Gary --Thanks for you feedback and all the detail! I've cc'd Myra Berloff who is the Director of the Mass. Office on Disability, knows Mr. Gutierrez and is supporter of ODF. I'm sure she is aware of most of what you've stated below; just think it would be good to keep her in the loop.Regards and thanks again,Mike
From: garylyn@gmail.com [mailto:garylyn@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Gary Edwards
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 5:40 PM
To: mpaciello@paciellogroup.com
Cc: office-accessibility@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: Re: [office-accessibility] Update on Mass & ODFHi Mike,
I think it's important to let Louis Gutierrez and his people work their way through the RFi's, commenting where and when he sees fit. We had our presentation on June 19th, and i can tell you that they are very organized and methodical in how they eval the RFi proposals. Although they are most kind and considerate in all matters, make no mistake; Louis and his eval group know exactly what they are doing. They need time though to work through the process in an open and fair way.
There is one very interesting quote in the article, " Opponents to ODF strike back in Massachusetts":
"Updegrove also said that the Microsoft Office plug-ins the ITD is now evaluating sidestep the thorniest issues with OpenDocument for disabled computer users. "As a result, the recommendation of the committee to delay conversion until adequate accessibility tools are available is simply not necessary," he said."
The most important aspect of any ODF Plug-in for MS Office is that you enable MS Office to read, write and roundtrip ODF transparently and without the slightest disruption to existing business processes. Including the operation of Accessibility Add ons. No disruption whatsoever!
And guess what, the ODF PLug-ins can do that because the MS Office developer platform enables us to get inside at a level so low there is zero interference or disruption. Even with accessibility application add ons. Inside MS Office, there simply isn't an accessibility problem. It doesn't exist. Even with the default file format being set to ODF.
Louis knows this. The plug-in is after all a conceptual solution his group came up with exactly for the purposes of addressing accessibility and business process disruption problems. As he works through the different RFi responses the proof that it can be done is piling up. His initial thinking being confirmed again and again. My impression remains however that it's more important to Louis and his eval group that they complete the RFi process without getting caught up in the rhetoric and political baiting of those who are working another agenda.
The RFi eval process is far more involved and methodically thought out than most would suspect. After our presentation we were provided with 150 process critical documents to test in our ODF Plug-in. We get the opportunity to study, test, and fine tune our engine against these critical documents. The next step (which takes place today) is that our engine enters real world production testing and evaluation within the workgroups associated with the first set of critical docs. It's rigorous, it's a methodical and well designed process, and i don't see Louis overlooking a single detail or having to compromise either his objectives or his time frame. I have no doubt that every RFi respondent will have to work their way through this process before any decision is made.
The ODF Plug-in we delivered for production line testing is enabled with all the new accessibility tags. As you make changes or propose new eXtensions, we can easily update the ODF Engine that drives the plug-in for MS Office. I'm sure Sun will do the same, as will the other RFi respondents. There remains however the challenge of helping accessibility vendors write to those eXtensions and take full advantage of their new found access to ODF.
Hope this helps. And thanks for all the great work your subc has done. Trust me on this: there is no accessibility issue, only those who seek to confuse the public and send unwarranted fear through the hearts of those who most need our help and consideration.
~ge~
On 7/3/06, mike paciello <mpaciello@paciellogroup.com> wrote:This news item appeared in today's issue of ComputerWorld:Opponents to ODF strike back in Massachusetts
Computerworld Australia - Australia
... the ITD for failing to evaluate the cost of the proposal, the impact it could have on the state's public records, limitations on IT accessibility for the ...The article focuses on issues involving plug-in support for MS office. Sounds like Sun is heavily involved in this project. Peter?-MikeMike Paciello
Founder & Principal, TPG
Tel: +1 603.882.4122 ext 103
Cell: +1 603.566.7713
e-mail: mpaciello@paciellogroup.com
web: www.paciellogroup.com
--
Gary Edwards
The OpenDocument Foundation, Inc.
Redwood City, CA USA 94063
(650) 365-0899
(650) 888-2268 c.
gary.edwards@OpenDocument.us
http://OpendocumentFoundation.us
Founding member of the OASIS OpenDocument TC, representing the OpenOffice.org Community
Founding member of the OpenDocument Foundation, Inc. - a USA 501c(3) non profit chartered in the public interest to support, develop and promote the OASIS OpenDocument XML file format.
OpenDocument is the world's first "universal file format". But it's also central to the future of the Open Internet. So the Foundation charter includes another most important objective. The Foundation seeks to increase the participation of open source communities and individuals in the formal "Open Standards" process. By joining OSS with vendors and traditional organizations in the work of perfecting truly Open Standards, the Foundation believes that the Open Internet we enjoy today will remain open for future generations to come.