Fwd: windows gaim screen reader

[Tor Lillqvist <tml iki fi>]

Herman Bloggs writes:
 > For example in aim the messeges are automaticly spoken
 > as they come in. Gaim doesn't work with jaws, it is because gtk underlyes
 > it, not standard windows controls.

Well, if the text-to-speech software he uses only works with the
Windows Common Controls, then clearly he can only use software that
uses Common Controls... (Surely there are then lots of other apps he
cannot use, not only GTK-based ones? For instance Swing-based Java
ones?)

 > "I know xwindows works under windows with my screen reader since the
 > windows api underlyes it, but the windows api doesn't underly gtk in the
 > same way.

I don't know/recall the wxwindows architecture, but it is possible
that it takes a completely different approach than GTK, and indeed
uses "native widgets" on each platform.

 > An alternative would be either add in MSAA support, I know
 > mozilla did this to some extent

I don't know what MSAA is (hmm, its documentation seems to be in the
Platform SDK, will have a read), but if Mozilla did it, it probably is
the right way ;-)

 > or B rewrite gtk to use the windows API.

GTK *does* use the Windows API, of course. GDK is implemented using
it, and GTK uses GDK to implement its widgets.

--tml