[libreoffice-accessibility] where's the accessibility?

[V Stuart Foote]

Tom,

Probably, I'm pretty certain this issue has actually been with us since the Java JRE 1.6 -> JRE 1.7 crossover. It impacts usability with AT because large segments of the GUI are no longer functional with screen and brail readers under JRE 1.7's Java Accessibility API even though the JAB is appears to be delivering identical roles and obejcts.

For now, rolling back to a JRE 1.6 and its more functional JAAPI may be the best suggestion for LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice users in need of AT.  The Java dependency may eventually be dropped, depending on where things go with BASE and HSQLDB and implementing a non-Java accessibility bridge based AT for Windows, i.e.an IAccessible2 implementation or possibly an AT-SPI2 port.

Question beside the workaround of using a JRE 1.6, is if there is much developer and TDF Board desire to repair AT and possibly BASE for use with JRE 1.7 and a more current HSQLDB build.

Stuart

________________________________
From: Tom Davies [tomdavies04 at yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2012 10:45 AM
To: Users at Global.LibreOffice.Org
Cc: V Stuart Foote
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-accessibility] where's the accessibility?

Hi :)
Should the devs be made aware of problems with the newer release of Java (again)?

Each new release of Java creates more problems and each is soon found to have more security issues so another new one needs to be released quickly.  It's a 3rd party product that is difficult to track.

Regards from
Tom :)

________________________________
From: V Stuart Foote <VStuart.Foote at utsa.edu>
To: accessibility at global.libreoffice.org
Sent: Saturday, 29 December 2012, 16:13
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-accessibility] where's the accessibility?

Simon,

There appears to be a change in the JRE 1.7 and JAB 2.0.3 that is reducing
the fidelity of the Java Accessibility API rendering of both LibreOffice and
OpenOffice.  This is affecting both NVDA and Jaws screen readers.

I've been unable to find any Oracle documentation on API changes from the
2.02 to 2.03  JAB or JAAPI, but something is definitely changed.  Reviewing
the JAB delivered document structure with JavaMonkey shows the 2.02
rendering to be identical with the 2.0.3 rendering--but with JRE 1.7 its
JAAPI appears to process the result differently and does not fully render
the results in either screen reader.

Are you able to roll back to JRE 1.6 and a JAB 2.0.2 installation  and
retest the issues you've had with LibreOffice 3.6.4? And otherwise asses AT
usability with the earlier Java runtimes?

Downloads needed to roll back are here:

JRE 1.6u38
<http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre6u38-downloads-1877409.html>
JWin.exe installer for JAB 2.0.2 <http://empowermentzone.com/JWin_setup.exe>


Stuart






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