The official FAQ

[Kirk Reiser]

			     SPEAKUP FAQ

The document below is designed to answer the most frequently asked
questions about Speakup, the screen reader/speech access system for
the Gnu/Linux Operating System, used by people who are blind.  Speakup 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.

This is version 1.0 of this FAQ.  As Speakup is developed, this FAQ
will change.  



q.  Why should I use Speakup?

A.  If you are blind and want to use Gnu/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 Gnu/Linux OS.  It works particularly well
with applications such as Lynx and Pine. 


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 Gnu/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.  The
bottom line is, if it can run windows3.1 or better, , it can run Gnu/Linux.   


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.  The list below contains the
name of the synthesizer plus its designation for commands used to get
it running.

Accent PC: acntpc
Accent SA: acntsa
Apollo: apolo
Audapter: audptr
Braille 'n Speak, and other such Blazie products: bns
DecTalk External (older model): decext
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 Gnu/Linux Program and does not work in Windows,
there is a mini version of Gnu/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 Gnu/Linux but do not
wish to devote much disk space, or resources to it.  It can be
expanded into a full Gnu/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/Gnu/Linux.  It is a complete desktop system for the OS, and works
well with any console application that has been linked to it.
It is designed to be a full desktop system containing editor, mailer,
calendar, database and web browser.  It also includes a complete set
of sound icons which make this application wonderfully suited for the
user who is blind.

However, Emacspeak has some significant drawbacks.  It does not work well
with applications which are not connected to it, e.g. Lynx and Pine.
The learning curve may be steeper for some as well because one has to
learn Gnu/Emacs itself.  Because this program is so powerful and
versatile, it does take some time to learn, but the rewards are great.
T

Speakup gives one complete access to console applications run in
Gnu/Gnu/Linux.  It does work well with pine and with Lynx.  Some may find
that when editing Speakup may not give as much information as one
needs, but this can be worked around.  This problem, called cursoring,
is under advisement, and significant strides have been made toward
solving it. 

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, the CVS version, is designed to
work with multiple synthesizers.  One chooses one's synthesizer via a
menu before the program compiles the kernel.  It works with all
kernels above 2.2.18.  Versions 0.10 and 0.10A are designed to work
with individual synthesizers and one must compile the correct file to
match your synthesizer.  It is possible to run these two programs on
kernels lower than 2.2.18.  The CVS version is preferred because it is
the easiest to work with and is bundled with Debian and Slackware CD's
already.  


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.  How do I install Speakup?

A.  As mentioned above you need to have either the latest, CVS
version, or one of the the recompiled kernels for your synthesizer if
your kernel is lower than 2.2.18.  Instructions on installation can be
found at the braille.uwo.ca site or on the Debian or Slackware CD's.  


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.  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

Speakfreely for Windows can be downloaded at:

http://www.speakfreely.org

When you have installed the program, consult the documentation for the
needed commands to access our reflector.  The address is:

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