On 5 Aug 2002, Krishnakant Ramesh Mane wrote: > having a redhat 7.2 on it. I can't find a way to install the > rpm for emacspeak and viavoice. When I give the rpm command > with the files it just shows that "this software is freely > distrubutable etc" and after this message it does nothing. You can make the install command give you more feedback by adding the "-v" option. It will tell you if it failed to install, and why, in any event. If you try to install it again, and it was already installed, it will tell you so, and refuse to re-install, unless you use the force option. > When I give the WhereIs command for emacspeak or viavoice I > don't find the directory as I expect. This only works if you know the name of an executable file from the install (or man page), and it is installed in a standard place (usually your path). > How to test if it is indeed not getting installed and after You can do an rpm query command to find out. For example, assume you have installed ViaVoice with this command: rpm -iv ViaVoice_TTS_rtk-5.1-1.2.i386.rpm To see what is installed, you then truncate the version and archive type info to leave only the short generic name (often at the first dash), and issue the following command: rpm -q ViaVoice_TTS_rtk and get this output: ViaVoice_TTS_rtk-5.1-1.2 Add the -l option if you want a list of files from the package, and the -i option if you want a description. > installation how to test the sound. Secondly the pc has a > Vibra 128 sound card and I want to know if it is supported in > the first place because if it is not then there is no point > installing these softwares. And the main problem again is the > rpm is it that the rpm command is not working or what else can > be the reason. This would be in the form of modules that come with the kernel. With Red Hat you would run sndconfig to configure for your card, and if successful, it would play a brief sound file. A Debian user would have to tell you how to do it under Debian (but this is normally also done during installation). Try running: cat /proc/sound to see what your kernel thinks you have. Also do something like: play /usr/share/sounds/startup1.wav But use a pathname from your system (this works on my Red Hat system). If it works, you know that the sox textmode sound utilities package (with "play" included) is also installed. Note that some of the more advanced Creative Labs cards were or are only supported with proprietary drivers (so that you must get them from a vendor), and/or only partially. I think some of the Vibra line used to be in this class, though Red Hat ships many of them anyway (Debian is more picky about whether software is free and open). Maybe someone else here has more recent information. Anyway, if you have trouble, you might want to try the newer beta Alsa drivers at http://www.alsa-project.org/, where more cards and more features are supported (such as full duplex operation). Hint: see if you can find already compiled debian packages of the same name on a debian oriented archive or web site, or ask a debian user where to get them. -- L. C. Robinson reply to no_spam+munged_lcr@onewest.net.invalid People buy MicroShaft for compatibility, but get incompatibility and instability instead. This is award winning "innovation". Find out how MS holds your data hostage with "The *Lens*"; see "CyberSnare" at http://www.netaction.org/msoft/cybersnare.html