Open Source Nonprofit Software

Microsoft recently developed an open-source tool that is capable of translating Word documents into a “talking” book format.  This tool was created in a project involving Sonata software and the Digital Accessible Information System (Daisy) consortium.  By translating OOXML files into Daisy format, other software programs such as Book Wizard Producer can read the documents aloud.   This open-source tool is expected to help the visually impaired population of the world, which currently numbers around 160 million.

Daisy files differ from their well known counterpart, mp3’s.  With mp3 files, the user can only move between tracks.  Contrastingly, in Daisy files, the listener can perform many actions similar to reading a book, such as hearing the table of contents or skipping to a particular page.

If you are interested in Open Source Nonprofit Software, the developers at Mpower Open can help.  Contact them today at 972.220.0340 to learn more.