screader 1.5d beta released

screader 1.5d beta released

[Jos Lemmens]

Hi all,

Now available on my homepage http://www.inter.nl.net/users/jlemmens
is an new beta release of screader.
Some of the features are:
                              
- going one character left or right.
- skipping word left or right.
- words can be spoken as words or character-by-character.
- if needed the word 'cap' is spoken before capitilized characters.
- key clicking on every typed key.

Screader can use nearly every software speech synthesizer. Like Festival
or Freephone (both mbrola)
Also hardware cards seems to work. (Accent)

      Best regards,
      
          Jos.

--

   -------------------------------
   Jos Lemmens
   The Netherlands
   Tel.: + 31-10-248 0 266
   E-mail: jlemmens@inter.NL.net
   Homepage: www.inter.nl.net/users/jlemmens

Help with software practicum project

[Jason Smith]

Hello all,

As part of a senior-level software practicum course here at Clemson
University in Clemson, SC, we are to design and demonstrate a web browser
which overcomes the existing problems for the visually impaired.  See
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~jks/ece453/docs/requirements.html if you are
interested in the general project requirements.

In order to do testing of existing solutions and development, we would
like to get a hold of a speech synthesizer.  Something like the DECtalk
Express that would easily interface with anything from a PC to a
workstation would be ideal.  Our budget for the project is extremely
limited, so we are looking for someone who could possibly donate or loan
us the equipment for the semester, which ends in May.  I have called
several people at Digital and our local DECtalk resellers, but everyone
either seems to send me to someone else or doesn't return calls.  So, if
any of you have equipment you could loan us or know of someone who does,
we would appreciate your help. 

If we're not able to get something like a DECtalk Express, we'll be
looking for other possible solutions.  Ideally we're looking for a way of
synthesizing speech that will work across multiple platforms.  The DECtalk
Express seems to be the only thing I've seen that would be relatively
simple to work with using multiple platforms and operating systems, but if
you know of any other solutions please let me know.

Thank you for your help,
Jason Smith 

Re: Help with software practicum project

[Dan Rossi]

A DecTalk express is not your only choice.  Many external synths will do
the job just fine and a lot cheaper.  And on some of them you wouldn't
need as much driver overhead as the Dec.


Blue Skies
Dan Rossi
E-mail: drossi@eskimo.com
Home page: http://www.eskimo.com/~drossi
\x1a

Re: Help with software practicum project

[L. C. Robinson]

On Wed, 28 Jan 1998, Jason Smith wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> As part of a senior-level software practicum course here at Clemson
> University in Clemson, SC, we are to design and demonstrate a web browser
> which overcomes the existing problems for the visually impaired.  See
> http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~jks/ece453/docs/requirements.html if you are
> interested in the general project requirements.

What about adapting lynx beyond the blind help files, etc, that
are available for it?  Maybe add a blind mode to it, that can
be entered with just a keystroke, and configured in the .lynxrc
file.  Maybe borrow the technology for review from "screader",
which is based on "screen".

> In order to do testing of existing solutions and development, we would
> like to get a hold of a speech synthesizer.  Something like the DECtalk
> Express that would easily interface with anything from a PC to a
> workstation would be ideal.  Our budget for the project is extremely

Why not instead work on making one of the _software_ synth solutions,
which use normal existing sound hardware (sound cards, in the Intel
PC environment), easy to install and use, out of the box, and clean
up some of the bugs in the process, plus work on portability.  I 
think existing hardware solutions are excessively expensive, and
proprietary by nature, and thus violate the protocols in your
assignment laid out in the URL above.  This might also compensate
for the reduced work involved in leveraging the existing and mature
lynx technology, and using existing solutions is required by the
assignment.

> limited, so we are looking for someone who could possibly donate or loan
> us the equipment for the semester, which ends in May.  I have called
> several people at Digital and our local DECtalk resellers, but everyone
> either seems to send me to someone else or doesn't return calls.  So, if

I can't afford one either.  Disabilities can make you poor.  But
the sound card solution may turn out to be better anyway, if the
stuff can be packaged well, and posted in an accessible archive.

> If we're not able to get something like a DECtalk Express, we'll be
> looking for other possible solutions.  Ideally we're looking for a
> way of synthesizing speech that will work across multiple platforms.

Like mbrola?  And someone here mentioned a thing called "say".

> The DECtalk Express seems to be the only thing I've seen that would
> be relatively simple to work with using multiple platforms and
> operating systems, but if you know of any other solutions please let
> me know.

Have you explored the sites that are always appended to each message
on this list?  Do some research.  You'll be surprised:
> Blinux software archive at ftp://leb.net/pub/blinux
> Blinux web page at http://leb.net/blinux

L. C. Robinson
reply to infynity@cyberhighway.net (a family account)