Topic by jbannick 2007-09-16 17:50:47

  • From: Salem, Massachusetts
  • Registered: 2007-09-03
  • Posts: 131

Game Developers and Gamers,

The Java Access Bridge consists of DLLs that make ZoomText, JAWS, and Supernova work with games, and other apps, written in Java.

Peter Korn at Sun wrote the Java Access Bridge. He just responded to a blind coder who asked about it.
It's the best tech description you can get. Here is the most useful part:

Start Quote:

Hmmm... It has been a while since I was writing that text.  Here's the
basic summary:  with the Java Access Bridge for Windows, the entire Java
Accessibility API is exposed outside of the Java Runtime/VM as a Windows
DLL, which Windows AT products can use to provide rich access to Java
applications.  At this time JAWS, ZoomText, and Supernova make use of
this API in their software to provide access to Java applications that
utilize the Java Accessibility API.


If a Java application doesn't use that API, or doesn't use it everywhere
(e.g. uses Swing for the menus and toolbars, but does their own thing
for the content region and fails to implement the Java Accessibility API
in that content region), there will be access problems.  Likewise, if an
AT doesn't make full use of the API, there may be less than full support
there.

End Quote.

I have his full eMail if anyone is interested.

John Bannick
7-128 Software

jbannick's Website

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Reply by Munawar 2007-09-17 11:40:21

  • From: US
  • Registered: 2005-03-07
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Hello,
I assume your message is based around the theory that with the Java Access Bridge, games that are written in Java can be made accessible; this may be true. However, I have used the Access Bridge extensively for a programming course in which we were required to build a GUI, and while I found that JAWS works quite well with the Javax.Swing package that allows one to build GUIs, the only games I see possible are card games and games along those lines where the program runs strictly according to events (viz. press the Select button to get a card from the deck.) Many Java games do much more than this, which would place them in the graphical world as far as blind gamers are concerned.
Munawar

Download the Time Zoner NVDA add-on for announcing the time in different timezones
Download Three-D-Velocity and Treasure Hunt from my Github

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Reply by cx2 2007-09-17 18:21:01

  • cx2
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See the topic on making Megamek accessible, that is Java and they are working towards accessibility.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

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Reply by Munawar 2007-09-18 01:11:07

  • From: US
  • Registered: 2005-03-07
  • Posts: 1,182
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Hello,
Yes that is quite interesting. I skipped over the thread and haven't paid much attention to it because its title didn't grab my interest. Thanks for pointing it out. I'm interested to see how it turns out.
Munawar

Download the Time Zoner NVDA add-on for announcing the time in different timezones
Download Three-D-Velocity and Treasure Hunt from my Github

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Reply by jbannick 2007-09-18 02:10:01

  • From: Salem, Massachusetts
  • Registered: 2007-09-03
  • Posts: 131

Munawar,

Actually, Java and the Java Access Bridge are quite capable tools for any kind of accessible games, or other apps.

I've been coding Java professionally for 10 years and coding Swing since it was in Beta.

Our company is currently shipping 14 blind accessible games, including mystery games, puzzle games, and word games, all written in Java, all using the Java Access Bridge.

That being said, you are absolutely correct that card games and other purely deterministic games can be written in Java Swing.

Given the Java Free Text To Speech API, one could do away entirely with the Java Access Bridge. However, my blind friends here in Boston say they'll string me up if we abandon JAWS.

The sad truth is that commercial companies express zero interest in making their products accessible, no matter the coding language.  In fact, they express almost no interest in making their graphical user interfaces useable.

John Bannick
7-128 Software

jbannick's Website

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Reply by cx2 2007-09-18 03:46:23

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I've long held a belief that making as many apps as possible use the operating system standards would benefit everyone, since the sighted would gain familiarity across applications and throughout Windows too. Sadly it would appear companies are too caught up in their fancy graphical UIs to realise this, and average consumers are often caught more by fancy colourful UIs too even when they know next to nothing about the app itself.

cx2
-----
To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

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