FAQ gally2

Sun Jun 17 12:39:17 EDT 2001

Hi Ann, great job with the faq.  The only comment I would make is that in
the list of supported synths, you've got the DecTalk PC listed rather than
the DecTalk Express.  I've been off the list for a few months now, so
I could be wrong here, but I don't believe that the DecTalk PC is
supported under speakup as yet.
Darcy Burnard

On Sun, 17 Jun 2001, Ann Parsons wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> Here is the edited version of the gally proof.  Some significant
> corrections were made in the past ten minutes.
> 
> 
> 
> 			     SPEAKUP FAQ
> 
> The document below is designed to answer the most frequently asked
> questions about Speakup, the  screen reader/speech access system for
> the Linux Operating System, used by people who are blind.  This
> software is primarily developed and maintained by Kirk Reiser
> (kirk at braille.uwo.ca).  It was developed initially by Kirk along with Andy
> Berdan, with additional coding by John Covici and Brian Borowski.
> Speakup was first announced on October 29, 1998 at:  08:55:28 -0500
>      Most of the current development work is done by Kirk and Jim
> Danley, along with contributions from other speakup users.
> 
> 
> 
> q.  Why should I use Speakup?
> 
> A.  If you are blind and want to use Linux as your operating system,
> and if you want to know what is going on with your system from boot-up
> to shut-down, then Speakup is for you.  Speakup gives you full access
> to all console programs in the Linux OS.  It works particularly well
> with telnet and with FTP. 
> 
> 
> q.  Where do I get speakup?
> 
> A.  Speakup can be obtained by going to:  http://linux-speakup.org
> 
> 
> q.  What kind of computer equipment do I need to run Speakup?
> 
> A.  The Linux OS can be placed on any PC from a 386 on up.  One will
> receive best results from using a 486 or better machine, however.  
> 
> 
> q.  What speech synthesizers are supported by Speakup.
> 
> A.  At the moment, Speakup supports only hardware synthesizers.  Here
> is a list of what is currently supported.
> 
> Accent PC: acntpc
> Accent SA: acntsa
> Apolo: apolo
> Audapter: audptr
> Braille 'n Speak, and other such Blazie products: bns
> DecTalk External (older model): decext
> DecTalk PC (newer model): dectlk
> DoubleTalk PC (internal): dtlk
> LiteTalk/DoubleTalk LT (external): ltlk
> Speakout: spkout
> Transport: txprt
> This list is current as of speakup version 0.10.
> 
> Instructions on installation for each synthesizer can be found at the
> URL listed above.
> 
>   
> q.  Will Speakup work on a Windows system?
> 
> A.  Although Speakup is a Linux Program and does not work in Windows,
> there is a mini version of Linux plus speakup that can be run on a
> dos/windows system.  It is called Zipspeak.  It was designed by
> Matthew Campbell and can be obtained by going to:  
> 
> http://www.linux-speakup.org/zipspeak.html
> 
> This is an excellent option if you are interested in Linux but do not
> wish to devote much disk space, or resources to it.  It can be
> expanded into a full Linux system should you wish to do so.
> 
> 
> q.  I have heard about Emacspeak.  How does Speakup differ and which
> is better, or do I need both?
> 
> A.  Emacspeak, developed by T.V. Raman and currently in version 14, is
> a verbal output system for Emacs, the customizable editor for
> Unix/Linux.  It is a complete desktop system for the OS, and works
> well with any console application that has been linked to it.
> However, it has some significant drawbacks.  It does not work well
> with Telnet or with FTP, and it does not give access to programs with
> which it is not linked.  
> 
> However, there is a way to install both Speakup and Emacspeak on one's
> system.  This allows full access to all console programs plus the
> desktop environment of Emacs.  
> 
> Emacspeak can be downloaded from sourceforge via HTTP or FTP:
> 
> http://emacspeak.sourceforge.net
> 
> ftp://emacspeak.sourceforge.net/pub/emacspeak 
> 
> You can visit Emacspeak on the WWW at
> 
> http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/raman/emacspeak (Cornell) --You
> can also pick up emacspeak via anonymous ftp from
> 
> ftp://ftp.cs.cornell.edu/pub/raman/emacspeak/.
> 
> 
> q. What versions of speakup work with what kernels?
> 
> A.  The latest version of Speakup, 0.10A will work with kernels 2.2.18
> and above.  For further information, ask on the speakup list.  
> 
> 
> q.  How do I install Speakup?
> 
> A.  The easiest way is to download the appropriate precompiled kernel for your
> synthesizer if the kernel is lower than 2.2.18 and install from the
> downloaded image.  If the distribution's kernel is higher than 2.2.18, it is
> likely that there is a generic patched kernel and you have to enter a string
> to tell speakup what synthesizer you wish to use.  For example:
> 
> speakup_synthesizer=dectlk speakup_serial=0
> 
> The above string is for the Dectalk Express on Com 1 under DOS or tty0 under
> Linux.
> 
> Having obtained the appropriate kernel image that matches your distribution
> and synthesizer, you can either create boot up disks with the dd command on
> Unix type systems or rawrite under DOS or Windows, or by placing the
> necessary files into a directory and using loadlin to start the installation
> process.  For example: if the image is called bare.i, under Unix type system
> you'd use the command string:
> 
> dd . . . .(Sorry don't know the string)
> 
> To use rawrite.exe under DOS or Windows you'd write, providing rawrite.exe
> and bare.i are in the same directory as each other, say for example c:\Linux
> you'd enter at a command prompt the following command strings:
> 
> cd c:\Linux
> [Press return]
> rawrite bare.i a:
> [Press return]
> 
> Loadlin.exe enables a Linux installation to be started from a DOS prompt,
> before going into Windows.  You'd need to create a batch file to run
> loadlin.exe with the appropriate parameters.
> 
> Rawrite.exe and loadlin.exe can usually be found in a directory called
> dosutils on distribution CD's, or something like that depending upon the
> distribution.  They're often accompanied with detailed documentation.
> 
> 
> Q.  What is the best way to download the appropriate file from the
> site.  
> 
> A.  FTP is the quickest way to do this, although you can use the web
> site's download facility.  One caveat, MSIE users be sure to type in
> the address for the archive with ftp: in stead of http.  Some MSIE
> users have trouble downloading the files because MSIE puts line-feeds
> where they should not go.  If you do not have an FTP client, then try
> using the Windows FTP client from a DOS box.  Be sure to type bin
> before starting any transfer.  
> 
> 
> Q.  I've just used rawrite to make a boot disk for my system, and it
> will not talk, it will not do anything.  Why?
> 
> A.  Your speech synthesizer probably got in the way.  Before typing
> the command again, turn off your speech program.  
> 
> 
> q. why doesn't speakup come up talking when I use bla bla bla distros
> boot disk?
> 
> A.  There are many reasons for this including:  a bad rawrite image,
> the wrong comm port setting in the command line, an improperly
> downloaded file.  For more specific information consult the
> documentation file or ask on the Speakup list.
> 
> q. what is the status of cursering?
> 
> A.  The cursoring problem has been solved in part.  It is still in the
> process of solution.
> 
> 
> Q.  I hate documentation, and find it difficult to use because I do
> not understand it.  How can I contact live human beings for help? 
> 
> A.  The simplest way to contact us is via our mailing list.  To
> subscribe to this list, send an msg to:
> 
> speakup-request at braille.uwo.ca
> 
> In the body of the message, simply write subscribe.  when you have
> done this, you will receive information on how to send directly to the
> list.  Please keep this information for future reference.  
> 
> We can also be reached via Internet telephony by using the speakfreely
> program.  this program can be downloaded at:
> 
> http://www.formilab.ch/speakfree/unix
> 
> When you have installed the program, access the reflector by entering
> :
> 
> lwl..braille.uwo.ca port 4074 
> 
> To see who is on the reflector, go to:
> 
> http://lwl.braille.uwo.ca/speakup.html
> 
> 
> 			    Ann K. Parsons
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 			Ann K. Parsons  
> email:  akp at eznet.net 			ICQ Number:  33006854
> WEB SITE:  http://home.eznet.net/~akp
> "All that is gold does not glitter.  Not all those who wander are lost."  JRRT
> 
> 
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> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 