Re: Mozilla draft press release: Deadline for input Friday 16:00 UTC

[Willie Walker <William Walker Sun COM>]

Hi Joe:

Thanks!  My comments are in line.

> Mozilla Sponsors GNOME Accessibility Efforts
> 
> BOSTON, Mass -- January 19, 2020 -- The GNOME Foundation is happy to

2010

> announce a substantial donation from the Mozilla Corporation to
> benefit the GNOME Project's accessibility efforts. The donation will
> help continue the collaborative efforts between GNOME and Mozilla on
> Accessibility.
> 
> The Mozilla Corporation is granting the GNOME Foundation $10,000 for
> 2010. The funds will be used in part to send GNOME developers to the
> CSUN Conference. CSUN is one of the premier technology conferences for

...send GNOME developers to the 25th Annual International CSUN Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference.  The CSUN Conference is...

> people with disabilities, and by funding an accessibility hackfest at
> the conference can ensure a diverse group of GNOME developers are
> immersed in the accessibility space.

...people with disabilities.  By holding a GNOME accessibility hackfest at the conference, GNOME can ensure a diverse group of GNOME developers are immersed in the accessibility space with direct hands-on interaction with end users....

> "The direct impact of the Mozilla funding has allowed GNOME to add
> Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) support to the Orca
> screen reader and other accessibility enhancements in GNOME," said
> William Walker of the GNOME Accessibility Team. "All these helped make
> GNOME/Orca a compelling free alternative to commercial products for
> the visually impaired. As a result, we're seeing users around the
> world using GNOME as their every day solution."

Instead of GNOME/Orca, maybe "GNOME/Firefox".  Just something to give some nod/focus to Mozilla in there.  In addition, I am a bit kookie with my name -- in print, I prefer "Willie Walker" just because it's easier for people to remember (they think Willie Wonka).

> GNOME has had great success integrating internationalization (i18n)
> into the core platform, as a part of shared responsibility for all
> developers. Accessibility is also taking its place as a core value of
> the platform. Sending GNOME developers to CSUN will help to ensure
> that developers working on all areas of GNOME are well-educated on
> accessibility issues and continue to build accessibility features and
> functions into GNOME rather than "bolted-on" features.

We need to better draw the analogy between i18n and a11y.  The main analogy is that just as GNOME developers have made i18n a core value, GNOME developers are making a11y a core value.  So, just as we have an l10n team for translation, we have an accessibility team for assistive technology support.  But, just as all developers do i18n, all GNOME developers work on a11y.

> "As the leading free software desktop, the GNOME Project's work is
> particularly important to Mozilla," said Frank Hecker of Mozilla
> Corporation. "The work so far has improved accessibility not only for
> Firefox, but the entire GNOME platform."

We need to get the MoFo vs. MoCo thing right.  If I recall, Frank is with MoFo, but we need to make sure we attribute things correctly.  It may not seem like much to us, but I believe it is important. In looking at Frank's bio, he's listed as the Director of Grants and Programs with the Mozilla Foundation.  His bio also seems to indicate he's moved on -- http://hecker.org/info/bio -- I wasn't aware of this!

Stormy - are the monies coming from MoCo or MoFo?

> The GNOME Foundation and Mozilla are committed to open source, open
> standards, and open formats. Both organizations and their contributors
> contribute to numerous projects to ensure an open Web and open desktop
> platform for all users. Part of that effort is working hard to ensure
> users with physical disabilities are able to make use of a free
> desktop and Web browser.
> 
> About GNOME and the GNOME Foundation
> 
> GNOME is a free-software project whose goal is to develop a complete,
> accessible and easy to use desktop for Linux and Unix-based operating
> systems. GNOME also includes a complete development environment to
> create new applications. It is released twice a year on a regular
> schedule.
> 
> The GNOME desktop is used by millions of people around the world.
> GNOME is a standard part of all leading GNU/Linux and Unix
> distributions, and is popular with both large existing corporate
> deployments and millions of small business and home users worldwide.
> 
> Composed of hundreds of volunteer developers and industry-leading
> companies, the GNOME Foundation is an organization committed to
> supporting the advancement of GNOME. The Foundation is a member
> directed, non-profit organization that provides financial,
> organizational and legal support to the GNOME project and helps
> determine its vision and roadmap.
> 
> More information about GNOME and the GNOME Foundation can be found at
> www.gnome.org and foundation.gnome.org.

Thanks!

Will