Re: Another idea for Magnification

[JGJones <mailinglist gwallgofi com>]

Sound like you've used the basic zoom plugin - which is a bit rubbish to be blunt...as it only zoom into a specific area of desktop but doesn't move.

There are two plugins that's to do with magnification:

Advanced Desktop Zoom - like Desktop Zoom, but does move around with the mouse. However you see a part of the screen and so you'll have to move the mouse around to see more.

Magnifitor (this seem to be new as I had just upgraded to Ubuntu Hardy Heron and this shows up as an option now) - what this does is very similar to what someone mentioned earlier - compared to Windows' magnifior tool - once enabled, it shows a configuable window which moves with cursor around the screen. Inside this window (it have a black border around it) everything is magnified. Hope this description is clear - it's not like Windows in showing a fixed window at top of screen etc.

On Tue, 2008-03-11 at 16:21 -0400, Richard Powell wrote:
> All,
>
> I essentially have two problems using Compiz-Fusion.  First, it doesn't 
> seem to recognize my keyboard/mouse of choice, i.e. it does recognize 
> some of my other keyboard/mice.  I use a KVM setup so I use a single 
> keyboard and mouse and have spent a lot of time and money finding the 
> one that works best for me.  I really don't want to have to change if 
> possible.  Second, the "Desktop Zoom" feature is "static".  In other 
> words, it zooms in on a fixed, i.e. static,  area.  In trying to read 
> text on a screen I need it to dynamically move as I scan the text.  It's 
> great in what it does but it does not lend itself to reading.
>
> Richard Powell
>
> JGJones wrote:
> > Just wondering...
> >
> > How is the Compiz's Zoom function for you? - I've mapped it to use the 
> > <Super> (Win) key and so while I press the Windows key, and then 
> > scroll the mouse wheel up - it'll zoom into around the cursor smoothly 
> > as much as you want and the screen moves around with the cursor.
> >
> > You can zoom in and out as much as you wish anytime by pressing the 
> > assigned key and moving mousewheel up and down - this is actually the 
> > same as to how OSX does their zoom function.
> >
> > Obviously your suggestion is ideal for someone that can't use Compiz 
> > for any reason though.
> >
> > BUT the reason I suggest Compiz was that you could make use of extra 
> > features to help make things easier to see...for example I notice 
> > there's a Negative plugin (reverse colours on screen) which could help 
> > make things clear when it's needed etc and finally another plugin 
> > called ADD Helper - the purpose of this tool is to dim all other 
> > windows in the background so that the active window you are working on 
> > is the only one that's "lit up" and all others behind is dimmed. 
> > Switch to another window and that lights up and the previous will dim.
> >
> > Am aware that Compiz is not Gnome...but a lot of function could make 
> > use of Compiz if supported no?
> >
> > Richard Powell wrote:
> >> All,
> >>
> >> I've been using GNOME for almost 10 years now.  In 2003 I became 
> >> legally blind (visually impaired).  Since that time I have had to use 
> >> a combination of tricks to allow me to see the screen well enough to 
> >> use it.  These "tricks" have included low resolution display setting, 
> >> large monitors, extremely large font sizing and the use of a hand 
> >> held magnifier.
> >>
> >> I've read through some of the discussions on this mailing list and it 
> >> looks like the team members have some ambitious goals.  I truly hope 
> >> that these goals can and will be met.  However, as a visually 
> >> impaired GNOME user I know what would make GNOME much easier to use 
> >> that I don't believe is nearly as ambitious.  Microsoft introduced a 
> >> feature with their mice a few years back that has solved my problem 
> >> entirely on a Windows machine (which ironically is not as easy to 
> >> setup for the visually impaired as GNOME).  It's called "Magnify".  
> >> Unlike Logitech's "Zoom" feature, which is little more than a button 
> >> mapping to the text sizing function of applications such as Mozilla, 
> >> "Magnify" actually pops up a magnification window around that mouse 
> >> cursor.  This window can be adjusted for size and magnification level 
> >> by simple mouse controls.  What this does for me and the other people 
> >> that I have introduced to this, is it allows me to not have to change 
> >> all my display and font settings and more importantly I no longer 
> >> have to hold a magnifier in one hand while trying to use the computer 
> >> with my other hand.
> >>
> >> I'm not sure what the effort level would be for this kind of task.  I 
> >> do know however that this feature has been the most useful feature to 
> >> me (as a visually impaired person) since the introduction of the 
> >> mouse itself.  This may be a simpler solution that would solve the 
> >> same issues that you are currently wrestling with.  It's application 
> >> independent and it's extremely flexible to the user.
> >>
> >> Richard Powell
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