trying to use brltty to install debian etch on mac mini

[Cheryl Homiak]

I've tried posting about this problem to the brltty list. I also tried 
subscribing to the ubuntu-accessibility list but haven't gotten back a 
confirmation email. so, while i know it's about brltty rather than 
speakup, I hope somebody can help me. I really would like to install 
debian as a second system on my apple mac mini. The reason ubuntu is also 
discussed here is that I tried using the ubuntu powerpc live cd to try to 
troubleshoot my problem with the debian netinst powerpc installer.

My status with trying to get brltty to work with the debian etch netinst CD
now turns out to be the same as that of trying to run brltty in ubuntu. With
both the debian netinst and ubuntu in x86 versions, I have no problem with
brltty. When using the corresponding cds for the powerpc architecture,
brltty does start but then gives me nothing but question marks.

with the ubuntu cd I simply booted and then went to a text console and typed

brltty -b bl -d ttyUSB0

I could see
brltty 3.7.2
but after that I got the rows of question marks. I could hear the display
pins changing as I arrowed or typed but all remained question marks.

With the debian etch netinst for powerpc, which is also using brltty 3.7.2,
when I tried to get brltty on boot by typing

install brltty=bl,ttyUSB0

I got nothing.
so instead, just to see what would happen, I just hit enter at the boot
prompt and then switched with alt-f2 and hit enter to be in a console. there
I typed

brltty -b bl -d ttyUSB0
and hit enter. Brltty 3.7.2 came up but just as on ubuntu in powerpc, I then
got the rows of question marks. Then when I did alt-f1 to go back to the
installer, I got

screen not in text mode

If I do the same thing on the x86 installer cd, switching back to the 
installer gives me perfectly readable braille.

somebody has already suggested that I might need to add the text table 
designation, but this shouldn't be necessary (isn't necessary in the 
corresponding x86 cds) and doesn't help.

does anybody know what is wrong here and is there anything I can do about
it? Since the x86 versions of these CDs work and the ppc versions don't 
for me,
I'm assuming it has something to do with running brltty on a CD with ppc
architecture. If I can solve this, I can very probably accomplish my goal of
having a dual boot mac mini with debian and macosx.

TIA.


-- 
Cheryl

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."


-- 
Cheryl

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."