Hey Ryan, Awesome news, on the accessibility front you should ask theMuso about it. He maintains that side of things.
-fagan On Mon, 2010-05-10 at 14:20 -0400, Ryan Oram wrote: > I've caught a big fish for you guys. My university (Trent University) > has agreed to sponsor me to develop a Ubuntu-based system to replace > the current Windows/Netware system currently employed at Trent. > > This system will be centered around thin clients, running NX Client, > remote desktoping into a Lucid-based server with NX Server installed. > It will be called the Excalibur System. Trent IT has also agreed to > put NX Client on the Windows Image at Trent, so every computer will be > able to access the Excalibur System. > > A copy of my proposal is availible here: > http://tinyurl.com/excalibur-system > > I have also posted screenshots of my prototype here: > http://tinyurl.com/excalibur-screens > > There is a caveat. The accessibility frameworks on Linux are frankly > crap. Because of this, the Excalibur thin client OS will always be > dual-booted with Windows on any computers it is installed on. > Additionally, it will not be made default on any public labs at Trent. > These stipulations will stay in place until the accessibility > frameworks meet the requirements of the Disability Services Office. > > > The requirements of the Disability Services Office are as follows: > > 1. A comprehensive reading and writing support framework (such as Read > & Write or Kurzweil). > > Ocra and aspell could likely be used for this, but grammar support > would be needed as well. > > 2. Mindmapping software (such as Inspiration) > > The DSO has told me that the current open source solutions are > insufficient but could be extended to fit their needs. > > 3. A speech recognition application (like Dragon Naturally Speaking) > > This can come later. > > > You may ask why Canonical would even develop this software. There is a > simple reason: It would make Edubuntu feasible. If Canonical writes > the software that the Disability Services Office wants (which were a > voice recongition system, a replacement for Kurzweil, and extending > the open source mind-mapping software), Edubuntu would instantly > become the preferred platform for every school on the planet. Why > spend money on Windows and Mac OS X when you can get the software you > license for thousands upon thousands of dollars for free, with the > exception of tech support costs? Canonical would be able to make a > killing on supporting schools using this software, easily getting back > their investment. > > Keep in mind too, this is a university. I'm sure there would be a big > list of alumni willing to fund such a project, if external funding is > needed. I'm already working on getting the current head of the > Concurrent Education program at Trent to support the proposal and get > the teacher's union in Ontario aboard. The possibility of having a > Kurzweil equivalent available to every student regardless of wealth or > background is frankly the dream of every teacher. > > > Please let me know what you guys think of all of this. > > Thanks, > Ryan Oram > -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss
