Introduction and QUestions

Introduction and QUestions

[Chris Hofstader]

Hello Blinux People,

I am an old timer in the software field but an absolute neophyte in the
computing for the blind area of the industry.  I first started programming
computers as a hobbyist when I was 11 years old (1971) and turned professional
in 1979.  I started working on PCs and Macs in the early 80s and have focussed
my attention there ever since.  In the past two years, however, my vision has
deterirated to a point where screen magnifiers and high contrast modes are no
longer helpful.

I have long been active in the free software and open standards movement. 
First as a fundraiser for GNU (1987) and then as co-founder and president of
League for Programming Freedom.  Curiously, my search for a highly accessible
system that will permit me to hack at a high level again has brought me full
circle - right back to GNU.

Throughout this past week, I have had a number of emals and conversations with
rms.  Once I get a system running GNU/Linux with the adaptive technologies
hooked up I will start working full time for Project GNU, writing new and
converting old programs to make them accessible for the blind user.

So, here's my problem.  I have little money.  Therefore, I want to put
together this system on the cheap, using as much of what I already own as the
basis and buying as little as possible new.

I currently have a Power Computing PowerCenter 120 Mac clone.  According to
one of the linux sites there are two versions of the OS which will run on this
machine.  I have a 4gb external SCSI drive which I can use for the system. 
The system has 32mb memory which should be enough for now.  I have no voice
synth. hardware.  Currently, I rely on Apple's PlainTalk in Mac OS8.

Can anyone tell me if there is a software voice synth. for little or no cost
which will run with emacs-speak in this environment?  Also, any suggestions on
the cheapest possible way to get this done will be gratefully accepted.

This blind nerd is anxious to get started so please help.

Thanks
cdh

Re: Introduction and QUestions

[wlestes]

Software synths: rsynth -- needs work but might be useable.
You also might try screader and screenvoice for linux -- check the
archives of this list for the URLs. (the source for screader is on the
blinux ftp site).

There is work being done on an mbrola-emacspeak driver by
bart@socs.uts.edu.au. mbrola is not open-source, but it is
gratis. This might be a starting point.

Also, join the emacspeak mailing list too.

hth,
--will

Terminals and X systems

[Bryan Smart]

Hey everyone.

OK, here is my question.  The CS department here has several Alpha and SGI
boxes in the labs.  I can get Emacspeak or whatever running on them, but
you must be able to use the screen to log in, as many of these are running
some form of X along with a desktop manager of sorts.  I know very little
about X environments, so a probably getting the terminology all wrong.

At any rate, someone here had offered to setup a a config file for X that
would automatically open up an XTerm for me when I log in, but logging in
is the difficulty.

Are there any hot keys that I may find useful in the X environment to help
me do this?  I know others of you ar running X; how do you handle things?

Bryan

--
Bryan R. Smart
E-Mail: bsmart@pobox.com

Re: Terminals and X systems

[Brian L. Sellden]

Hi Bryan,

> At any rate, someone here had offered to setup a a config file for X that
> would automatically open up an XTerm for me when I log in, but logging in
> is the difficulty.

Logging in is simply a matter of typing your username
and password.  Here are some things you should find out.

Are these systems running xdm?
If not, is X getting started automatically via your .login or equivalent?

If X isn't getting started automatically when you log in,
you'll have to start it by hand.  Not a problem, it's usually
started with the 'startx' command.

Either way, have the person who is working on the 'config'
file for you (usually the .Xclients file) make sure that
the xterm is the only client started.  That will ensure that when
X starts you can assume the xterm has input focus.

I may have left something out, but this should get you going.

Good luck,

Brian.
-- 
---------------
Brian L. Sellden - brian@henge.com, brians@usa.net
User of Emacspeak 7.0,  making Unix talk.
http://www.henge.com/~brian
	      What on earth would a man do with himself
		if something did not stand in his way?
		-- H.G. Wells

Re: Terminals and X systems

[James R. Van Zandt]

Bryan -

I've used some SGI machines.  They save the screen setup when you log
off, so if you have opened an xterm, it will be there when you log in
again.  No script should be needed.  However...

1. By default, the focus follows the mouse.  I suppose you could
enlarge the xterm so it covered the whole screen.  What you really
need is click-to-focus, though.  Maybe there is an xresource for this?

2. I don't know how to log off without using the mouse to select an
item from the menu in the top left corner, then confirm.

                           - Jim Van Zandt