A Simple Menu System for Blind Linux Users

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The Knoppix distribution goes back in time, to the era of text menus, to provide an interface for computer users who are blind.

Remember back when computers were driven mostly by text menus? Press:

[Y] Yes, I remember.

[N] No, that was before my time.

[U] Unknown. Seems familiar but it’s hazy.

Enter your choice here: _

Yes, that sort of thing.

This isn’t a trip down memory lane, but a proof of concept; this method of computing actually worked, and it worked well for many years… This old system of computing worked so well that many people strongly resisted the idea of a graphical make-believe “desktop” that they would have to interact with. Some people still do resist that idea; some are efficiency-obsessed Unix geeks, and others are people who cannot see the pretend desktops because they are blind.

It is the latter group that the venerable Knoppix distribution targets with its ADRIANE user interface.

Read more at OpenSource.com