Saqib: I don't feel abandoned at all. No need to appologize. Nobody's getting paid on this list to help, and I hope that any pleas for help always come across as requests and never demands! I work in a community college where so many disabled students have completely bought the "handout" mentality. They think everyone's available all the time to help just them. I hope I never come across like that! Your instructions on converting Zipspeak to the newest version worked great. I tried it on a zip disk so I could play with Linux safely on my system at work. (Don't think my boss would appreciate me partitioning his drive!!) By the way, my preferred decompressing program under Windows is PowerArchiver. It handles both zip and TGZ files fine, as well as really old formats like ZOO and LZH. www.powerarchiver.com. Works with all screen access and Braille access. Has no surprising behavior and costs nothing. Nick: Even if it isn't strictly necessary, a new zipspeak is going to fill an important need. Lots of people may want to try Linux but aren't permitted to fool with a shared computer. I know that in Canada, clients often have to sign a contract agreeing that if the state provides them a computer, they can't install extra stuff on it. This is an oversimplification: the idea is to prevent family members screwing up the system with games and spyware. I have five computers at home, but I'm not at home that much. I needed zipspeak so I could use my commute productively. I turned a sighted friend on to Zipslack because he needed a temporary way to read his mail until his main UNIX box came back from the shop. There are hundreds of reasons why someone starting out can't just partition a drive! Re: choosing a distro. Threads keep drifting back to that topic. It seems simple to me -- a lot more simple than the complexities of patches and modules. You simply go to the distro's website and start reading. If it looks good for you, try it -- buy it at LinuxMall, LinuxCentral or somewhere else cheap. If it looks too hard, or too weird or just not in sync with your own personal style, then pass it on by! --Debee * Who is going to be a Linux guru someday if it doesn't kill her first. *
