Welcome Urdu Duxbury Tester

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Duxbury Systems is the publisher of the Duxbury DBT Braille Translation software. We are currently working on an ambitious plan to support more languages. We are asking you to test the Urdu Braille Translators that are part of our upcoming release.

To do this, you need access to a special web page where you can download the experimental software. Access requires a user name and a password. These were sent to you in an e-mail message. You also need a special DBT license number that can run the experimental software. This license number has also been e-mailed to you.

You are not allowed to transfer this license number to anyone else. It is not for trade or resale. You can involve someone else, as long as that person is assisting you in testing the braille translator.

Requirements to be a Tester

You can use just about any Windows System to see Urdu inkprint characters inside of Duxbury DBT.
You need a computer with an e-mail and an internet connection.
You must be able to communicate with Duxbury Systems in English.
You must be knowlegeable about Urdu braille code, and able to consult experts if necessary.
You must be able to send and receive file attachments on your e-mail.
You need to be able to do your word processing in Microsoft Word in Urdu. We need to import Urdu Word files into Duxbury DBT.
You need to have the time to run some routine testing.

Downloading the Experimental Software

Go to the Duxbury Partners web site. Here is the link.

In the e-mail to you, you have a User Name and a Password to access this website.

Once on the site, there is a link for DBT Untested Autobuild. Plese click on this link. Autobuild means this build or version of DBT is constructed by an automated process.

The DBT Autobuild Repository and Log page has a link to new DBT builds. At least once a day, a new version of DBT is constructed based on all the work of the DBT programmers. A typical link will say something like dbt-autobuild-20080806060136.msi. This means DBT created on 2008, month 08, day 06, at time 06:01:36 (times are UTC).

Unless otherwise instructed, always take the top MSI file from the page.

Every so often, there are comments added to the log by some of the Duxbury staff. Be aware that David Holladay sets up the associations between the Unicode characters (non-Roman letters) and the braille characters, while Joe Sullivan actually adds changes to the autobuild site. So you may exchange e-mails with David Holladay the formal comments on the autobuild log about the changes will come from Joe Sullivan.

Installing the License

If we have issued you a new testing license (the usual situation), you cannot install this license on a computer that is running an earlier production version of Duxbury DBT. E-mail us if this is a problem.

Once you run the DBT Autobuild, you will be prompted to enter the DBT license text. This should be e-mailed to you.

Ignore any messages about software registration. This license has already been registered to you.

Run the copy of DBT on a computer with internet access, if at all possible. You will need to activate your software.

Running Some Tests

Most files imported into Duxbury DBT come from Microsoft Word. Word 97, Word 2003, Word 2007, and Word 2010 are all supported.

Use Microsoft Word to create some text and save as a Microsoft Word file. Or take an existing Microsoft Word document. We do not care how the file is created as long as it is a Word file in Urdu.

Open Duxbury DBT. Press control-O to Open a file. Or select Open ... from the File Menu.. Select the Word file you created. Just press Enter to accept the default template. We will build the proper templates for each language once they are finished.

Hopefully, the file will properly import into DBT. If not please report that to Duxbury Systems. Attach a copy of the Word file, and explain what the problem is.

Go to the DBT Document Menu, and click on Translation Table and then select Urdu

Press control-T or select Translate from the File Menu to obtain braille. You can emboss the braille using DBT.

We want to know of any errors. Please understand that it is best for us to reference a character by the Unicode number. Here is how to get a Unicode number. Open the Urdu Word file. Move the cursor just past the character. Press alt-X. This swaps the character with the Unicode reference. Make note of the character number. Press alt-X again to restore the Word file back the way it was.

Here is a sample of a very good report to us that can help us understand the problem: Character 094D is set to 2 braille characters where its correct value is the braille character dot 4. By using Unicode and braille dot patterns, it should be easy communicate problems to Duxbury Systems

Repeat the Tests

After you give your report, we will try to fix the translator. We will try to keep in touch with you. Once we have fixed things up, the next section of material should be easier to read. After a few rounds of work, the translator will be much improved.

Please tell us about any punctuation, emphasis, or any other problem that is interferring with getting quality braille.

A Word about Localization

The work being tested is in the braille translation part of DBT. It is possible to localize DBT for other languages as well. The localizers use a special web-based interface to translate the user interface from English to other languages. Notice that this systems is entirely Unicode-based, so that we have a functioning Korean interface.

We welcome anyone who is interested in seeing DBT operate in another language. Typically, a localizer is also someone who re-sells DBT in another country, and has a financial stake in having DBT be as useful as possible in another language. Sometimes enthusiastic persons do a localization. If you know someone who is interested in doing this, have them contact Duxbury Systems.

Here is a sample of the results of the localizer's work: