Re: TR: tasksel + gdm and accessibility issues for the d-i
Osvaldo La Rosa aka Aldo <info@brlspeak.net> writes:
> Hi all,
>
> Even if I do really appreciate all the efforts done for making the d-i
> one of the best in the world, I'm still frustrated to see some things that
> could/should be much better implemented in future releases:
Frustrated? I am sorry to hear this.
> 1) one of it resides in tasksel:
> this moment in the installer process is underexploited in our VI
> issues:
> I see a [*]Desktop or [*]Standard item marked for installation;
> but I miss a [ ]Desktop Accessibility entry. (Note the blank in the [ ]
> because of course sighted people doesn't need to activate it...)
We've had discussions about meta packages and/or tasksel integration
in the past. While I agree with you that some kind of easy package
installation wrapper would be good to have, there are a few design problems
with the simple approach you are suggesting:
* Your sentences above already make it clear, you are refering to
assistive technologies for visually impaired people. However, accessibility
is actually a much broader term.
Just to name an example, one view of a person with special needs might
be that "dasher" is the package they need to properly interact with
their computer. Another group of people might need gok, yet another
might just need gnome-mag but without Orca, and so on.
I feel a simple "Accessible Desktop" item in tasksel is not
enough to solve the problem generically.
* While it is a possible approach to have the installer explicitly
select packages for the users who are going to use the machine,
it is also obvious that an administrator might not know in advance
that a person with special needs is going to use this machine.
If we think this through, we realize that what would be most desireable
is to have accessibility infrastructure installed by default on a
default desktop, so that a person with special needs can just activate
it at login time if they need to. I feel that this approach would be even
better than creating a large number of meta-packages for various
disability needs.
> 2) why not using this on a more coherent/logical way:
> IMHO if there would be an entry in tasksel as described above, that
> should be used to increase accessibility if the user marks it for
> installation, especially with consequences like these one:
> a) at the login moment in gdm: by providing a signal or voice or any
> sound/message (cf. my previous mail about this issue)
Have you seen my reply to your mail regarding this issue?
> b) when marked for installation, that would have the consequence to
> run Orca by default from that point (gdm -> the beginning of the Gnome
> session). So if you're sighted and haven't marked the
> [*Desktop Accessibility item, then no problem, no login signal, no
> Orca.
If a Linux machine were single-user by default, that would work.
However, the orca startup setting is per-user, not per-system.
> Isn't this a plan?
>
> IMHO this is a logical implementation to help with finishing the job: the d-i
> is the only one who doesn't interfer with the needs of sighted persons,
> while providing a good solution for VI people,
> but having braille support at startup of the CD/DVD while
> not having the possibility to enable gnome-orca from within tasksel,
> sound a little bit absurd for me.
Well, at least I, never use tasksel when installing a system. I select
the most basic configuration and then selectively install
the packages I need. Absurd, I think, is a little too strong a language,
while I realize you are trying to push your cause.
--
CYa,
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