On Fri, Jan 04, 2008 at 03:55:19PM +1000, Amanda Tink wrote: > I have a little time on my hands to try installing a few new things for > the first time ever. And it's just occurred to me to wonder if there's > anything I could possibly install that might upset my speakup's world, and > cause it to crash or not talk or whatever? Only installing a new kernel would do that, and only if the new kernel didn't have SspeakUp support. Linux is a series of layers, and the kernel is the foundation on which everything sits, so unless you tear out that foundation, speakup will continue to work without a hitch. As long as text is being sent to the console or text screen,, the kernel will repeat that text to your voice synthesizer, and Debian goes out of it's way not to break any of it's consoles. If you're going to possibly break anything, it will be software speech synthesis in the GUI, which isn't a text console, and redirects screen output a different way, as with the Orca screen reader. Make a copy of your entire /etc directory, just in case. The kernel will never be replaced unless secifically told to do so, but Debian has an annoying habit of removing tons of packages just to install something you thought you wanted to try out...like the the entire X11 window system. Use aptitude, which has the option of cancelling an operation you don't like. HTH, Michael