Shane's kernels

[Foreign White Devil]

On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 02:41:58AM -0700, Tony Baechler wrote:
> >>I think that Debian is officially supporting the blind, just not as fast 
> >>as one would like or in the manner that Michael seems to think is 
> >>necessary.

	Official Debian support for SpeakUP is all I really care about on 
this mailing list, or what I'd respond to.  The State hasn't helped me
at all with the computer or with learning braille, because I can't get
to their classes on my own.  Bus schedules and unpredictable Dial-A-Ride
service leaves me with little choice but to immediately turn around and
return home once I get to the classes.  They're held at 8:30am, and
there's no possible way I can get to them before 10:45am, so I cannot
qualify for JAWS or any of the other goodies you folks talk about.  All
I have is a home built PC with Linux, and a hardware synth my aunt
bought for me.  It's taken me a year to save up for a refurbished linux
compliant printer.  Dunno how long until I can afford the printer cable
and toner cartridge so I can discuss my situation in detail with the
NFB, and hopefully get out of what I consider to be solitary
confinement, where society has seemed to have abandoned me.
	Anyway, before I lost my sight, I was beginning to explore
Debian, and I'm at least somewhat familiar with it.  When Debian is
released with Orca, I'll explore that.  I've dist-upgraded to Lenny 4
times now, and have had to reinstall Shane's Etch CD just as many times.
SpeakUP always works for me, unless I try compiling my own kernels, end
up wrecking something, and have to go the full re-install route yet
again.
	Would I like official support for SpeakUP in Debian?  You betcha
Maybe then I'll be able to start learning things rather than fighting to
keep things running, or keep from being silently locked out of my
computer with no clue how to fix it.  Since everything seems to be on
wiki pages, and Orca's virtually unusable to me without those wiki
pages, I'm in a catch-22 situation.  The only sighted help I have is one
person who is computer illiterate, and has a panic attack when she looks
at the monitor.  Believe me, I'm trying here, and have already been
hospitalized from the stress, vomitting up blood from the ulcers.  The
only comfort I take from all this griping is that this message will
likely get rejected by the SpeakUP mailing list, and you won't have to
witness it. <laughs>  Sorry for the off-topic rant.  I know you folks
have enough of your own problems.  I'm only asking for an end to all the
catch-22 roadblocks everyone has set up for those of us who've been
abandoned by the Dept of Rehab.  My only other option seems to be
selling pencils on the nearby offramp until someone in authority notices
me, and California drivers really suck about not hitting or shooting 
pedestrians, even when they can read English signs around a person's 
neck. <snickers>

			Michael