[Blindmath] Announcing BrailleBlaster

Fri Jul 9 08:59:09 UTC 2010

Birkir,

Your help in coding and testing will be very much appreciated. There is 
a detailed specificationj. I'll try to get that up on the project page 
at code.google 

John

On Fri, Jul 09, 2010 at 08:13:15AM +0000, Birkir R?nar Gunnarsson wrote:
> I can contribute to coding and testing. Not sure about how much yet,
> and I cannot start until after the 20th of July (going to the ICCHP
> conference in Vienna, going to meet up with prof Gardner there).
> Looking forward to getting this project off the ground.
> I do have some questions regarding the specifics of the project and
> how well it coincides with ideas I have for a project, ideas that I
> already have support for from some organizations. I hope this might be
> the perfect platform, but I will ifrst discuss it with Gardner before
> xplaining them further on this list or the developer team's.
> I am excited about the project, because math accessibility is the
> single biggest hindrance to more blind people getting into science, I
> think.
> Cheers
> -B
> 
> On 7/9/10, Peter Wolfe <sunspot005 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > John,
> >
> >
> >
> >     Thanks this clarifies a lot for me. I guess I'll like to know the
> > actual components of the softare and how it will actually be created.
> > I'm going into computer science and will be learning java programming
> > language soon! Too bad about the timing is all whacked but this is
> > what the blind n that is for sure. I still don't see how you can do
> > real serious mathematics on a one lineraille display. How do you
> > coorilate graphing information with your existing nformation.
> >
> > On 7/8/10, John J. Boyer <john.boyer at abilitiessoft.com> wrote:
> >> Peter,
> >>
> >> BrailleBlastger is a softggware development project. It will not publish
> >> any books butg provide the software which others can use to do so. The
> >> books will have math and tactile graphics. Hopefully, it will unleash a
> >> blast of braille by providing the means to get books into braille
> >> quickly. It is open source. We will need experienced Java programmers
> >> with a commitment to braille to help with it.
> >>
> >> I use one-line braille displays, either 32 or 40 cedlls. 80-cell
> >> displays are too expensive for me.
> >>
> >> John
> >>
> >> On Thu, Jul 08, 2010 at 05:35:57PM -0500, Peter Wolfe wrote:
> >>> John,
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>     This sounds like an interesting post about the Braille Blaster
> >>> project. I'm wondering what your particular views of braille display
> >>> one line affectieness for blind people truly is though? I almost see
> >>> no need other than portability on small projects like algebra and not
> >>> high end mathematics like calculus or linear algebra with differentual
> >>> equations as well to truly work. Also, how did you guys getthe
> >>> copyrights for the mathematics books? I am wondering what sorts of
> >>> books you will offer and will this end product be free or charged in
> >>> the future? I see both pluses and minuses to projects massive like
> >>> this. The mone and resources will be enormous and yet cannot be not
> >>> done at all. Yet, having  realistic expectations and understanding
> >>> that no one universal way will ever truly work and the expense of
> >>> braille pages and time and or energy will be taken out because of
> >>> preformating via Braille Blaster will help. However, my delimma is
> >>> that mathematics versions with my professors will say "It's not my
> >>> book" and it changes every year because they are bought out by the
> >>> publishing industry and each teacher teaches differently. Thanks for
> >>> anymore ensight into this project.
> >>>
> >>> sincerely,
> >>> Peter
> >>>
> >>> On 7/8/10, John J. Boyer <john.boyer at abilitiessoft.com> wrote:
> >>> > This project will make many more math books, with tactile graphics,
> >>> > available in Braille. This is an announcement of an exciting new
> >>> > software development project that will greatly increase the
> >>> > availability
> >>> > and usability of Braille. Since this is an open source project, you are
> >>> > invited to participate. We need transcribers and technical writers as
> >>> > well as programmers.
> >>> >
> >>> > BrailleBlaster will be excellent for translating and formatting braille
> >>> > and inserting tactile graphics and hence release a blast of braille.
> >>> >
> >>> > It will be very user-friendly for non-technical users but also powerful
> >>> > enough for experts.
> >>> >
> >>> > Naive users will be able easily to compose simple documents and then
> >>> > translate and emboss them in braille or read them on a braille display.
> >>> >
> >>> > Advanced users will be able to divide books into multiple braille
> >>> > volumes, with title pages, tables of contents, and end-notes for each
> >>> > volume.
> >>> >
> >>> > The BrailleBlaster project should be completed within less than two
> >>> > years.
> >>> >
> >>> > BrailleBlaster will be fully usable in speech or braille by people who
> >>> > are blind.
> >>> >
> >>> > It will be designed for Windows, MacIntosh, and Linux operating systems
> >>> > and common screenreaders
> >>> >
> >>> > It will have visual display controls that make it maximally accessible
> >>> > for users with low vision and other visual disabilities.
> >>> >
> >>> > It will be localized into most major languages.
> >>> >
> >>> > BrailleBlaster will be developed under the Apache 2.0 license, which
> >>> > permits broad use, including use in commercial software.
> >>> >
> >>> > BrailleBlaster's sponsors are ViewPlus Technologies, Inc. and
> >>> > Abilitiessoft, Inc. They will hold the license copyright.
> >>> >
> >>> > --
> >>> > John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer
> >>> > Abilitiessoft, Inc.
> >>> > http://www.abilitiessoft.com
> >>> > Madison, Wisconsin USA
> >>> > Developing software for people with disabilities
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > _______________________________________________
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> >>> >
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Peter Q. Wolfe, AS
> >>> sunspot005 at gmail.com
> >>>
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> >>
> >> --
> >> John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer
> >> Abilitiessoft, Inc.
> >> http://www.abilitiessoft.com
> >> Madison, Wisconsin USA
> >> Developing software for people with disabilities
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Peter Q. Wolfe, AS
> > sunspot005 at gmail.com
> >
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> 
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-- 
John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer
Abilitiessoft, Inc.
http://www.abilitiessoft.com
Madison, Wisconsin USA
Developing software for people with disabilities