Hi, One thing that i learned this past weekend is that ther Linux can use something called Emac Speak with VM voice or something close to that. What I like about this is that Emac Speak uses Elequence and i can use my sound card instead of plugging in some other external device. I'm not actually sure how this works as of yet, but i do know some what about it, and from what I hear I think that i will enjoy linux and the emac speak. Now, I am sighted, but my eyes get very tired after staring at the computer screen all day, so i do know that speech will help me out a lot. --- peter. At 09:03 AM 8/25/01 -0500, you wrote: >Hi, I couldn't agree with you more. Linux is finally allowing me to >truely have my own personal computer. I still haven't got everything >set up the way I want, but I only have to take the time to set things up, >instead of spending money and hoping my screen reader will work with the >software. Windows was costing me about $100 per year per screen reader. > > Kenny > >On Sat, Aug 25, 2001 at 01:32:05AM -0500, Rodney Clowdus wrote: > > Could not agree with you more. In the real world there are mechanics who > > love the joy of building a fine running engine and getting under the hood > > to fine tune it. Then there are most people who could care less what's > > under the hood as long as it's pretty, it runs and gets them from point a > > to point b. Likewise with Linux. There are those who love to write > > software without restraints and those who love to configure that software > > to their style and taste. That's the beauty of Linux and the thousands of > > text based programs. Yes every text based program has to be learned and > > configured but that's the fun of it. A blind person can configure Linux > > however he pleases and yes it's a greasy job but at least we'll know how > > to make it run like we want it and not like somebody else tells us how it > > should be. > > I'm learning the ropes of alsaplayer, freeamp, alsamixer, pmidi, play, > > sfxload, etc: I'm also learning about the many powerful features of the > > Sound Blaster Live card. I'm able to do things I could never do in > > Winblows or a stereo player. I can configure these command line programs > > to play whatever songs I want to hear. I can name my files whatever I > > want to allow for better archiving for easier retrieving. For example I > > just figured out a few minutes ago that I can save my irish bagpipe .mp3 > > files by adding an extra extension to the end of .mp3 like for example a > > song named < sailer's lament.mp3.bp > I added an .bp at the end of .mp3 > > so that when I want to play all my bagpipe mp3 files which may be in my > > music directory I just simply type freeamp *.mp3.bp and bingo all my > > bagpipe songs will play until all of the files with the extension bp at > > the end of .mp3 are finished playing! Now that's the joy of Linux! Linux > > allows me to listen to music in a way that's virtually impossible using > > Windblows or a fancy expensive stereo equipment. > > I just thought of another idea while I'm typing and that's the another > > beauty about Linux if you can think it you can do it. Suppose you have > > your favorite country music among others. Just add fc to the end of the > > mp3 extension and you can create a script that runs freeamp that allows > > you just to type myfavoritecountrymusic and bingo all your favorite > > country music starts up! The possiblity are endless and that's why it's > > hard to find a pre-configured Linux box to do everything like you want it > > because every Linux box is probably configured to that person's taste. > > We are a Linux community and we share our configurations and ideas with > > others. It's all about sharing. We will never need the commercialized > > version of Linux to fit our needs. The blind linux community has all the > > tools we need to share and to explore the endless possiblities. We have > > the tools to make the best speech interface computer this world has yet to > > see. We are just getting started. We have not yet begun to fight. And in > > accordance to a famous line "Give me liberty or give me death!" "Give me > > Linux or give me Windows!" Take your pick. <grin> > > Rodney > > The Weaving Beaver > > rclowdus at kcnet.com > > "Chop your own firewood and it will warm you twice." > > "Weave your own cloth and it will reward you twice." > > > > On Fri, 24 Aug 2001, Gregory Nowak wrote: > > > > > Linux is not a comercial product > > > in the way that macroslop windows is. > > > So, I don't think you have anything to worry about. > > > There will always have to be a text console on a system, and you can > edit init scripts > > > to provent xwindows from starting up. > > > Greg > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Aug 24, 2001 at 09:33:46PM -0400, Charles Crawford wrote: > > > > Liz, > > > > > > > > I think you are wise to get ahead of the game by doing the > stuff > > > > Linux can do without the heartaches of configure configure > configure. If > > > > Linux is to make the mainstream or at least a brook, then it has to > work > > > > for the average person without too much of the configuring > issues. I know, > > > > its kind of plug and play, but why not have our cake and eat it > too? We > > > > get the ease of setup and the power of Linux. What's not to > like? Smile. > > > > > > > > My bigger concern is the Xwindows problem of a repeat of what > > > > Windows did to DOS. > > > > > > > > -- Charlie. > > > > At 04:12 PM 08/24/2001 -0400, you wrote: > > > > > > > > >>"no market," but the radical truth is more like "We haven't a > > > > >>clue of how to get money for it." > > > > > > > > > >Forgive a comment from an extreme newbie who doesn't even *have* > Linux yet. > > > > > > > > > >I've been looking at the companies who make Linux preinstalled systems > > > > >(there's a long list at linux.org), and they seem to have some kind of > > > > >market niche because some of them use hardware that has been > tested and is > > > > >known to be Linux-compatible. With the Windoze dominance of the > entire > > > > >computing market, it's attractive to me to buy a system whose > components > > > > >are known to be compatible with Linux. It seems better than ordering > > > > >elsewhere and not being sure the different parts of the system > will work > > > > >well with Linux. > > > > > > > > > >any comments or thoughts? > > > > > > > > > >Liz > > > > >Liz Hare, Ph.D. > > > > >Research Associate > > > > >Animal Breeding and Genetics Group > > > > >B47 Morrison Hall > > > > >Cornell University > > > > >Ithaca, NY 14853 > > > > >(607) 255 2380 > > > > >eh51 at cornell.edu > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > > > > >Speakup mailing list > > > > >Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > > >http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Speakup mailing list > > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Speakup mailing list > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Speakup mailing list > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > >_______________________________________________ >Speakup mailing list >Speakup at braille.uwo.ca >http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup