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Re: [Accessibility] Call to Arms


From: Eric S. Johansson
Subject: Re: [Accessibility] Call to Arms
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:50:42 -0400
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.7) Gecko/20100713 Thunderbird/3.1.1

 On 7/30/2010 5:03 PM, Richard Stallman wrote:
What is so difficult about sticking to our principles?

I am sticking to my principles. That's probably why I am irritating you so badly. I believe that anything we do with computers should support the needs of people first. That's why the needs of the disabled come before the needs of free software. I'm not saying we discards free software principles which is put in its proper place, subordinate to the human condition.
Actually I don't find it difficult.  I simply learned not to give in
to those who argue for abandoning them.  I learned that this was
self-defeating.

I have noted your ideas about the difficulty of the task.  However,
even if you are right, that does not make it acceptable to treat
nonfree software as a solution.  You have made that point, so now give
it a rest.

Fair enough. I will give it a rest about the issue of difficulty. I'm glad you finally understand that it is difficult. I'm not sure you understand the magnitude of difficulty and the impact your philosophies will have on disabled users. If you wish to discuss that, please feel free to contact me off list at address@hidden and I'll be glad to listen to your understanding and push back if I feel they have a negative impact on the disabled experience. I offer the office connection because I do not wish to further distract people from this list on the topic.

I was saddened and very disappointed in one offering at me. You claimed that there were multiple ways of input that didn't involve speech recognition. I don't remember the original wording but I assume it was in the context of disabled users. Yes, my list of failures was somewhat snarky but, if you do have some information about input mode that I may have missed, I would love to hear it.

I did play with Dasher again and, it's a miserable input device with a mouse but the gut sense in the back of my mind says there is a different input device that it would work wonderful with. If there is someone on a list that wishes to collaborate with me off-line, speak up. I would love to hear other thoughts and try to synthesize a good input device that won't hurt my hands to work with Dasher as an alternative to speech recognition. it's only 25 words per minute versus 100 and something for speech recognition but, it is politically correct.

The goal would be dirt cheap, easy access and something that could be built by anyone skilled with a soldering iron and a few bucks.

Please stop using this list to argue against following the goals of
GNU.  You are entitled to your views, but arguing against our
project's goals here, where we are trying to work on it, is hostile
and disruptive.  Just stop it!

is a crime to argue against the goals of the GNU when the many could be better served by a more compassionate approach? apparently so.

I have offered alternatives, compromises and there has been no discussion on them except flat out no. At this point, all I can say is you have driven me from a mixed mostly free/limited nonfree environment to an almost entirely nonfree. I've seen this happening with other speech recognition users. As there is increasing hostility to producing hybrid systems, we retreat to almost purely nonfree and recommend nonfree solutions to new users. It sucks Richard. I like to use free tools but, I somehow get the sense that I'm just not wanted with my hybrid approach.

the one thing I don't want to hear is you bitching about me using proprietary tools to produce documentation or writings for this project when you have put insurmountable barriers in the way. Right now, you can can be either hybrid free or not free, there is no other choice.

I wish I had the freedom to choose another route but my disability and tools available preclude that.



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