----- Original Message -----
From: "Allison Mervis" <allisonfm@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 8:21 PM
Subject: Hello from a new member, and some questions
Hi all!
My name is Allison, and I am very new to the world of Linux. I read what
seemed like the portions of the FAQ which pertain to my situation, but I
still have some questions.
Right now, I'm using an Acer laptop running Windows XP home SP2. What I
would like to do is burn an image of a version of Linux bundled with a
Screen reader onto A CD, (I think the correct term is live CD) insert it
into the drive, restart my computer, and have Linux boot up talking. I do
not own a hardware synth, and I understand that this limits my options. I
then want to be able to restart the computer, and tell it to boot back up
in windows. Is such a thing possible? Thanks!
Sorry it took me so long to respond but I was on vacation.
Yes, a CD that you can boot your computer from without effecting the
operating system on your hard drive is called a live CD.
My opinion is that you should start with grml. It's pronounced gremel. You
can download it from www.grml.org. Oralux would also be a good choice. In
some ways oralux is easier to use than grml but in some ways it's harder. If
you start with oralux, you should be able to get speech immediately. But
after it finishes booting, you'll be in emacs which has an extremely high
learning curve. With grml, it's just a bit more difficult to get speech
started but once you get it started, you're just at a linux shell prompt.
And then anything you do from a tutorial on learning linux should work. If
you start with oralux, you'd have to learn at least a little about emacs
before you can start learning about linux.
Another thing to consider is what your goal is. Are you learning linux
because you're a computer professional? If so, that would make a difference
as to how I think you should proceed. I think it is an extremely good
career move if you're blind to learn linux. I don't think I'd be employed if
I didn't know linux. But, linux isn't easy to learn.
Another point to consider is your hardware. You mentioned that you have an
Acer computer. Do you know the amount of memory and the speed of the CPU?
Someone else mentioned ubuntu. This is a live CD that runs a graphical user
interface. As a result, it has some minimal hardware requirements. I've
found that in order to get acceptable performance, you need at least 256 Mb
of RAM and a 1.8 Ghz processor. A computer that is 4 years old or newer
should work. It might work on an older computer but if you are used to JAWS
you will be disappointed.
The ubuntu CD would have the additional disadvantage in that you will have
to learn how to use the graphical user interface as well as the screen
reader.
TThe last point to consider about the ubuntu CD is that the screen reader
it uses, called orca, is still under development. Oralux uses something
called emacspeak which is very stable and grml uses something called speakup
which is also very stable. I am only guessing but I really think that the
vast majority of blind professionals use speakup.
PS: You can use speakup with the live oralux CD. I've never tried it though.
I'm not sure what advantage that would have over using grml.
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