From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from cantata.rednote.net ([66.92.170.86]) by speech.braille.uwo.ca with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1 (Debian)) id 1AYpeZ-0005zj-00 for ; Tue, 23 Dec 2003 11:45:03 -0500 Received: from cantata.rednote.net (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by cantata.rednote.net (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian-6.6) with ESMTP id hBNGj00h022726 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA bits=168 verify=OK) for ; Tue, 23 Dec 2003 11:45:01 -0500 Received: (from janina@localhost) by cantata.rednote.net (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian-6.6) id hBNGj0ZL022724 for speakup@braille.uwo.ca; Tue, 23 Dec 2003 11:45:00 -0500 Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 11:45:00 -0500 From: Janina Sajka To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." Message-ID: <20031223164459.GB3259@rednote.net> References: <6.0.1.1.0.20031223100651.029b0eb0@pop1.sympatico.ca> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <6.0.1.1.0.20031223100651.029b0eb0@pop1.sympatico.ca> User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.28i Subject: Re: Talking bios X-BeenThere: speakup@braille.uwo.ca X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.3 Precedence: list Reply-To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." List-Id: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:45:03 -0000 Let's generalize this a bit further. Virtually all non Intel computers can be accessed over a serial port at 9600 baud. At least, this has been historically true for systems from DEC, Sun, etc. In other words, the inaccessible bios was first created for Intel computing platforms. I believe this is an important point which should not be forgotten in any advocacy for accessibility on future bios implementations. We're not asking for something new. We're asking that something be maintained. For example, my DEC Alphastation 200 has a perfectly accessible bios. I simply disconnect the monitor and plug a Braille 'N Speakup into its first serial port and have at it. It's brilliant, and this is how I configured the bios on the computer that is now my home server. My experience with this ten year old DEC is the historic norm for computing. Allan Shaw writes: > From: Allan Shaw > > > Back in the very early days of the 8286 CPU's one of the leading bios > manufacturers at that time whom i believe was called Phoenix had a utility > which came with any system containing there bios which would allow you to > modify/configure/set the parameters within the bios by running this utility > from at that time a command prompt. > > I had a system with this type of bios and was using the Artic speech > product and could change anything I require within the bios and then only > had to reboot my machine to pick up the changes. > > so as with many things, all we need to do is once again make the old > something new again and develop something similar for the modern day bios > and make our life a little easier. > If the Phoenix company is still around, maybe that would be a good place to > start. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Speakup mailing list > Speakup@braille.uwo.ca > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup -- Janina Sajka Email: janina@rednote.net Phone: (202) 408-8175 Director, Technology Research and Development American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) http://www.afb.org Chair, Accessibility Work Group Free Standards Group http://accessibility.freestandards.org