Talking Kiosk Demo on Mac OS X 10.8.5

[David M Rosenberg]

The Talking Kiosk Demo on Mac OS X 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion) with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari:

The Talking Kiosk Demo doesn't talk when running on Chrome (Version 34.0.1847.116) because the Chrome browser on the Mac runs only in 32-bit mode and the recommended Java version 7 runs only in 64-bit mode.

Details: I first get the message "Java(TM) is required to display some elements on this page." After I click the "Install plug-in" button, I get a page with the message

"Download Java for Mac OS X

Recommended Version 7 Update 51 (filesize: 48.4 MB)

Chrome does not support Java 7 on Mac OS X. Java 7 runs only on 64-bit browsers and Chrome is a 32-bit browser.

If you download Java 7, you will not be able to run Java content in Chrome on Mac OS X and will need to use a 64-bit browser (such as Safari or Firefox) to run Java content within a browser. Additionally, installing Java 7 will disable the ability to use Apple Java 6 on your system."

Both Firefox (Version 28.0) and Safari (Version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)) are using Java 7 update 51, which is unhappy with self-signed applications. With the default configuration (Security Level set to "High (minimum recommended)"), I get a pop-up window titled "Application Blocked" with the heading "Application Blocked by Security Settings" and the explanation "Your security settings have blocked a self-signed application from running." When I click the OK button in that window, it is replaced with a pop-up titled "Application Blocked for Security" with the heading "The application cannot be run." and the following three lines:

Name:       TTSApplet

Location:   http://www.mytowngovernment.org

Reason:     Your security settings have blocked a self-signed application from running

I went to the Java control panel and edited the exception site list to include http://www.mytowngovernment.org (despite the warning "FILE and HTTP protocols are considered a security risk. We recommend using HTTPS sites where available.")

Then when I run the Talking Kiosk Demo, I get a pop-up titled "Security Warning" with the heading "Do you want to run this application?" and the following contents:

Publisher:  UNKNOWN

Location:   http://www.mytowngovernment.org

<in red> Running this application may be a security risk

Risk:       This application will run with unrestricted access which may put your computer and personal information at risk. The information provided is unreliable or unknown so it is recommended not to run this application unless you are familiar with its source.

More information <a link>

Select the box below, then click Run to start the application

<a checkbox> I accept the risk and want to run this application.

<a "Run" button>   <a "Cancel" button>

I checked the checkbox and clicked the "Run" button.

At this point in Safari, the Talking Kiosk Demo runs silently.

At this point in Firefox, the Talking Kiosk Demo runs and talks - but the speech synthesis gets out of sync with the displayed meeting announcements.

[Joshua Smith]

Yes, this all seems pretty accurate.

Obviously, the problem with Chrome not supporting Java on Mac is outside my control.

In general, I don’t think using Java on a Kiosk application is a viable solution any more (if it ever was), because the browsers insist on getting lots of user confirmation (even if I bought the expensive certs to make the publisher not “UNKNOWN”), and that wouldn’t work for an unattended Kiosk.

The silent demo still works fine, and of course there is telephone access for people who cannot see, so I think I should just remove the “talking” feature altogether at this point.

It’s possible that if someone really wanted to do a talking Kiosk, they could use third-party assistive technology to read the screen.

-Joshua

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MyTownGovernment Users Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mytowngovernment-use...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[David M Rosenberg]

On Apr 14, 2014, at 9:35 AM, Joshua Smith <Joshua...@charter.net> wrote:
> I think I should just remove the “talking” feature altogether at this point.

Since the speech synthesis does work with Firefox on the Mac (and may well work on various Windows/browser platforms), I'd suggest that you keep it - perhaps adding an FAQ note about where it does and doesn't work. I don't know how often it would be used in a real Kiosk. Even if it is never used in a Kiosk, it still might be helpful for blind home users. I suspect that it does better than a screen reader would when an agenda is too long to fit in the text box and has to be scrolled.

I noticed that (on my system) the speech synthesis renders the word "Agenda" in a New England dialog, as though it were spelled "Agender".

Thanks.

/David