Thread Subject: possible mouse-related standards,just to get started

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From: Barrett, Don
Date: Thu, Oct 19 2006 7:10 PM
Subject: possible mouse-related standards,just to get started

I know I'm really jumping the gun here, but I am not as good as many of
you are in discussing theoretical constructs without the benefit of
concrete examples. I throw out the following standard to all of you to
ignore, beat up, modify, etc. as a possible adjunct to 21 A. I may be
totally on the wrong track and am happy to find that out as well.


When software is designed to run on a system that has a mouse or other
pointing device, product functions which involve the manipulation of
screen objects to support pictorial or graphical representations shall
be executable from a keyboard.

From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Thu, Oct 19 2006 7:15 PM
Subject: Re: possible mouse-related standards,just to get started

//[Don Barret wrote] When software is designed to run on a system that has a
mouse or other pointing device, product functions which involve the
manipulation of screen objects to support pictorial or graphical
representations shall be executable from a keyboard.//

Future systems may not have mice and may use some other pointing device, I
think we should stay away from this terminology. In addition, I believe you
revised standard does not address other scenarios for keyboard access.

Another issue that comes up regarding 1194.21N is keyboard access to
dynamically changing text in software applications. For example, the cpu
monitor in Windows. Text such as this that is dynamically changing but is
static text is often not accessible via the keyboard. In software we don't
have the benefit of a virtual cursor (except for the JAWS/WE cursor, which
may be dead soon when new versions of Windows move away from an OSM.

Jonathan

From: Barrett, Don
Date: Thu, Oct 19 2006 7:40 PM
Subject: Re: possible mouse-related standards,just to get started

"Another issue that comes up regarding 1194.21N is keyboard
"access to dynamically changing text in software applications.
"For example, the cpu monitor in Windows. Text such as this
"that is dynamically changing but is static text is often not
"accessible via the keyboard. In software we don't have the
"benefit of a virtual cursor (except for the JAWS/WE cursor,
"which may be dead soon when new versions of Windows move away
"from an OSM.

I would think this would already be covered by standards D Interface
Elements, and F Textual Information. These standards cover output of
which the CPU Monitor is one, while standard A covers user activity such
as input, navigation, activation, etc.

From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Thu, Oct 19 2006 7:45 PM
Subject: Re: possible mouse-related standards,just to get started

"Another issue that comes up regarding 1194.21N is keyboard "access to
dynamically changing text in software applications.
"For example, the cpu monitor in Windows. Text such as this "that is
dynamically changing but is static text is often not "accessible via the
keyboard. In software we don't have the "benefit of a virtual cursor
(except for the JAWS/WE cursor, "which may be dead soon when new versions of
Windows move away "from an OSM.

"I would think this would already be covered by standards D Interface
Elements, and F Textual "Information. These standards cover output of which
the CPU Monitor is one, while standard A "covers user activity such as
input, navigation, activation, etc.

Having this information represented textual and with sufficient information
does no good if the visually impaired user can't reach this type of dynamic
text via the keyboard.

Jonathan