HJ GeekSpeak
December 15, 1999
Introduction to HJ GeekSpeak
In my role as Development Manager at Henter-Joyce, I receive hundreds of
requests for information about the technology within JAWS for Windows. I�ve
also been asked many times to write about the product and the issues we will
face in the future. In order to best keep our users informed, I have
decided to start a technology centric newsletter called HJ GeekSpeak.
GeekSpeak will focus exclusively on the nerdy side of JFW. It will be used
to address both major and minor issues that are thought to be of interest to
our users. GeekSpeak will not follow any schedule and will be distributed
whenever I finish writing about a topic.
This edition will discuss the support we are adding for Java in JFW 3.5. I
have a number of topics in mind for the future of HJ GeekSpeak. I am, of
course, open to suggestions and I�m sure that none of you will be shy about
sending me topics of interest to you.
JFW and Java
JFW 3.5, the next major release of the world�s most powerful and popular
screen reading software, will support Sun Microsystems� Java Accessibility
Bridge. Applications written with the Java Swing classes will automatically
be supported by JFW.
I wanted to take this opportunity, with the premier edition of HJ GeekSpeak,
to tell our users what our support for Java does and does not mean. I will
also discuss some of the system requirements for using JFW with Java
applications. JFW 3.5 will include instructions for installing the
components from Sun that are required for using Java programs with JFW.
JFW 3.5 will provide access to programs written with the Sun Microsystems
Java Swing Classes. This requires the user to install the Bridge as well
as Sun�s Java Virtual Machine. No other Java VM will be supported in this
version of JFW.
JavaScript, a commonly used extension to html, is in no way (other than in
name) related to the Java programming language. Web developers use
JavaScript to dynamically change the html displayed on a web page. Wherever
possible, JFW will read the information changed by JavaScript.
Many older Java applets and stand-alone applications, probably representing
the majority of those currently available, were written with the AWT
classes. JFW 3.5 will not automatically support these programs. Programs
written with the Swing classes, the new standard from Sun Microsystems, will
work with the Accessibility Bridge and are expected to constitute the
majority of new Java based products.
As of this writing, there are over two hundred programs available that were
written with the Swing classes that should speak with JFW 3.5. For more
information on such programs and on the Java Accessibility project at Sun
Microsystems, follow the link at the bottom of this page.
Henter-Joyce has elected to support Java in JFW 3.5 primarily to ensure
compatibility with custom applications written in corporate settings. The
primary goal of JAWS, Job Access With Speech, has been to provide blind
users with the tools they need to perform in the workplace. Even with the
AccessBridge in place, a number of complicated tasks may need to be
performed to get a variety of files into specific locations on the user�s
hard disk and a number of entries need be made manually in path and registry
settings. The casual user may want to explore using Java programs but will
need to follow the instructions carefully to properly install all of the
components.
Programs written with Java 1.2 display no actual text on the screen. All
text, controls and other information displayed in these programs are
rendered as a graphic. The traditional JAWS cursor cannot be used with these
applications. To provide the information to JFW users, we have introduced a
new virtual cursor. The user can employ this Virtual Java Cursor to roam
around the application window but will hear the information in a logical,
rather than spatial manner. The Virtual Java Cursor gives access to all
elements in a Java program and the actual mouse cursor, drawn on the screen,
will move to the location being read by the Virtual Java Cursor.
Henter-Joyce is committed to providing increased accessibility to new
technologies as they emerge. The support for the Java Accessibility Bridge
is yet another in the series of exciting new products delivered by JAWS for
Windows.
A Link to Further Information:
http://java.sun.com/products/jfc/#access
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Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
