# Opposing Freedom Scientific's signed Braille Driver

Category: Geeks r Us

## Post 1 by Icedearth (Zone BBS Addict) on Thursday, 15-Oct-2009 21:25:43

Attention supporters of Braille literacy through electronic Braille and the
right for consumer choice.
The below link will take you to a petition written by myself and created
by the National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science and Open Braille
API Initiative. This petition vehemently opposes the Secure and Compatible
Braille Display driver signing polacy recently announced by Freedom
Scientific. Please follow the below link to read more and if in agreement,
show your support by adding your name and optional comments
http://www.petitiononline.com/brl4all/petition.html
Best Regards,
Earle Harrison
President
Handy Tech North America

## Post 2 by blindndangerous (the blind and dangerous one) on Friday, 16-Oct-2009 2:26:45

Ok, this is not in the write board at all.

## Post 3 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 16-Oct-2009 6:55:57

It's in the right board now.

## Post 4 by Feathered Serpent (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Friday, 16-Oct-2009 14:11:05

What bored was this in?

## Post 5 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 16-Oct-2009 15:41:22

It was in the Rant Board, but was moved to here.
I barely learned about what SF wants to do, and I'm glad someone made a petition on it, because that's crazy. I signed by the way and hope more people will read it and sign also.

## Post 6 by The Roman Battle Mask (Making great use of my Employer's time.) on Friday, 16-Oct-2009 17:29:06

I will not sign this petition since it's obvious the author didn't do there research. In windows 7 64 bit all drivers have to be signed. While FS may not be the best at communicating this fact I have no problem with them forcing braille display drivers to be signed since there following Microsoft's policy. For information on how to get around the 64 bit signing restriction in Windows 7 see the following link and let me know if you think this is something we can expect the average computer suer to do.
http://www.techenclave.com/operating-systems/how-use-unsigned-drivers-64-bit-145539.html
While I don't have a problem with forcing jaws braille display drivers to be signed charging money in order to create jaws braille display drivers could be an issue if the amount charged puts other companies at a major disadvantage. If you create a partition dealing with only this issue I would consider signing it after doing my own research.

## Post 7 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 17-Oct-2009 3:45:56

NO, this had been in garage sale. *Smile*

## Post 8 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Saturday, 17-Oct-2009 4:03:37

Aw, my bad. *smile* I had been thinking about something else being in the Rant Board and had confused that topic with this one. But anyway... *smile*

## Post 9 by blindndangerous (the blind and dangerous one) on Monday, 19-Oct-2009 16:39:19

I also will not be signing this petition, and am effing sick of seeing so many people retweeting and retweeting and retweeting about it on twitter.

## Post 10 by ItsAConspiraZ (This site is so "educational") on Monday, 19-Oct-2009 17:02:22

Whatever happened to the movement for HID-compliant braille display drivers? Wouldn't that get around driver signing issues? I'm pretty uignorant of what goes into driver signing, but when I plug in a keyboard to a computer (windows 7 or no) it works because there's a standard forkeyboards as human-interface devices. I think someone wanted to get a spec in thee for braille displays.

## Post 11 by Brandon_H (Generic Zoner) on Wednesday, 21-Oct-2009 17:55:47

I've signed this partition, and encourage others to do so. Microsoft may require drivers to be signed, and that's fine and dandy. What you fail to realize is that FS's driver signing is different. Display manufacturers aren't paying microsoft, they're paying freedom scientific to get access to their driver development kit, then annually for FS to say their driver is bug free and allow the manufacturers access to Jaws. This is a totally different process. Notice how GW and others aren't asking the same thing? That's why.

## Post 12 by blindndangerous (the blind and dangerous one) on Wednesday, 21-Oct-2009 18:42:49

Heres my question. How did you sign a partician? Unless you signedsomething that divides a hard drive so you can duel boot, or you signed a wall, I don't know how you signed that. I think you signed a petition though.

## Post 13 by Brandon_H (Generic Zoner) on Wednesday, 21-Oct-2009 21:27:43

Because apparently, my proofreading skills fail. I think I got it from another post, although it is my fault for not reading over it. But the point stands.

## Post 14 by Icedearth (Zone BBS Addict) on Thursday, 22-Oct-2009 18:05:37

Brandon_H, I must say, thank you for doing your research. i think you along with almost 700 people understand the concept of this petition. FS has done a fabulous job of creating confusion with smoke and mirrors.

## Post 15 by Brandon_H (Generic Zoner) on Thursday, 22-Oct-2009 19:02:38

All people need to do is listen to FS Cast 34. Glenn Gordon, a guest, blatantly and obviously avoids Jonathan Mosen's questions on the subject, redirecting the conversation like 4 times when Mosen asks him to provide specifics.

## Post 16 by KC8PNL (The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.) on Saturday, 24-Oct-2009 14:04:53

Yes, his avoidence on the FSCast seems obvious. If I didn't know much about the situation, I would stilll find it suspiscious.