Zipspeak 9.1 has been released!

[Debee Norling]

Saqib: I don't feel abandoned at all. No need to appologize. Nobody's
getting paid on this list to help, and I hope that any pleas for help always
come across as requests and never demands!

I work in a community college where so many disabled students have
completely bought the "handout" mentality. They think everyone's available
all the time to help just them.  I hope I never come across like that!

Your instructions on converting Zipspeak to the newest version worked great.
I tried it on a zip disk so I could play with Linux safely on my system at
work. (Don't think my boss would appreciate me partitioning his drive!!)

By the way, my preferred decompressing program under Windows is
PowerArchiver. It handles both zip and TGZ files fine, as well as really old
formats like ZOO  and LZH. www.powerarchiver.com. Works with all screen
access and Braille access. Has no surprising behavior and costs nothing.

Nick: Even if it isn't strictly necessary, a new zipspeak is going to fill
an important need. Lots of people may want to try Linux but aren't permitted
to fool with a shared computer. I know that in Canada, clients often have to
sign a contract agreeing that if the state provides them a computer, they
can't install extra stuff on it. This is an oversimplification: the idea is
to prevent family members screwing up the system with games and spyware.

I have five computers at home, but I'm not at home that much. I needed
zipspeak so I could use my commute productively.  I turned a sighted friend
on to Zipslack because he needed a temporary way to read his mail until his
main UNIX box came back from the shop.

There are hundreds of reasons why someone starting out can't just partition
a drive!

Re: choosing a distro. Threads keep drifting back to that topic. It seems
simple to me -- a lot more simple than the complexities of patches and
modules. You simply go to the distro's website and start reading.  If it
looks good for you, try it -- buy it at LinuxMall, LinuxCentral  or
somewhere else cheap. If it looks too hard, or too weird or just not in sync
with your own personal style, then pass it on by!

--Debee

* Who is going to be a Linux guru someday if it doesn't kill her first. *