FAQ gally2

Sun Jun 17 12:59:20 EDT 2001

Yes, dectlk is the Express. Good catch.

On Sun, 17 Jun 2001, Darcy Burnard wrote:

> 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
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> >
>
>
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>