Re: Trying to get started
Hi. I think that ubuntu 11.04 is not the better choice. First there is the problem related to the CapsLock ke. Yes, it is a bug. Ubuntu 11.04 uses unity as the default interface and I think that there are problems regarding accessibility. In myopinion you should try ubuntu 10.10 or try vinux, http://vinuxproject.org/. On 08/03/2011 11:10 AM, Antony Stone wrote: Hi. I'm trying to get a machine set up with a recent version of Orca for a blind friend. We've been advised that Ubuntu is currently the best distribution to choose for getting an up-to-date version (ie: with as many features, and working as well as possible). 1. First question - is this correct, or should we be doing something else to get the most functional version of Orca possible? We're using a Braille display (ie: we prefer not to use speech), which is supported by BRLTTY (it's a Papenmeier Compact 40-cell display). Things seem to be difficult to get going in a reliable way, though: I have installed Ubuntu 11.04 as standard (ie: I did not select a Braille display or any other accessible features to do the actual installation - I am sighted). After installing, I logged in under my friend's username, and selected Accessibility Features on Login, made sure Orca was selected, and told Orca we wanted Braille. I also selected password confirmations as normal dialogue boxes, so that these should work on the Braille display. The first problem we encounter is how to log in. We start the machine, I can see the GRUB menu (my friend can't, so blind dual-boot still appears to be not an option), the machine starts up X, and a login dialogue box appears. The Braille display says Screen not in text mode - the login prompt is not shown. 2. Second question - how do we get the login prompt shown on the Braille display so that my friend can log in quietly? As a workaround I recorded an audio clip of Please enter username, return; password, return and set this as the System ready sound (I spent some time setting it up as the login sound, only to find that this is played *after* the user logs in, not at the prompt telling them to log in...). So, my friend now knows when to enter her username and password, and can log in. Orca starts up, with speech, and announces that it is running and the Preferences button is active. Nothing appears on the Braille display (except Screen not in text mode from when X started while BRLTTY was already running). I have to restart BRLTTY, and then also restart Orca, for the Braille display to become functional. 3. Third question - what have we misconfigured here, which stops Orca from showing Braille as soon as it starts up? (We can hear the standard BRLTTY startup bleep, and we see Screen not in text mode, so we know BRLTTY is running and driving the Braille display correctly). Having restarted things for my friend, she can now start navigating the menus, and I've been helping her by reading the Orca / Gnome documentation at http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/2.32/gnome-access-guide.html This tells us we can use Alt-F1 to get to the Applications menu; this works. It doesn't appear to tell us how to get to the Status bar menu which I can see in the top right corner of the screen - the one with icons for wireless networking, volume control, and particularly important, the shutdown / logout / restart menu button (the one which to a sighted user looks like a power switch icon). 4. Fourth question - is this the correct documentation we should be using for the keyboard navigation keys, and how do we get to the logout / shutdown menu without the mouse working? Oh, yes, while I'm thinking about the mouse, the computer we're using has a touchpad, which of course does all sorts of undesirable things when randomly touched by a blind person typing. Since I'm a fairly advanced Linux user, I set up sudoers to allow my friend's user ID to run rmmod without a password, and then put sudo rmmod psmouse into the list of applications to run at login time for her username - however this seems rather advanced for an average blind user; is there some more standard way of saying disable the touchpad when Iog in? Getting back to Orca, I've selected the laptop keyboard layout, therefore CapsLock is the Orca Modifier key. CapsLock-S disables or enables speech, as expected. It also leaves CapsLock turned on after pressing it (or off if it was on beforehand) - in other words, CapsLock is still acting as the standard toggle, it isn't being fully captured by Orca, even though on an older version of Orca (whatever came with Debian Lenny, I can't recall the version number) the CapsLock key worked correctly as an Orca Modifier, and did not leave CapsLock turned on after you had used some Orca function. 5. Fifth question - is this a known bug, or something we've misconfigured?
Re: Trying to get started
On Wednesday 03 Aug 2011 15:41:05 José Vilmar Estácio de Souza wrote: Hi. I think that ubuntu 11.04 is not the better choice. First there is the problem related to the CapsLock ke. Yes, it is a bug. Aha, good to know. Ubuntu 11.04 uses unity as the default interface and I think that there are problems regarding accessibility. Is this something which can be changed in Ubuntu? You say it is the default interface, which suggests to me that we could use a different one if we wished? In myopinion you should try ubuntu 10.10 or try vinux, http://vinuxproject.org/. Thanks - does 10.10 have a similarly up-to-date version of Orca (which we have been told is very important for getting the best functionality - older versions are distinctly lacking in working features)? Regards, Antony. -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
Re: Trying to get started
Hi. If you install ubuntu 11.04 with the accessibility profile enabled, the classic gnome interface will be configured as the default. To enable the accessibility profile you need to press the f5 key in some part of the boot. I don't remember exactly in which part, but I think that is after choose the language. Actually I am using ubuntu 10.10 with orca from git repository. One reason to not use 11.04 is the problem of the CapsLock key. It is very simple to install orca from the git repository. On 08/03/2011 12:56 PM, Antony Stone wrote: On Wednesday 03 Aug 2011 15:41:05 José Vilmar Estácio de Souza wrote: Hi. I think that ubuntu 11.04 is not the better choice. First there is the problem related to the CapsLock ke. Yes, it is a bug. Aha, good to know. Ubuntu 11.04 uses unity as the default interface and I think that there are problems regarding accessibility. Is this something which can be changed in Ubuntu? You say it is the default interface, which suggests to me that we could use a different one if we wished? In myopinion you should try ubuntu 10.10 or try vinux, http://vinuxproject.org/. Thanks - does 10.10 have a similarly up-to-date version of Orca (which we have been told is very important for getting the best functionality - older versions are distinctly lacking in working features)? Regards, Antony. -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
Re: Trying to get started
On Wednesday 03 Aug 2011 17:23:05 José Vilmar Estácio de Souza wrote: Hi. If you install ubuntu 11.04 with the accessibility profile enabled, the classic gnome interface will be configured as the default. To enable the accessibility profile you need to press the f5 key in some part of the boot. I don't remember exactly in which part, but I think that is after choose the language. Okay, that's very good to know, however I think I prefer to avoid the CapsLock bug :) Actually I am using ubuntu 10.10 with orca from git repository. One reason to not use 11.04 is the problem of the CapsLock key. It is very simple to install orca from the git repository. Thanks - presumably you install with accessibility options selected, and then build/install Orca from the Git source to bring it up to date? One final question - have I got the best-available documentation for keyboard commands, to be able to navigate around the Gnome desktop, control applications etc? I'm using http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/2.32/gnome-access-guide.html Thanks for the help :) Antony. -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
Re: Trying to get started
Hi. One thing that you can do to avoid the CapsLock bug is to use an external usb keypad. It is not very expensive and works quite well. You're correct. I installed using orca presente in the CD and after the installation I built orca from source downloaded directly from the repository. Regarding the documentation, I think that you weren't in the ideal place because the interface configured was the unity. Since you will install ubuntu 10.10 or a similar, I think the link that you have is a good place. Forgive my bad english! On 08/03/2011 01:37 PM, Antony Stone wrote: On Wednesday 03 Aug 2011 17:23:05 José Vilmar Estácio de Souza wrote: Hi. If you install ubuntu 11.04 with the accessibility profile enabled, the classic gnome interface will be configured as the default. To enable the accessibility profile you need to press the f5 key in some part of the boot. I don't remember exactly in which part, but I think that is after choose the language. Okay, that's very good to know, however I think I prefer to avoid the CapsLock bug :) Actually I am using ubuntu 10.10 with orca from git repository. One reason to not use 11.04 is the problem of the CapsLock key. It is very simple to install orca from the git repository. Thanks - presumably you install with accessibility options selected, and then build/install Orca from the Git source to bring it up to date? One final question - have I got the best-available documentation for keyboard commands, to be able to navigate around the Gnome desktop, control applications etc? I'm using http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/2.32/gnome-access-guide.html Thanks for the help :) Antony. -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
