up; which I believe is what Dennis was mentioning to me.
Bruce
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 3:29 AM
Subject: Building A Browser?
Has anyone ever considered or tried to build a really accessible and screen
reader integrated browser?
I am thinking of whether it could be done to eliminate some of the more
common accessibility problems like flash hangups, redirects and loading of
pictures, annimation and even those connections to facebook and other external
things like advertisements and stats behind the scene links, the problem of css
and java script defined or enabled objects etc...
Rick USA
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