IRS "accessibility"

IRS "accessibility"

[Cheryl Homiak]

the Irs is now providing "accessible" braille and text files, not to be 
submitted but for 
reference only. but look how they've done it? a winzip file with .txt and 
.brf files contained in it and a .exe extension.
Apparently they can be opened on the mac using stuffit expander, revealing 
the directory with the files. but I'm wondering: can linux users access 
them? at any rate, it seems to me it wouldn't have been hard to do a truly 
accessible downloadable file format.

the relevant url from the message I saw on another list is below my 
signature.

-- 
Cheryl

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131773,00.html

Re: IRS "accessibility"

[Samuel Thibault]

Hi,

Cheryl Homiak, le Fri 29 Dec 2006 13:04:42 -0600, a écrit :
> the Irs is now providing "accessible" braille and text files, not to be 
> submitted but for 
> reference only. but look how they've done it? a winzip file with .txt and 
> .brf files contained in it and a .exe extension.

Linux' unzip can open the .exe file fine.
(they are just usual zip archives with a bit of code).

Samuel

Re: IRS "accessibility"

[Cheryl Homiak]

Ok, I take it back!!! though they have a .exe extension, these files open 
with unzip just fine.


-- 
Cheryl

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Re: IRS "accessibility"

[Karen Lewellen]

Hi,
By the way much thanks for your terrific answer to my question.  I am not 
a braille user, but your map gave me a good sense of how you manage 
things.
As for your question below, as far as I know while Linux users should be 
able to access those files, they cannot.  The winzip archive is or was 
rigged to look for something specifically in windows.  I complained to 
someone in the access office of the IRS, clearly they did not fix the 
problem.Funny too since he told me that they too used Linux.
If others confirm this I can put you in touch with the contact I had in 
this office.  Perhaps more than one voice will show them that the problem 
needs repair.
Karen



On Fri, 29 Dec 2006, Cheryl Homiak wrote:

>
> the Irs is now providing "accessible" braille and text files, not to be
> submitted but for
> reference only. but look how they've done it? a winzip file with .txt and
> .brf files contained in it and a .exe extension.
> Apparently they can be opened on the mac using stuffit expander, revealing
> the directory with the files. but I'm wondering: can linux users access
> them? at any rate, it seems to me it wouldn't have been hard to do a truly
> accessible downloadable file format.
>
> the relevant url from the message I saw on another list is below my
> signature.
>
> -- 
> Cheryl
>
> "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
>
> http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131773,00.html
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>

Re: IRS "accessibility"

[Ralph W. Reid]

As others have mentioned, these 'exe' files are a form of 'zip' file
with a bit of executable code added so they will automatically unzip
themselves when dumped upon a Windows system.  Downloading such files
with your favorite browser and applying 'unzip' to them will produce
the files from the archive.

As for the reference to the IRS using Linux, the IRS employment
programs which have been set up for blind and visual impaired at
www.lwsb.org are apparently still using Windows-based systems.  I
wonder whether the person you spoke with from the IRS was yanking your
chain or was confused--or maybe the IRS is working on upgrading to
Linux...

Anyway, downloading the files in question, and then running them
through 'unzip' produces most of their innards (apparently not a
subdirectory/folder as they might when executing in Windows).

HTH, and have a great year.


On Fri, Dec 29, 2006 at 03:28:58PM -0500, Karen Lewellen wrote:
> Hi,
> By the way much thanks for your terrific answer to my question.  I am not 
> a braille user, but your map gave me a good sense of how you manage 
> things.
> As for your question below, as far as I know while Linux users should be 
> able to access those files, they cannot.  The winzip archive is or was 
> rigged to look for something specifically in windows.  I complained to 
> someone in the access office of the IRS, clearly they did not fix the 
> problem.Funny too since he told me that they too used Linux.
> If others confirm this I can put you in touch with the contact I had in 
> this office.  Perhaps more than one voice will show them that the problem 
> needs repair.
> Karen
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, 29 Dec 2006, Cheryl Homiak wrote:
> 
> >
> > the Irs is now providing "accessible" braille and text files, not to be
> > submitted but for
> > reference only. but look how they've done it? a winzip file with .txt and
> > .brf files contained in it and a .exe extension.
> > Apparently they can be opened on the mac using stuffit expander, revealing
> > the directory with the files. but I'm wondering: can linux users access
> > them? at any rate, it seems to me it wouldn't have been hard to do a truly
> > accessible downloadable file format.
> >
> > the relevant url from the message I saw on another list is below my
> > signature.
> >
> > -- 
> > Cheryl
> >
> > "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
> >
> > http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131773,00.html
> >
> >

-- 
Ralph.  N6BNO.  Wisdom comes from central processing, not from I/O.
rreid@sunset.net  http://personalweb.sunset.net/~rreid
...passing through The City of Internet at the speed of light!
COTAN (x) = COS (x) / SIN (x)

Re: IRS "accessibility"

[Lorenzo Taylor]

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The standard Linux version of zip is able to extract files from zip
archives with the .exe extension.  I don't know why they would have
chosen to create a self-extracting archive, however, since pretty much
any OS can handle zip files with little or no additional software, and
what little software is needed on systems that need it is very easy to
find and install.

Lorenzo
- -- 
I've always found anomalies to be very relaxing. It's a curse.
- --Jadzia Dax: Star Trek Deep Space Nine (The Assignment)
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Re: IRS "accessibility"

[Hart Larry]

Well, Lorenzo-and-All, I ran
locate .exe
On my hard-drive, I found several files in my mods directory.  So when I ran 
unzip on some of them, it claims it is not an archive.  So I tried the file 
command.  Some of them say ms dos compressed.  I honestly don't remember if 
these files are actual sound files in .mod format, or programs?
Thanks
Hart