Small but (I hope!) useful updates to WebbIE web browser today, version 4.5.1.
First, I’ve finally fixed a longstanding and annoying bug where Windows Narrator lost focus on the main text display area in WebbIE. You could observe this simply by navigating to google.com: when the JavaScript fired to put focus on the text input area, it took focus from WebbIE, and though I would put it back, and a sighted user could see the caret moving quite happily around the text area, as far as the MSAA/UIA screenreader interface was concerned it was still on the web page. Not Much Use.
Happily, though, WebbIE was on of my first significant .Net project three years ago, and I’ve learned much more since then – including how to fix this one! Focus is placed back in the text area correctly and Narrator works just fine.
Second, I’ve made the browser junk failing frames and external resources as it tries to load the page. This will probably break the display of some advertisements, and I’m afraid some page content too, but WebbIE will be much more responsive and useful. The is in line with a general approach I think is right for WebbIE now: it’s about convenience, and speed, and ease of use over trying to get every last HTML tag and JavaScript call to render in some kind of text format for the end user. WebbIE users are using it because they need it to be faster and simpler and better. If they want it to be more techie… they’re on, who knows, ChromeVox or EmacSpeaks!