Help with serial synths in 4.X kernels

[covici at ccs.covici.com]

So as a temporary workaround for this, I just comment out the return
null statement when speakup can't steal the port back, and so we have
speech.  We can't reload another module in this case, but we do have
speech.

John G Heim <jheim at math.wisc.edu> wrote:

> Well, first of all, I didn't mean to say you shouldn't use a serial
> hardware synth. However,IMO, you would be wise to consider contingency
> plans. If your livelihood depends on that serial synth, you'd be wise
> to begin examining your alternatives.
> 
> Also, I can't promise to debug the kernel code. When I said check the
> syslog, I meant for you to check the syslog. If I can find the time to
> take a look at it, I certainly will but I can't promise that. I
> suspect that what's happening is that when speakup tries to "steal"
> the serial port, the return value is no longer just null. When I last
> traced back the functions that speakup was calling to steal the serial
> port, it was bullstuff. Speakup called a function that did nothing --
> which isn't the fault of the speakup developers. I suspect that those
> functions now do something -- probably not what we want but something.
> 
> It has probably been a year since I last posted a rant on this list
> about the linux kernel developers. As I write this, I find myself
> getting all worked up about it again. The one good thing about Trump
> running for President is that now I have someone I find more arrogant
> and irritating than the linux kernel development team.
> 
> 
> 
> On 02/24/2016 08:29 AM, Tony Baechler wrote:
> > On 2/23/2016 6:31 AM, John G Heim wrote:
> >> You should check the syslog. There are almost certainly messages in
> >> there
> >> reporting what is happening. I'll try to compile 4.3 kernels for
> >> ubuntu and
> >> debian over the next few days. I had planned to automate the
> >> process. Every
> >> time my ubuntu machines download a new kernel, generate a new
> >> patched kernel
> >> package. I never got around to it though. I was using a sed command to
> >> comment out the line that caused serial synths to not work so that
> >> automation was possible. Part of the problem here is that I have kind of
> >> given up on serial synths myself. I have been depending more and
> >> more on the
> >> combination of a braille display and software speech.  It seems to
> >> me that
> >> using a hardware speech synth is going against the grain these days.
> >
> >
> > As Karen and others have pointed out, we all have our own personal
> > speech preferences. In my case, I have multiple reasons for wanting
> > serial speech to work. I find it easier to hear and understand for
> > one thing. There are some bugs in the DECtalk Express module which
> > might be easily fixed, but the last unpatched kernel I know of that
> > actually worked was 2.6.32 which is no longer supported. Anyway, as
> > requested, here is the dmesg output. I don't see anything helpful. I
> > did the following:
> >
> > service espeakup stop
> > rmmod speakup_soft
> > modprobe speakup_dectlk
> > rmmod speakup_dectlk
> > rmmod speakup
> > modprobe speakup_soft
> > espeakup
> >
> > [   11.336314] r8169 0000:02:00.0 eth0: link up
> > [   11.336325] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth0: link becomes ready
> > [   27.013903] releasing synth soft
> > [   27.013975] unregistered /dev/softsynth
> > [   32.824006] speakup: unregistering synth device /dev/synth
> > [   56.630004] speakup: module is from the staging directory, the
> > quality is unknown, you have been warned.
> > [   56.630896] input: Speakup as /devices/virtual/input/input7
> > [   56.631031] initialized device: /dev/synth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 25)
> > [   56.631055] speakup 3.1.6: initialized
> > [   56.631057] synth name on entry is: dectlk
> > [   56.639855] speakup_dectlk: module is from the staging directory,
> > the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
> > [   56.640036] synth probe
> > [   56.640039] Ports not available, trying to steal them
> > [   56.640042] Unable to allocate port at 3f8, errno -16
> > [   56.640044] Dectalk Express: not found
> > [   56.640045] dectlk: device probe failed
> > [   67.012005] speakup: unregistering synth device /dev/synth
> > [   70.985966] speakup: module is from the staging directory, the
> > quality is unknown, you have been warned.
> > [   70.986851] input: Speakup as /devices/virtual/input/input8
> > [   70.986983] initialized device: /dev/synth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 25)
> > [   70.987006] speakup 3.1.6: initialized
> > [   70.987008] synth name on entry is: dectlk
> > [   70.987055] speakup_soft: module is from the staging directory,
> > the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
> > [   70.987193] synth probe
> > [   70.987230] initialized device: /dev/softsynth, node (MAJOR 10,
> > MINOR 26)
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup at linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 

-- 
Your life is like a penny.  You're going to lose it.  The question is:
How do
you spend it?

         John Covici
         covici at ccs.covici.com