Thread Subject: Re: BIOS Accessibility(TETIAC) - from within Windows- HP solution

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From: Gregg Vanderheiden
Date: Fri, Jul 13 2007 2:25 PM

That sounds like a good approach to explore.

Especially if the BIOS issue is covered by provisions we have (different
aspects of the issue covered by different provisions. Perhaps an
application note or something would cover it.

And if some aspect is not covered, we should look at a generic guideline on
that topic. It would make the guidelines much more robust. And avoid a
provision like "for all program over 640k...." (grin)


Gregg
-- ------------------------------
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of
> Peter Korn
> Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 3:06 PM
> To: TEITAC General Interface Accessibility Subcommittee
> Cc: TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee; TEITAC
> Web/Software Subcommittee
> Subject: Re: [teitac-general] [teitac-websoftware] BIOS
> Accessibility(TETIAC) - from within Windows- HP solution
>
> Allen, Gregg, Don,
>
> May I suggest a different approach here? May I suggest that
> we develop language that explains what aspects of the 508
> draft language applies to making BIOS settings on x86
> systems, and provide that language to the Access Board as
> suggested text that go into a body of expository text that
> accompany the 508 standard?
>
> I recognize that the the overwhelming majority of desktops
> and laptops that are purchased by the Federal government
> today come with a BIOS and so have this issue. But then, the
> overwhelming majority of desktops and laptops that are
> purchased by the Federal government today come with Windows
> XP, and I think everyone would agree that we shouldn't write
> a guideline that says "If your product is Windows XP, then
> you must...".
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Peter Korn
> Accessibility Architect,
> Sun Microsystems, Inc.
>
> > OK, but that accounts for, oh, lets say 99% of the desktop/laptop
> > market today. As one who has used alternatives that do
> allow access,
> > for example through serial connection at preboot, that is fine, and
> > would fulfill the requirement in my view.
> >
> >
> >
> > Allen Hoffman -- = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ; v: 202-447-0303
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> > [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On
> Behalf Of Peter
> > Korn
> > Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 4:47 PM
> > To: TEITAC General Interface Accessibility Subcommittee
> > Cc: TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee; TEITAC
> > Web/Software Subcommittee
> > Subject: Re: [teitac-websoftware] [teitac-general] BIOS
> > Accessibility(TETIAC) - from within Windows- HP solution
> >
> > Hi Allen, guys,
> >
> > Please remember that the BIOS issues we are discussing are an
> > implementation detail of x86 PC-based systems. There is no exposed
> > BIOS user-interface for almost every other computing
> architecture and device.
> >
> > Not on Macintosh, not on SPARC, not on cell phones, not on copiers,
> > not on MP3 players.
> >
> > The exposed BIOS user interface is a program running in a limited
> > environment - there is no OS yet, there is no
> platform-defined set of
> > themes or color/contrast, etc.
> >
> > I believe strongly that it would be wrong for us to write BIOS
> > recommendations in TEITAC.
> >
> > We should treat the user interaction functionality provided by BIOS
> > configuration programs as we would anything else. If the
> system is a
> > "closed" system at the time the BIOS is running (no way to run AT),
> > then those provisions should apply. If there are no system-define
> > color and contrast settings that the BIOS config UI can draw from,
> > then we have other rules that apply. Etc.
> >
> > We can also ask the question of whether BIOS
> re-configuration that one
> > can do from a running system (as we're seeing are available from
> > laptops from HP, Dell, and Lenovo) is sufficient. Since
> making changes
> > to these settings during the boot process is something you
> only *have*
> > to do at that time when the system is failing to boot, I
> suggest that
> > the "fix a system when it is broken" situation is largely
> outside of
> > the scope of most of the 508 technical standards. Based on that, I
> > suggest that BIOS re-configuration programs that you can use on a
> > running system should suffice, so long as they are of
> course accessible.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Peter Korn
> > Accessibility Architect,
> > Sun Microsystems, Inc.
> >
> >
> >
> >> One more follow up.
> >> now that we do know that some BIOS(s) are updateable from
> post-boot,
> >> as i recalled, can we require that, for example and
> discussions sake:
> >> Desktop and portable computers hardware configuration options
> >> available at pre-boot time, must also be configurable after boot.
> >> This seems broad enough to allow various solutions to meet this
> >> requirement.
> >> I'd think this requirement would go in "hardware".
> >>
> >> Allen Hoffman -- = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ; v: 202-447-0303
> >>
> >>
> >>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> -
> >> --
> >> *From:* = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> >> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] *On Behalf
> Of *Gregg
> >> Vanderheiden
> >> *Sent:* Thursday, July 12, 2007 10:28 AM
> >> *To:* 'TEITAC General Interface Accessibility
> Subcommittee'; 'TEITAC
> >> Web/Software Subcommittee'; 'TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware)
> >> subcommittee'
> >> *Subject:* [teitac-general] BIOS Accessibility (TETIAC) -
> from within
> >> Windows- HP solution
> >>
> >> We talked about having an application in Windows that
> would set the
> >> BIOS values. HP does this as a standard provision in their current
> >> laptops.
> >>
> >> The BIOS provides WMI (Windows Management Interface) for exploring
> >> and
> >>
> >
> >
> >> changing BIOS configuration settings under Windows.
> >>
> >> The GUI is provided through HP ProtectTools and the
> plug-in is called
> >> BIOS Configuration.
> >>
> >> The ProtectTools utility is under the START menu in a
> folder labeled
> >> "HP". A screen shot of the utility is provided below
> >>
> >> Thanks Michael for the pointer and for doing things like
> this at HP.
> >>
> >> (Picture courtesy of my own laptop)
> >>
> >> Gregg
> >>
> >> -- ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.
> >>
> >>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> -
> >> --
> >>
> >>

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