Fwd: update about Solona and Captcha solving

Some may find this useful in more ways than one.

Original message...

> Some of you may have heard of Solona (http://www.solona.net).  If you have
> not heard of it, it is human powered and is completely universal in that
> Solona can solve any captcha from any website through any browser from any
> OS on any computer.
> 
> Since April 2009, users could submit Captcha images and retrieve codes by
> using the Solona website.  The process is very streamlined and
> user-friendly.
> 
> Since January, 2010, Solona has been working with independent developers
> to incorporate Solona Captcha Solving Functionality into other programs by
> means of a Solona API.  So far, Solona is integrated into two distinct
> programs:  Qwitter (for Windows - http://www.qwitter-client.net) and
> SendToSolona (for Mac - http://www.cattail.nu/mac/solona).
> 
> This is a very exciting development because users are able to solve
> captchas with fewer steps and in less time compared to using the
> traditional website interface.  Qwitter, for example, allows a user to
> login, submit the captcha, and retrieve the code all with one key stroke.
> The same is also true for SendToSolona.  The processes are much more
> efficient when executed outside of the browser.  If you are a Twitter
> user, I highly recommend Qwitter for it's featurs, support, accessibility,
> and functionality.
> 
> The Solona website interface is always available to users for solving
> captchas.  However, these programs offer a more streamlined experience
> when used.
> 
> The exciting thing is that other programs will integrate with Solona in
> the near future.  It would be premature to reveal what products, but
> suffice to say that solving Captchas is becoming more and more ubiquitous
> for screen reader users than ever before.  At this time, I am actively
> working with 2 other developers who will incorporate Solona Captcha
> solving into programs used by thousands of blind computer users.
> 
> The Solona API continues to evolve so that it is better, more
> comprehensive, and more efficient.  Programmers will be able to update
> their programs to take advantage of new features and processes in the
> Solona API.
> 
> There is also good news on daily availability of Solona.  Of late, we have
> been averaging 20 hours per day of 'online' status.  That means that at
> least one live operator is available 20 hours per day.  The offline window
> gets shorter and shorter each month.  More volunteer operators are
> participating and they are in different time zones.  The net result is
> much better online status around the clock and availability when a user
> needs to solve a captcha.
> 
> Bottom line is that the Human-Powered Captcha Solution model is working
> and is stronger than ever before.  It's available more than ever.  We
> continue to be univerally available to any computer configuration, and we
> can solve any captcha on any website in any browser.  Best of all, users
> are going to have various tools available to interface with Solona.
> 
> The service will continue to be freely available to registered users - no
> obligation to pay for the service at all.
> 
> Developers will continue to integrate Solona into programs for easier
> access to the service.  At the same time, I acknowledge that it is
> important to continue advocating for accessible Captchas.  The ultimate
> goal would be that Solona doesn't need to exist because there are no more
> inaccessible Captchas.  Sadly, I don't see that concept going away anytime
> soon.  So as long as there are captchas to solve, Solona will be around to
> allow people to solve them easily and independently.
> 
> As more programs are designed to interface with Solona, I will encourage
> users to take advantage of those programs for solving Captchas via Solona
> rather than using the website interface.  There are many benefits to using
> the API programs, and I believe it's important to endorse the developers
> who took time to create the program interface.
> 
> If you have any questions about Solona, AKA "that other service" :) , I'd
> be happy to address them openly.
> 
> Bernard Maldonado
> Solona Accessibility.






-- 
Jonnie Appleseed
with his
Hands-On Technolog(eye)s
reducing technology's disabilities
one byte at a time


-- 
Jonnie Appleseed
with his
Hands-On Technolog(eye)s
reducing technology's disabilities
one byte at a time

Received on Thursday, 18 February 2010 14:00:00 UTC