hardware speech synthesizers will be available into the future since
they're used in too many commercial applications to stop producing them.
The RC systems where the litetalk comes from still sells litetalk
serial and I think usb synthesizers and the prices for these the last
time I checked was about $190.00 less than I paid for my original
synthesizer something like $350.00 many years ago. Hospitals use
hardware speech synthesizers to direct patients when certain diagnostic
tests and treatments get done.
On Wed, 24 Feb 2016, John G Heim wrote:
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2016 10:44:51
From: John G Heim <jheim@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tony Baechler <tony@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. <speakup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Help with serial synths in 4.X kernels
Well, first of all, I didn't mean to say you shouldn't use a serial
hardware synth. However,IMO, you would be wise to consider contingency
plans. If your livelihood depends on that serial synth, you'd be wise to
begin examining your alternatives.
Also, I can't promise to debug the kernel code. When I said check the
syslog, I meant for you to check the syslog. If I can find the time to
take a look at it, I certainly will but I can't promise that. I suspect
that what's happening is that when speakup tries to "steal" the serial
port, the return value is no longer just null. When I last traced back
the functions that speakup was calling to steal the serial port, it was
bullstuff. Speakup called a function that did nothing -- which isn't the
fault of the speakup developers. I suspect that those functions now do
something -- probably not what we want but something.
It has probably been a year since I last posted a rant on this list
about the linux kernel developers. As I write this, I find myself
getting all worked up about it again. The one good thing about Trump
running for President is that now I have someone I find more arrogant
and irritating than the linux kernel development team.
On 02/24/2016 08:29 AM, Tony Baechler wrote:
On 2/23/2016 6:31 AM, John G Heim wrote:
You should check the syslog. There are almost certainly messages in
there
reporting what is happening. I'll try to compile 4.3 kernels for
ubuntu and
debian over the next few days. I had planned to automate the process.
Every
time my ubuntu machines download a new kernel, generate a new patched
kernel
package. I never got around to it though. I was using a sed command to
comment out the line that caused serial synths to not work so that
automation was possible. Part of the problem here is that I have kind of
given up on serial synths myself. I have been depending more and more
on the
combination of a braille display and software speech. It seems to me
that
using a hardware speech synth is going against the grain these days.
As Karen and others have pointed out, we all have our own personal
speech preferences. In my case, I have multiple reasons for wanting
serial speech to work. I find it easier to hear and understand for one
thing. There are some bugs in the DECtalk Express module which might
be easily fixed, but the last unpatched kernel I know of that actually
worked was 2.6.32 which is no longer supported. Anyway, as requested,
here is the dmesg output. I don't see anything helpful. I did the
following:
service espeakup stop
rmmod speakup_soft
modprobe speakup_dectlk
rmmod speakup_dectlk
rmmod speakup
modprobe speakup_soft
espeakup
[ 11.336314] r8169 0000:02:00.0 eth0: link up
[ 11.336325] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth0: link becomes ready
[ 27.013903] releasing synth soft
[ 27.013975] unregistered /dev/softsynth
[ 32.824006] speakup: unregistering synth device /dev/synth
[ 56.630004] speakup: module is from the staging directory, the
quality is unknown, you have been warned.
[ 56.630896] input: Speakup as /devices/virtual/input/input7
[ 56.631031] initialized device: /dev/synth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 25)
[ 56.631055] speakup 3.1.6: initialized
[ 56.631057] synth name on entry is: dectlk
[ 56.639855] speakup_dectlk: module is from the staging directory,
the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
[ 56.640036] synth probe
[ 56.640039] Ports not available, trying to steal them
[ 56.640042] Unable to allocate port at 3f8, errno -16
[ 56.640044] Dectalk Express: not found
[ 56.640045] dectlk: device probe failed
[ 67.012005] speakup: unregistering synth device /dev/synth
[ 70.985966] speakup: module is from the staging directory, the
quality is unknown, you have been warned.
[ 70.986851] input: Speakup as /devices/virtual/input/input8
[ 70.986983] initialized device: /dev/synth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 25)
[ 70.987006] speakup 3.1.6: initialized
[ 70.987008] synth name on entry is: dectlk
[ 70.987055] speakup_soft: module is from the staging directory, the
quality is unknown, you have been warned.
[ 70.987193] synth probe
[ 70.987230] initialized device: /dev/softsynth, node (MAJOR 10,
MINOR 26)
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