Help with serial synths in 4.X kernels

[Jude DaShiell]

hardware speech synthesizers will be available into the future since 
they're used in too many commercial applications to stop producing them.
  The RC systems where the litetalk comes from still sells litetalk 
serial and I think usb synthesizers and the prices for these the last 
time I checked was about $190.00 less than I paid for my original 
synthesizer something like $350.00 many years ago.  Hospitals use 
hardware speech synthesizers to direct patients when certain diagnostic 
tests and treatments get done.

On Wed, 24 Feb 2016, John G Heim wrote:

> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2016 10:44:51
> From: John G Heim <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
> To: Tony Baechler <tony at baechler.net>,
>     Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. <speakup at linux-speakup.org>
> Subject: Re: Help with serial synths in 4.X kernels
> 
> 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)
>
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