Re: Help with serial synths in 4.X kernels

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The hardware might be available but that doesn't mean it will work with the linux kernel.
On 02/24/2016 10:32 PM, Jude DaShiell wrote:
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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