newbie question...

[Chris Gray]

Hi Janina:

I can appreciate what you're saying about a hardware synthesizer. 
Have you seen any USB-based, Linux-compatible synthesizers yet? These 
days, USB ports are the most available real estate on boxes from 
manufacturers like Dell it seems.

Thanks.

Chris

On Wed, 
5 Jan 2005, Janina Sajka wrote:

> Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 19:03:55 -0500
> From: Janina Sajka <janina at rednote.net>
> Reply-To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>     <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> Subject: Re: newbie question...
> 
> Hi, Laura:
>
> The installation HOWTO for the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution is
> at:
>
> http://www.linux-speakup.org/ftp/disks/fedora/HOWTO_INSTALL.html
>
> However, you will not be able to install with software speech. And, if
> you really want to admin your systems, I would highly advise you get a
> hardware speech synth. The reason is that it will work even when your
> system isn't working properly. Software speech, on the other hand,
> requires your system to boot, and all your sound configurations to be
> correct.
>
> I would look for a used synth on Ebay, or buy one of the currently
> available synths from Access Solutions. But, I would get a hardware
> synth. Am I repeating myself yet? <grin> Sorry about that.
>
> Laura Eaves writes:
>> Hello -- I'm new to the list and am looking to get a new laptop on which i
>> want to run linux with speakup.
>> I am an experienced unix user, but switched to windows when my vision got to
>> the point where i could not read the screen with screen mag any longer, and
>> so i started using a windows screen reader.
>> However now i understand there are quite good screen readers for linux, of
>> which yasr, speakup, emacspeak and gnopernicus are recommended by various
>> people.
>> i want speakup as i want to administer my household linux box and so want
>> control of the console as early in the boot process as possible.
>>
>> Ok, now after having read the blurbs on the speakup web pages, i have the
>> following questions:
>>
>> I noticed one of the pages listed a project called Tuxtalk that was a
>> minimal software synth compiled in with speakup in the kernel to eliminate
>> the need for a hardware synth.  However, the page was dated 2002 and the
>> project wasn't finished.
>> Since i don't have a hardware synth (yet anyway), is there currently a
>> version of speakup that runs without a hardware synth?
>> If so, what are the hardware requirements? i.e., sound card etc.
>>
>> Also, i noticed speakup works with a bunch of hardwaare synths and also most
>> or all of the major linux implementations, but i couldn't find at first
>> glance whether i needed to comppile the kernel myself or whether there were
>> binaries available.
>> could someone point me to a place for newbie linux-speakup installers to
>> learn about hardware requirements and how to build and/or select and install
>> the right version of linux with speakup?
>> Can speakup with linux run well on a laptop?
>>
>> Thanks for any info on these topics!
>> there is actually general interest among several people on another lisst --
>> and I have posted the address of this list for them to join if they want --
>> but if they don't id like to pass along any info I find out.
>> Thanks in advance and happy new year!
>> --le
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
>> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
>

-- 

Chris Gray, Sr. Technical Writer        Symantec Corporation
415-365-6199 voice                      301 Howard Street, Suite 1800
415-348-9636 fax             		San Francisco, CA 94105