KeySurf Beta
| Jump to… What is KeySurf? The story behind KeySurf Who is it for? What devices does KeySurf work with? What does Beta mean? Download KeySurf News Acknowledgements and Contributors |
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What is KeySurf?
KeySurf is a program that allows you to use the World Wide Web with a keyboard instead of a mouse, and to move very quickly to specifically desired links.
Instead of pointing and clicking (with a mouse) on the link you want to follow, you just start typing the letters the desired link starts with, and KeySurf will select the link for you.
In addition, KeySurf is designed to remember your website surfing history - and your personal searching style or patterns – and, through this, is able to estimate which link you are trying to select, and help you select it faster.
The story behind KeySurf
KeySurf was originally inspired by and written for a CanAssist client – a young man with cerebral palsy.
Dan Spelt cannot use a mouse and types with his mouth on a regular keyboard raised at the correct angle by a custom keyboard stand (built for him by CanAssist). Dan is very computer savvy and had learned all the keyboard shortcuts to get around windows applications without a mouse. However, for Dan, navigating the web was difficult, as it required a tedious and frustrating amount of repeatedly pressing the “TAB” key to get to the specific link he desired – and, the longer or more complex the website or webpage, the more frustrating and time consuming the process.
KeySurf was developed to allow Dan, and all other users who prefer to use a keyboard, to quickly navigate to links, images, and form elements on web pages by simply pressing just two or three keys.
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"In a world with the Internet so mouse friendly it raises the question:
"I am one of those people that uses the keyboard to navigate through the |
Who is it for?
KeySurf has been designed for people who are more comfortable using a keyboard than a mouse, or similar input device.
If you can use a keyboard, but have trouble accurately moving a pointing device such as a mouse, joystick, or trackball, KeySurf will allow you to browse web pages and find information on the World Wide Web. KeySurf is also designed for people who can use a mouse, but prefer not to switch between the keyboard and mouse when using the computer.
What devices does KeySurf work with?
Keysurf works with any device that can produce character output.
This includes:
- Regular computer keyboards
- Specialized keyboards like the IntelliKeys
- On-Screen Keyboards
- Speech recognition software
What does Beta mean?
The "Beta" next to KeySurf means that while you can currently use KeySurf to browse the majority of popular websites, KeySurf is still being actively developed and there are a few types of websites it does not work well with; for example:
- Mail sites (Hotmail, Gmail, etc)
- Some multimedia centric websites (e.g. Google Maps, Map Quest).
- Content inside plugins like Macromedia Flash or Sun Java
It is also currently limited to use with the Firefox web browser (note: during the download process we will help you easily install this reputable browser).
For example, sometimes you may find that KeySurf does not behave as expected and you are not able to access your website correctly with the keyboard. We are currently working on these problems and will update KeySurf periodically to improve compatibility with a wider range of websites (we will also send you notifications of updates, should you wish – see below).
Remember that if KeySurf does not currently work with your favourite website, you may always fall back to using a mouse until KeySurf supports the website. To help us identify which websites are causing problems, we have integrated an option in KeySurf where you can report a website that doesn’t work to us. We would also greatly appreciate any feedback that you have about KeySurf, what you like and what you don’t like, which will help us to make the final release as effective as possible.
Please also note that on the KeySurf download page if you provide us with your email address we will notify you of new releases of KeySurf as they happen. This will allow you to keep up to date on new features and ensure that your version of KeySurf is always the most current.
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Download KeySurf 0.35 |
News
June 15, 2009. KeySurf Version 0.35 Released
KeySurf has been updated to version 0.35. Most importantly, the compatibility with various websites using JavaScript components has been improved, as well as the selection of the default link has been corrected on many webpages.
Jan 20, 2009. Initial Release of KeySurf Beta!
CanAssist is proud to release the first preview of KeySurf, the new, faster way to use the World Wide Web for keyboard users.
March 10th, 2008 KeySurf presented at the WWW Conference
Leo Spalteholz presented his paper presenting the KeySurf web navigation system for people with physical disabilities preventing the use of a pointing device. The paper, entitled "KeySurf: A character controlled browser for people with physical disabilities" discusses the tenets of the KeySurf system and was presented at the 17th International World Wide Web Conference in Beijing, China.
May 18th, 2007. Label generation techniques presented at WWW Conference
Leo Spalteholz presented his poster illustrating the underlying technology behind a component of the keyboard navigation system for the web. The paper, entitled "Generating efficient labels for web accessibility" discusses the label generation component in this system and was presented at the 17rd International World Wide Web Conference in Banff, Canada.
March 10th, 2007. Keyboard web navigation presented at the WEBIST Conference
Leo Spalteholz, a graduate student with CanAssist presented his paper discussing a new approach to making the web accessible for those with severe physical disabilities. The paper, entitled "Efficient Navigation on the World Wide Web for the Physically Disabled" discusses our proposed system at the 3rd International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies in Barcelona, Spain.
Acknowledgements and Contributors
KeySurf began as a CanAssist project in early 2007, and has been created (and continues to be worked on) by Leo Spalteholz – first, during the completion of his Masters of Science degree at the University of Victoria and, now, in his role as Manager of CanAssist’s software development team.
Leo would like to thank his supervisors Dr. Kin F. Li and Dr. Nigel Livingston for their contributions to the concepts behind the KeySurf system, as well as their more general support for his Masters studies.
Throughout the development period, we have benefited greatly from the testing efforts of our volunteers. CanAssist would, therefore, also like to thank Dan Spelt, Ann Kerein, Val Curley, and April Proudlove for their assistance in testing KeySurf.
CanAssist would especially like to thank Shaw Communications for supporting the development of KeySurf.
