Help with serial synths in 4.X kernels

Thu Feb 25 08:45:05 EST 2016

The hardware might be available but that doesn't mean it will work with 
the linux kernel.
On 02/24/2016 10:32 PM, Jude DaShiell wrote:
> 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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>