Re: [orca-list] Orca with the Skype Public API

[Michael Whapples <mwhapples aim com>]

Without trying to drag this topic on longer, without progressing it,
here are some thoughts.

Skype took the decission to have skype closed source and not to make the
communication protocol public, so limiting what outsiders can do to
improve the software. As this was their decission I feel they should
take some action. I know that cross platform GUI toolkits don't offer
accessibility, but they could consider an approach like openoffice which
uses the java accessibility api on platforms where native accessibility
isn't available/possible.

As has been pointed out, there are other voip systems which are
accessible on linux. Some might say skype is better (I won't say as I
don't really know about which has the best quality, etc), but if you are
planning to change to another operating system you should be prepared to
learn new apps as all the windows ones won't be available. Also if you
really feel there are some windows apps you can't live without, you can
always set your system up as dual boot or set up a virtual machine with
windows, so you can load windows for those apps.

Returning to the original question of using the skype public api. I
don't know enough of what can be done with it, but I feel it might not
be the best way forward for the main orca developers to spend their time
on. Reasons being:
They will be only adding support for one app, and that support might be
limited and not feel like a native app. Windows screen readers might use
the public api of skype, but are they using some of the MSAA information
(I think QT would be providing some MSAA information) to achieve some of
what they do?
QT are making accessibility information available through dbus, and if
at-spi is changed to support dbus, this won't just add support for
skype, but will make most qt apps accessible.
If orca were to use the skype public api, this would only make skype
accessible to a small number of users, none of the other accessibility
tools would be able to use the work put into making it useable with
orca. If at-spi could use the information QT is putting to dbus, then
all other accessibility technologies using at-spi would find qt apps are
accessible as well.

I hope from this people understand my view, its not that I say to
everyone don't use skype, but rather that at the moment there are
possibly more important matters for further development of accessibility
on linux, and that the skype team should take the responsibilities which
go with their decission for the licensing/availability of their software
and make some way that ATs on platforms without native access to it can
gain access.

From
Michael Whapples
On Fri, 2008-01-18 at 09:04 -0600, Bryen wrote:
> I don't see it as a question of judgement.    I see what Janina said as
> a balance of resources.   Skype has paid staff dedicated to the
> development of their own resources.   Wouldn't it be better to directly
> communicate with Skype and express your concerns that they are not
> behaving accessibly?