Using a DEC Express, in all versions of speakup after about 1.5, I have had an issue where long bouts of speech (a particularly verbal page on a lynx screen, for example, or a directory listing which takes up the full screen and a bit more), has caused the synth to abruptly stop in mid-read, and keys to become unresponsive. That sounds like what you are describing. I can get out of it by hitting or holding down a read key (I default to numpad 2), and after 6-10 hits, the DEC will start saying the current character, and all will be back to normal. I know that the keys continue working, even when the speech has stopped, because if I hold line up, or line down, I will hear the top/bottom of screen beeps. I believe this to be a flow control problem. Luke > I've had the speech output problem you describe through several versions of > Fedora, and also a time or two, I think, after installing Debian via the > mini-beep.iso. Very lately, I've avoided rebooting by hitting the key that > kills and revives Speakup. I typically had to hit it a few times, and > finally Speakup would say "I'm alive." I then quickly decrease and increase > the speech rate and volume, and things seem as before. I realize that ain't > no real fix, and I know nothing about how to do a real fix. I also realize > you may have tried that and it failed, but thought it worth suggesting > anyway. > > Al > > -----Original Message----- > From: speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca [mailto:speakup-bounces at braille.uwo.ca] > On Behalf Of Chuck Hallenbeck > Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 5:14 AM > To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. > Subject: Latest Lenny kernel and ltlk module crash my system > > Hi, > > A week ago Michael reported a problem after upgrading his Debian system > to kernel 2.6.26-1 with the associated speakup modules. His ltlk could > not handle lengthy outputs, and locked up his system completely. I had > just experienced an identical problem with an identical configuration, > and was hoping for a solution. My system worked reliably with the soft > driver using espeakup and espeak in the meantime. Both Michael and I > were working from a fresh Lenny install from Samuel's mini-beep iso, I > believe. We began with the 2.6.25-2 kernel and modules available on > installation, and the crashes only began when upgrading to 2.6.26. > > A day or two ago an upgrade appeared for the 2.6.26-1 kernel, but not > for the modules. Both Michael and I installed the upgrade. He reports > that for him the upgrade solved his ltlk crashing. However, for me it > did not. So I am once again using software speech hoping that a fix may > appear. > > Here is a reliable way to crash my system with the currently available > Debian packages for kernel 2.6.26-1 and the speakup 2.6.26 modules: > > My console is set to 48 lines of 128 characters with the boot parameter > vga=791 > > My email client, mutt, has a folder containing about 60 messages. When > I open that folder with mutt, the screen fills with the index of > messages, and my ltlk begins to read the entire screen starting at the > top. I try to silence the speech with the numpad enter key, but there > is no response. Reading continues. In fact my keyboard seems > unresponsive. Cannot change consoles, exit mutt, stop the speech. In > desperation I issue the three-finger-salute (ctrl-alt-delete) expecting > it too to fail, but it worked. I brought the system down that way. > After rebooting I reverted once again to software speech. > > I am most anxious to simplify my maintenance requirements here, and > was hoping to be able to rely on the newly available Debian packages > which seemed to offer such promise. > > Are there others who are using this configuration with success? i.e., > the Debian kernel and speakup modules for 2.6.26 with the doubletalk LT > (the ltlk) driver? If so, and your system can survive a lengthy text > stream sent to your synth, then perhaps my problem is the synth itself > rather than the supporting software. Fortunately my software speech > setup is robust and responsive. > > Discouraged, > > Chuck > > >
