Re: [orca-list] my thoughts/decisions about orca

[hackingKK <hackingkk gmail com>]

On 05/12/11 16:29, Michael Whapples wrote:
> Hello,
> As you raised the topic, I will give some of my thoughts.
>
> I have to agree that for a system where one wants to focus on using it 
> for email, internet and office type work (word processing and 
> spreadsheet) then orca and gnome are just not cutting it now. Possibly 
> the office type part is the bit I can say least on, if I use 
> libreoffice it normally is either because I am dealing with a word 
> document someone has sent me or its a very basic document or I know 
> that a word document is desired (eg. the Open University specify that 
> assignments should be submitted as word or RTF), for anything more 
> complicated I know LaTeX and so may resort to that. 


For word processing I any time prefer LaTeX so I don't think I would 
ever use a word processor for any serious work (and for the kind of work 
I do with word processor, Orca is just perfect).
My main issue with office apps is with spreadsheet.
Orca not announcing the range selection is one of the problems a 
professional blind user would get irritated with.
I see that formulas etc are doing well, but reading charts, and other 
such things is still an issue.
> The main issues I have revolve round the Mozilla products (thunderbird 
> and firefox) and the unfortunate situation that we are currently held 
> hostage to using these gnome. Many of you probably know from previous 
> messages about my gripes with Mozilla based products, interestingly 
> though flat review is possibly not the thing I would highlight 
> although it sometimes is in firefox. I know webkit support is in 
> development, however it still has a bit to go and it doesn't solve the 
> email problem.
I feel firefox is good in most situation with Orca (probably its too 
specific for people like me), But still I feel that in many situations 
Orca is either sluggish or does not respond at all.
In many cases it is an ff issue, for example the bug about backspace not 
reading deleted characters is some thing that mozila accessibility fokes 
must look at.
Thunderbird has its own issues when you want to read another email.
I hear that qt is coming up nicely, although I will be very glad if some 
one updates me how the kde accessibility is coming up?


> Then there are possibly the more general platform issues, some of the 
> bugs which have come in since gnome 3, eg. the problem with new 
> windows not having the focused control shown by orca until a focus 
> changed event happens (actually I am not sure if its focus changed 
> because just going into the menu does not seem to resolve it). Some of 
> these are small but just add to a general feeling of clumbsiness when 
> using the system. Then there are non-accessibility issues such as the 
> push to pulseaudio which just tends to make me feel like I am fighting 
> the system to get something which is workable and is particularly a 
> problem when I want to have sound both from gnome and when I am in a 
> text console with speakup, which probably is very likely due to my 
> feelings about thunderbird and the only other viable alternatives for 
> email seeming to be text based clients.
No, I think it is still a good situation, just that the scope is huge 
for more development and to say that we are highly compelling when it 
comes to accessibility on desktop with GNU/Linux we have a long way to go.
I use GNU/Linux exclusively and rarely face the problems, although I 
won't say that it applies to all.


> I know the above sounds very negative, it has been a bit hard to say 
> as in the past I have been very keen on Linux and was actively 
> choosing it over some of the alternatives.
>
> I will finish by saying, there are certainly some uses where Linux may 
> be the right choice, however for core desktop activities I feel not.

I think if kde accessibility is doing well, and webkit is improving, we 
can bare with some trouble for some days.
I use a lot of work-arounds with Orca where ever I can, but again they 
are seldum needed because of the kind of work I do.
And yes, I stay with some thing that is stable.  I still use Ubuntu 1010 
(actually vinux built on the said version).
Happy hacking.
Krishnakant.