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| -rw-r--r-- | chapter_15.xml | 2 |
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diff --git a/appendix_emacspeak.xml b/appendix_emacspeak.xml new file mode 100644 index 0000000..776c5af --- /dev/null +++ b/appendix_emacspeak.xml @@ -0,0 +1,246 @@ +<appendix id="ap_emacspeak"> + <title>Emacspeak for Blind Users</title> + +<para> + Slackware Linux includes two methods of creating a blind-accessible + distribution: the Speakup.s kernel and + <application>emacspeak</application>. +</para> + +<para> + The Speakup.s kernel is configured to work with hardware + speech-synthesizers which connect to a non-sighted user's computer + and "speaks" whatever is sent to standard out. +</para> + +<para> + Not all non-sighted users have access to hardware + speech-synthesizers and even those that do might find it cumbersome + to carry one along with their laptop every time they go out. To + account for this, <application>Emacspeak</application> was + developed, by a non-sighted programmer, to create audio output from normal + interactions in <application>Emacs</application>. Since + <application>Emacs</application> is so extensible and has modes for + shell access, office work, email, web browsing, file management, and + so much more, it can act as the primary UI for the rest of the OS. +</para> + +<section id="emacspeak_reqs"> + <title>Prerequisites</title> + +<para> + Before you install <application>Emacspeak</application>, you should + (obviously) first have installed + <application>Emacs</application>. If you excluded this from your + initial install, then add it with + <application>slackpkg</application> or + <application>pkgtool</application> (it can be found in application + set "e"). +</para> + +<para> + You should also have at least one user (not including root) on the + system, and this user should be a member of the audio group. +</para> +</section> + +<section id="emacspeak_install"> +<title>Installing Emacspeak</title> + +<para> + <application>Emacspeak</application> can be installed over the + network with <application>slackpkg</application>. See <xref + linkend="pkg_slackpkg"/> for more information. +</para> + +<screen> + <prompt>darkstar:~# </prompt><command>slackpkg</command> install emacspeak +</screen> + +<para> + You can also install it from the install media using + <application>pkgtool</application> or + <application>installpkg</application>. <application>Emacspeak</application> + can be found in the <filename>/extra</filename> directory on the + disc. +</para> + +<para> + Once <application>Emacspeak</application> has been installed, it + needs to be configured, but you can test that it has been installed + by simply typing <command>emacspeak</command> at a shell + prompt. <application>Emacs</application> will start and return some + errors in the minibuffer; this is expected, since we have yet to + configure the backend for sound. +</para> + +<para> + To exit <application>emacs</application>, type + <keycap>control</keycap>-x <keycap>control</keycap>-c</para>. + +<!-- not closing install section cuz we are still sorta installing --> + +<section id="emacspeak_config"> +<title>Configuring Emacspeak</title> + +<para> + In order for <application>emacspeak</application> to produce sound, + your system requires speech synthesizer software. As of this + writing, <application>flite</application> is the most actively + maintained and most reliable free speech synthesizer for + Linux. While it does not ship with Slackware, it can be obtained + as an RPM package from <ulink + url="dl.fedoraproject.org/blah/blah/">LINK HERE</ulink> + <!-- Its homepage <ulink + url="http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/flite/packed/flite-1.3/flite-1.3-release.tar.gz">http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/flite/packed/flite-1.3/flite-1.3-release.tar.gz</ulink--> +</para> + +<para> + Use <application>rpm2tgz</application> to convert the RPM package to + a Slackware Package, and install using + <application>installpkg</application> as discussed in <xref linkend="pkg_rpm2tgz"/>. +</para> + +<para> + You can test <application>flite</application> once it has been + installed with the command <command>flite</command> <arg>-t</arg> + <userinput>foo</userinput>. You should hear + <application>flite</application> speak "foo". If you do not, + then either <application>flite</application> has not been installed + correctly, or your computer's sound is not working or is + muted. Check <application>alsamixer</application> to adjust the + levels of your speakers, use <application>lsmod</application> to + find out if your computer speakers are being recognized at all, and + <command>which</command> <userinput>flite</userinput> to ensure that + <application>flite</application> actually got installed. +</para> + +<para> + With <application>flite</application> and + <application>emacspeak</application> confirmed, your system now has + both the user interface and the speech synthesizer to vocalize input + and output. The final component necessary is a speech server to + bridge these two separate parts. The speech server that has been + developed for <application>flite</application> is + <application>eflite</application>, and is available directly from + its homepage at <ulink + url="http://eflite.sourceforge.net">eflite.sourceforge.net</ulink>. +</para> + +<para> + To build eflite from source code: +</para> + +<screen> + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt>tar -xf eflite*gz && cd eflite* + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt>make + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt>make test +</screen> + +<para> + The test should play a voice confirming that eflite is working + properly. If you hear nothing, do not install + <application>eflite</application> until you diagnose and repair the + problem. +</para> + +<para> + Assuming all goes well, install <application>eflite</application>: +</para> + +<screen> + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt>su -c 'make install' +</screen> + +<para> + An environment variable needs to be established so that + <application>emacspeak</application> knows what speech server to + use: +</para> + +<screen> + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt> echo + "DTK_PROGRAM=/usr/local/bin/eflite" >> ~/.bash_profile + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt> echo "export DTK_PROGRAM" + >> ~/.bash_profile + <prompt>darkstar~:$ </prompt> source ~/.bash_profile +</screen> + +<para> + Launch <application>emacspeak</application> and you will find that + every interaction is narrated. +</para> +</section> + +<section id="emacspeak_usability"> +<title>Usability Hacks</title> + +<para> + Strictly speaking, the <application>emacspeak</application> system + is now fully configured. However, there are two useful modifications + that should be made to help usability. As it is now, when the system + boots, it runs through the usual init sequence and stops silently at + a login prompt waiting for the user to enter their + information. Obviously a silent prompt is meaningless to a + non-sighted user. +</para> + +<para> + To create an audible login prompt, modify a startup script such that + some command is initiated at the end of the boot sequence. The final + script to be executed during the normal init sequence is + <filename>/etc/rc.d/rc.local</filename>, so modify it as root: +</para> + +<screen> + <prompt>darkstar:~# </prompt> <command>echo</command> 'exec + /usr/bin/flite -t "please log in."' >> + /etc/rc.d/rc.local +</screen> + +<para> + Now the non-sighted user will know when it is time to log in to + the computer, but immediately after logging in the same problem + exists: the user is given a silent shell prompt without any + confirmation that their login was successful or that the computer + awaits their next command. +</para> + +<para> + Probably the most sensible way to deal with this problem is to have + <application>emacspeak</application> automatically launch after a + successful login; this provides audio cues that the login was + successful as well as eliminating the redundancy of manually + launching <application>emacspeak</application> every time the user + logs into the system. +</para> + +<screen> + <prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt> <command>echo</command> 'exec + /usr/bin/emacspeak' >> ~/.bash_profile +</screen> + +<para> + Reboot and test the new configuration; not only should the user be + audibly prompted to login, but immediately after login + <application>emacspeak</application> should launch. In fact, any new + shell that the user creates will launch an instance of + <application>emacspeak</application>. +</para> +</section> <!-- close configure section --> + +</section> <!-- close install section --> + +<para> + Combined with the inherent power of GNU <application>emacs</application> + and the addition of all of its extensions such as the + <application>w3m</application> web browser, + <application>eshell</application> console, + <application>wl</application> email client, + <application>org-mode</application> organizer, + <application>dired</application> file manager, + <application>emms</application> multimedia player, a non-sighted user + has a robust, stable, and powerful Slackware Linux system. +</para> + +</appendix>
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/chapter_15.xml b/chapter_15.xml index 0e80bbc..ada4bf8 100644 --- a/chapter_15.xml +++ b/chapter_15.xml @@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ Slackware knows to apply all these options to the <varname>wlan0</varname> wifi instead of the (probably non-existant) eth4 wired NIC. Many of the other options are the same. IP address information is added in exactly the same way we discussed for wired network cards in <xref -linkend="ch_networking"/>; however, we have a lot of new variables that need +linkend="ch_network"/>; however, we have a lot of new variables that need some explanation. </para> |