Latest Lenny kernel and ltlk module crash my system

[luke]

Using a DEC Express, in all versions of speakup after about 1.5, I have 
had an issue where long bouts of speech (a particularly verbal page on a 
lynx screen, for example, or a directory listing which takes up the full 
screen and a bit more), has caused the synth to abruptly stop in mid-read, 
and keys to become unresponsive.

That sounds like what you are describing.  I can get out of it by hitting 
or holding down a read key (I default to numpad 2), and after 6-10 hits, 
the DEC will start saying the current character, and all will be back 
to normal.

I know that the keys continue working, even when the speech has stopped, 
because if I hold line up, or line down, I will hear the top/bottom of 
screen beeps.

I believe this to be a flow control problem.

Luke

> I've had the speech output problem you describe through several versions of
> Fedora, and also a time or two, I think, after installing Debian via the
> mini-beep.iso.  Very lately, I've avoided rebooting by hitting the key that
> kills and revives Speakup.  I typically had to hit it a few times, and
> finally Speakup would say "I'm alive."  I then quickly decrease and increase
> the speech rate and volume, and things seem as before.  I realize that ain't
> no real fix, and I know nothing about how to do a real fix.  I also realize
> you may have tried that and it failed, but thought it worth suggesting
> anyway.  
> 
> Al 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca [mailto:speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca]
> On Behalf Of Chuck Hallenbeck
> Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 5:14 AM
> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
> Subject: Latest Lenny kernel and ltlk module crash my system
> 
> Hi,
> 
> A week ago Michael reported a problem after upgrading his Debian system
> to kernel 2.6.26-1 with the associated speakup modules. His ltlk could
> not handle lengthy outputs, and locked up his system completely. I had
> just experienced an identical problem with an identical configuration,
> and was hoping for a solution. My system worked reliably with the soft
> driver using espeakup and espeak in the meantime. Both Michael and I
> were working from a fresh Lenny install from Samuel's mini-beep iso, I
> believe. We began with the 2.6.25-2 kernel and modules available on
> installation, and the crashes only began when upgrading to 2.6.26.
> 
> A day or two ago an upgrade appeared for the 2.6.26-1 kernel, but not
> for the modules. Both Michael and I installed the upgrade. He reports
> that for him the upgrade solved his ltlk crashing. However, for me it
> did not. So I am once again using software speech hoping that a fix may
> appear. 
> 
> Here is a reliable way to crash my system with the currently available
> Debian packages for kernel 2.6.26-1 and the speakup 2.6.26 modules:
> 
> My console is set to 48 lines of 128 characters with the boot parameter
> vga=791
> 
> My email client, mutt, has a folder containing about 60 messages. When
> I open that folder with mutt, the screen fills with the index of
> messages, and my ltlk begins to read the entire screen starting at the
> top. I try to silence the speech with the numpad enter key, but there
> is no response. Reading continues. In fact my keyboard seems
> unresponsive. Cannot change consoles, exit mutt, stop the speech. In
> desperation I issue the three-finger-salute (ctrl-alt-delete) expecting
> it too to fail, but it worked. I brought the system down that way.
> After rebooting I reverted once again to software speech.
> 
> I am most anxious to simplify my maintenance requirements here, and
> was hoping to be able to rely on the newly available Debian packages
> which seemed to offer such promise. 
> 
> Are there others who are using this configuration with success? i.e.,
> the Debian kernel and speakup modules for 2.6.26 with the doubletalk LT
> (the ltlk) driver? If so, and your system can survive a lengthy text
> stream sent to your synth, then perhaps my problem is the synth itself
> rather than the supporting software. Fortunately my software speech
> setup is robust and responsive.
> 
> Discouraged,
> 
> Chuck
> 
> 
>