2001-11-16 05:15:39 +00:00
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<title>The GNOME Foundation: Membership Policy</title>
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<a href="http://www.gnome.org">
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<img SRC="../gnome.jpg" ALT="" height=250 width=198 border=0></a><img
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SRC="../text.png" ALT="The GNOME Foundation" height=198 width=354>
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2001-12-07 09:57:00 +00:00
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<a href="../index.html">Home</a> :
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2001-11-16 05:15:39 +00:00
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Press :
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2001-12-07 09:57:00 +00:00
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<a href="../organization.html">Organization</a> :
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<a href="../documentation.html">Documentation</a> :
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<a href="../membership.html">Membership</a> :
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<a href="../elections.html">Elections</a> :
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<a href="../directory.html">Directory</a>
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2001-11-16 05:15:39 +00:00
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</center>
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<br>
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<center>
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<a href="../press.html">[Other Press Releases]</a>
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<br>
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<h3 align="center">Making GNOME Accessible -- Opening New Doors At the Workplace for Users with Disabilities</h2>
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<P>
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Cupertino, California -- August 28, 2001 -- GNOME Foundation today announced the early access
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release of the Gnome 2.0 Accessibility Framework. This framework paves the way for a new
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generation of applications that integrate with assistive technologies -- enabling all users
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to access the GNOME desktop.
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<P>
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Sun's contributions to the GNOME Accessibility Framework within the GNOME open source project
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further underscores Sun's commitment to the delivery of an accessible desktop for the benefit
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of all users in the workplace. The GNOME Accessibility Framework includes a comprehensive
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toolkit and APIs that is comprised of the following two key components:
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</P><P>
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<UL>
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<LI> An Accessibility Toolkit (ATK API) and associated implementation library integrated with the
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GTK+ 2.0 user interface toolkit that provides built-in accessibility support - enabling
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developers using GTK+ widgets to automatically build accessible applications</LI>
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<LI>An agnostic Assistive Technologies Service Provider Interface (AT SPI) toolkit for developers
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to interface technologies such as voice command, text-to-speech, screen readers,
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and screen magnifiers with GNOME accessible applications on any UNIX platform. </LI>
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</UL>
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<P>
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This built-in extensible accessibility framework provides the foundation for developers to
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write accessible applications from the ground up, provides built-in accessibility support
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for existing GNOME applications, and enables assistive technologies developers to adapt
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their enabling technologies to run on any UNIX platform.
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</P><P>
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"GNOME 2.0 will break down accessibility barriers" said Havoc Pennington, Chairman of the Board of
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Directors GNOME Foundation. Integrating the Accessibility Framework into the fabric of GTK+,
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will enable developers to easily write accessible applications". "Because of the object- oriented
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structure of GTK+, it is easy for application developers to incorporate accessibility capabilities
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without having to change the architecture of their software" said Owen Taylor, Engineering Lead for
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GTK+ at Red Hat. "This will lead to more accessible applications being developed quickly for the
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benefit of the entire GNOME user community".
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</P><P>
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"Our goal was to build accessibility into the initial design, giving the GNOME application
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developers uniformity across components by implementing one standard API, while at the
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same time providing extensibility" - said Robert O'Dea, Director of GNOME engineering at
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Sun Ireland. "Also, our design philosophy took into consideration the many graphical
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toolkits that could take advantage of the agnostic approach of the AT SPI toolkit --
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this strategy saves time by eliminating the need to reinvent accessibility for each
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platform. Developers can get started with the Accessibility Framework now. We have
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documentation and engineering support in place to help make the upcoming release of
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GNOME 2.0 Accessible by first customer ship. In addition, our Accessibility Lab is in
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place to help assistive technology developers to write to the AT SPI while leveraging
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available Sun hardware and software solutions".
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</P><P>
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"Nobody builds a sidewalk without curb cuts we're taking the same approach with
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software - making GNOME 2.0 accessible will open new doors for users with disabilities",
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said Mike Rogers, Vice President of Webtop and Applications Software at Sun. "With the
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growing worldwide popularity of the GNOME desktop, it's important that all users have
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the freedom to interact with this powerful user environment, using various assistive
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technologies to gain easy access to information and applications, as well as collaborate
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with team members". "As use of GNOME spreads to more work environments, accessibility
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for employees with disabilities becomes increasingly important said Gregg C. Vanderheiden
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Ph.D. Director Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin". "SUNs leadership and
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efforts to ensure that GNOME is accessible is great news to both Solaris and Linux
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users who have disabilities".
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</P><P>
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<B>Availability:</B><BR>
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The GNOME Accessibility Framework is available now, please visit:
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<A HREF="http://developer.gnome.org/feature/current/">http://developer.gnome.org/feature/current/</A><P>
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GNOME Accessibility project status and documentation, please visit:<BR>
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GNOME Accessibility Project Status:<BR>
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<A HREF="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap">http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap</A>
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<P><B>
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Documentation:</B> <BR>
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API documentation:<BR>
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<A HREF="http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/atk/book1.html">http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/2.0/atk/book1.html</A><BR>
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<A HREF="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap/tech-docs">http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap/tech-docs</A>
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<P>
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Keyboard navigation documentation:<BR>
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<A HREF="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap/keyboardnav.html">http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap/keyboardnav.html</A><BR>
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</P>
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<P>
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<B>About GNOME</B><BR>
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Gnome is a unified, open and rich desktop that employs an intuitive and appealing user interface,
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includes a wealth of productivity applications, supports the latest industry standards and provides an
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innovative component-based architecture, all built on a powerful network-centric architecture.
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</P><P>
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GNOME is a free software project (also referred to as open source software) that is developing a
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complete, easy to use desktop for Linux (GNU/Linux), BSD and a variety of other Unix and Unix-like
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operating systems. The GNOME desktop is used by millions of people around the world. More than 500
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computer developers, including over 100 full-time, paid developers, contribute their time and effort
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to the project.
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</P><P>
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<B> About the GNOME Foundation</B><BR>
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Comprised of hundreds of volunteer developers and industry-leading companies, the
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GNOME Foundation is an organization committed to supporting the advancement of GNOME.
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GNOME is an entirely free user environment for desktops, networked servers and portable
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Internet devices. The modern architecture and design of GNOME includes a technically
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advanced application development platform and a powerful end-user desktop environment.
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Major leading software industry and computer manufacturers support the GNOME development
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effort, which is led by a world-wide community of volunteers.
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<P>
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More information on GNOME is available at <A HREF="http://www.gnome.org">www.gnome.org</A>
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<center><font size=-1>This site is maintained by
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<a href="mailto:membership@gnome.org">the GNOME Foundation Membership and Elections Committee</a>
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and was designed by <a href="mailto:jpsc@users.sourceforge.net">JP
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Schnapper-Casteras</a> and <a href="mailto:bart@eazel.com">Bart Decrem</a>.</font></center>
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</center>
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