IBM Home Page Reader
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Assistive technology, Web browsers |
| Founder | IBM Special System Needs (SNS) |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Discontinued; source code contributed to Firefox extension |
| Successor | Firefox browser extension (partial) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Chieko Asakawa (inspiration) |
| Products | Screen reading web browser software |
| Owner | IBM |
| Parent | IBM |
Home Page Reader (Hpr) was an accessible web browser with built-in speech output, created by IBM Special System Needs (SNS) specifically for individuals who are visually impaired. Its development was inspired by the pioneering efforts of Chieko Asakawa at IBM Japan.
This screen reading application adhered to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards, including HTML 4.01, along with compliance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
IBM declared in 2006 that it would cease further development of Hpr and discontinued its availability by the end of that year. Subsequently, IBM contributed portions of Hpr’s source code to support a Firefox browser extension.
The software was compatible with multiple languages such as English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. It operated on Windows 95, 98, and NT platforms. During its active lifecycle, a user-driven mailing list offered community support.
Criticism
A non-scientific evaluation conducted in 2002 indicated that Hpr struggled to differentiate effectively between the browser’s own keyboard shortcuts for switching modes and website-specific access key commands. The study suggested that navigating lists using links mode could enhance user experience.
Hardware
The following hardware specifications were necessary for running Hpr:[1]
- Processor speed of at least 166 MHz
- Memory requirements: 32 MB RAM for Windows 95/98; 64 MB RAM for Windows NT
- Hard drive space: minimum of 14 MB; increased to 42 MB when used alongside Netscape Communicator
- SVGA display supporting 640×480 resolution with 256 colors
- Modem compatible with Windows (28.8 KBPS), a 16-bit sound card, and a CD-ROM drive capable of quad-speed reading
- Numeric keypad, either integrated or external
Software
Hpr required the following software environment:[1]
- Operating systems: Microsoft Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0
- Internet Service Provider connection
- Netscape Navigator version 3.01 or newer
- For Home Page Mailer functionality: Microsoft Personal Web Server 4.02 on Windows 95/98 or Peer Web Services 4.0 on Windows NT
- A mail client or server configured to support mailto: links
References
- Notes
- References
External links
- HomePage Reader @ evolt.
- , IBM
- IBM Home Page Reader Keyboard Shortcuts, WebAIM
- IBM Home Page Reader Tutorial, WebAIM