Posts in category Programming

Open web links from programs in Ubuntu

| tags: programming, ubuntu

In both Python and VMware I've noticed that attempts to open a link in the browser failed with a very strange file:// link containing double quote characters. A bit of searching revealed this is a problem with the calling syntax from Firefox in System -> Preferences -> Preferred Applications. Changing from "Custom" to "Firefox" so the Command is firefox %s fixes things nicely.

more...

Fixing Firefox Flash Foolishness

| tags: blind, motor impaired, programming, enabling technology

Firefox is the only browser I use, so when things don't work, I get worried. We're looking at Flash as a delivery vehicle for some of our applications for people with disabilities and ran into two potential show stoppers:

  1. Flash doesn't get focus unless you click on it with the mouse; many of our potential users don't use mice!
  2. Flash doesn't allow access to right click; many switch interfaces generate left and right click events to signal the user pressing the mover or chooser switch.

I surfed around a bit expecting to find some quick solution and only found despair. It seems that lots of people have encountered these problems in various forms and haven't found a solution.

I've found a very simple approach that works just fine for what we need; perhaps it will help someone else. The high bit is I'm using the Flash ExternalInterface object to allow JavaScript to catch keyboard and mouse events and then tell Flash about them. Flash never gets the focus and doesn't need it.

more...

« Previous Page -- Next Page »