Re: [orca-list] [Fwd: Default button of Orca]

[Al Sten-Clanton <albert e sten_clanton verizon net>]

I was at first opposed to the change, but you've made a good case for 
it.  If it's done right, including the several things you suggest, then 
the improvement for new users like I once was should more than offset 
any annoyance to users like I am now.

Al

On 4/21/2011 4:03 AM, Alan Bell wrote:
> On 20/04/11 23:13, Luke Yelavich wrote:
> > I support Alan's request to set the help button as the default button.
> > We can give new users instructions on how to access preferences when
> > orca starts, and all being well, the user should be able to navigate
> > help with arrow keys, assuming the distro has set up caret navigation
> > in yelp, and if not, then perhaps Orca should check this prior to
> > launching yelp, and enable it.
> >
> > Luke
> Hi all,
>
> I really appreciate the discussion around this little suggestion!
> Firstly, I totally agree with Joanmarie and others that making a
> downstream change of the default button in one distro would be a bad
> thing. This is just one really minor point in my overall objective of
> making Orca so easy that even a sighted person could use it. Right now
> on startup you are greeted with "Orca Screen Reader slash Magnifier
> frame, preferences button" if the user presses space or return they get
> to "Orca Preferences, General Page", which is a bad place to be if you
> have no idea how to use Orca or how to navigate the user interface.
> Pressing left and right moves between pages, pressing down ends up in
> the desktop/laptop radio button, then up/down/left/right just flip
> between desktop/laptop. The cancel button is 15 tab presses away.
>
> Making the help button the default (and changing / to & which is a
> separate issue) would mean the user is greeted with:
> "Orca Screen Reader & Magnifier frame, help button"
> from which point experienced users can press tab-space to get to the
> preferences window, but the new user can press space, return or still F1
> to get to the help, which makes it more discoverable.
>
> The next issue is making the help start with something helpful. The
> "Quick reference" section is at the right at the end, 22 tab presses
> away, and not particularly helpful. All the information is in there, but
> there are no up front instructions about useful keys to press to get
> started. All it needs is a paragraph at the top of the first page of
> help with something like:
>
> "The Orca screen reader provides an audio commentary of the desktop as
> you use it. There are a number of commands you can use to control Orca,
> many of these are accessed through the Orca modifier key which is Keypad
> 0 on a desktop keyboard or capslock if you have a laptop keyboard
> without a separate number pad. You can navigate through this help by
> pressing tab to move between links and return to follow a link."
>
> And then at the top of the list of links I would put stuff like:
> The "Learn" Modes - link
> WhereAmI - link
> Navigating the desktop with the keyboard - link
>
> I am not entirely joking when I talk about "making Orca so easy that
> even a sighted person could use it", I actually really want to enable
> use-cases such as a sighted person working on a computer without a
> monitor, perhaps a installing a headless server using nothing but a USB
> keyboard and headphones. Having people use Orca out of choice, or
> because they can't be bothered to plug in a monitor, might mean that
> more applications get tested by more people for readability and more
> developers spend more time thinking about arranging their applications
> user interface in a reader friendly sequence.
>
> Alan.
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