About this group and its members
Joel
It has been a while since I created this group, we should get started.
The purpose of this group is to provide a forum to discuss things
related to the Braille Utils software (a cross platform API for
embossing and converting braille in PEF-format). For example, the
following topics:
- planned and ongoing work
- recent code changes
- new features
- long term strategy and vision
Please take a moment to introduce yourself and what you expect from
this group and the software. I'll begin...
I am a 33 year old engineer from Stockholm, Sweden. I first started
programming in Java in 1999. I have been working on the PEF file
format since we invented it in 2006 (me, Björn Westling and Björn
Nyqvist). It took a while for us to realize that we needed to provide
the embosser communication in software. Since then I have been working
on providing this functionality, mainly targeting our own needs at the
Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille.
My goal for the Google group and code project is to provide a good
platform for others to contribute to the software. This involves
improving documentation, reviewing naming conventions, cleaning up the
code, answering questions and participating in discussions.
I aim for the code to be used in other projects, such as odt2braille
and Daisy Pipeline 2 as a desirable method for communicating with
embossers. This involves, for example, improving the API's and adding
new embossers, tables and papers.
Best,
Joel
Bert Frees
I'm Bert. I'm 24 and I work as a software engineer at the University
of Leuven, Belgium.
Since begin last year, I participate in the European project ÆGIS (http://www.aegis-project.eu
). One of my responsibilities in the project is the development of a
Braille extension for OpenOffice.org, the free and open-source office
suite. The name of the extension is odt2braille (http://odt2braille.sourceforge.net/
).
pef2text, the transformer that Joel developed for Daisy Pipeline, was
the perfect candidate for handling embosser communication and the
conversion to various braille formats in odt2braille. I made some
improvements to the code, but until now, I never got to commit these
changes back to the original project.
A few weeks ago, Joel informed me of BrailleUtils and the many
improvements he has made. He also invited me to participate in this
group and I happily accepted.
My goal is to help you guys with incorporating my changes in the new
project, and I hope I can make some useful suggestions. I hope we can
extend the software with some new features, that will not only benefit
the integration of BrailleUtils into odt2braille, but also improve the
API in general.
Currently I'm still using (and making changes to) pef2text. I'm
working together with Index Braille on providing a more complete
support for their line of embossers, which is kind of the priority
atm. But as soon as the new release is ready, I will move to
BrailleUtils and engage myself in this group.
Bert
Home, Sarah
My name is Sarah Home and I'm not as young as Joel or Bert!
I've been involved in accessible format transcription for many years and have managed a braille, DAISY and large print production team.
Since starting to work for RNIB, I've been involved in undertaking research into accessible formats, evaluating translation software and converter tools and I too have been involved in the European Aegis project - testing the pilot Odt2DAISY. I'm also on the braille and text-to-speech (TTS) working groups for the DAISY Pipeline2 project.
When I worked for the National Library for the Blind in the UK, we set-up systems to share embossable braille files with other countries - I always felt that there must be a way of communicating with other embossers to make the process easier and more streamlined. Settings for embossers and translation software can be confusing to the user and it can be difficult to produce correctly formatted braille from a file created by someone else unless you know how to set-up your local embosser or change your translation software settings so that they match the original file.
The idea of PEF is excellent. Being able to easily share files that have been created by someone else will make a huge difference to braille readers in all countries. We all know that there is not enough braille being produced, so by successfully developing and implementing PEF we will definitely start to tackle this need.
My one slight concern is how easily we will be able to work with embosser manufacturers. Bert says that he is working with Index, but we must remember to include all the other embosser folk as well such as NV Interpoint and Braillo - many of the larger producers in the UK use these embossers.
I'm looking forward to getting started on this project!
Kind regards,
Sarah
Sarah Home
Accessible Information Development Officer
RNIB Centre for Accessible Information (CAI)
I'm based at:
RNIB
Far Cromwell Road
Bredbury
Stockport SK6 2SG
Direct Dial +44 (0)161 355 2023
Hi everybody,
Best,
Joel
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Björn Westling
My name is Björn Westling and I am a colleague of Joels at TPB. We have been working together with the PEF file format and the software development. I am not a developer though, instead I am involved in braille production for TPB (historically little in-house production, most of it has been purchased through public procurements) and I am also the secretary general of the Swedish Braille Authority. I think I am about Susan's age (I believe we have met too).
The PEF file format was designed to become a standard, and I would like to promote PEF so that it really will be a standard. My interest in this group is related to that, I think. There might be several choices in software development that will have an impact how PEF is received and used.
All the best,
Björn
-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: braill...@googlegroups.com [mailto:braill...@googlegroups.com] För Joel
Skickat: den 20 januari 2011 12:02
Till: BrailleUtils
Ämne: About this group and its members