"Hal Installed.  Registered to You!"

The Hal FAQ
Version 3.2
Written and maintained by Martin Roberts and Dave Williams
Editing and HTML by Gail Cherry
Last updated on Thursday 8th February 2001.  Better late than never!

This plain text document is best viewed in a maximised Wordpad window with the "Wrap to Window" radio button selected in the "Text" tab of the "Options" property sheet, which can be accessed within Wordpad by pressing Alt and 'V' followed by 'O'.  To maximise the current window press left Alt with Space followed by the letter 'X'.


Disclaimer

The information contained within this FAQ is provided without any express or implied warranty.  Whilst efforts are made to keep this FAQ as accurate as possible, the authors take no responsibility for any damage or otherwise resulting from the use or misuse of any information contained within this document.  The Hal FAQ is in no way associated with or endorsed by Dolphin Computer Access or any of its partners or subsidiaries.  All trademarks remain the property of their respective organisations.  The Hal FAQ is in no way a substitute for Dolphin's own documentation supplied with the software.  Therefore it has been assumed by the authors that readers are familiar with the basic commands for operating Hal.  Note, all information in this FAQ is subject to change without notice.

For more details about customising Hal we recommend users make full use of the context sensitive help accessed by pressing Function Key 1 while in the Hal Control Panel.  This context sensitive help is often confusingly referred to as "Online Help".  Note, all Hal Control Panel commands given here apply to Hal version 4 only.  Also any Hal hotkey commands, unless otherwise stated, refer to the default hotkey set.

Please send any constructive feedback via email to halfaq@thescreenreader.org.uk


How did the Hal FAQ happen?

The Hal FAQ was designed as a freely available online document to encourage and assist users to get the most from Hal. This came after many repeated questions posted to the Hal95 mailing list and follows the non-profit ethos of the Frequently Asked Questions documents which first came of age on Usenet. This Unofficial Hal FAQ answers many questions not covered in Dolphin's documentation.

With literally hundreds of visitors to the website every month, we believe the FAQ has been and will continue to be a huge success. In many ways we have achieved what we set out to do, i.e. provide a free independent point of reference where technical and related issues can be explored and hopefully resolved. We have all been flattered by the positive feedback and support received from Dolphin, who incidentally link to us from their news pages.

The Hal FAQ is written on a purely voluntary basis.  We have absolutely no official obligation to continue with this project.  Naturally a document of this nature and complexity has to be kept up to date and this can be very time consuming. All questions are researched to the best of our ability.  In many cases some experimentation and testing takes place to identify the nature of and solution to a given problem. Extensive redrafting, verifying the integrity of URLs, checking the accuracy of keyboard commands and incorporating feedback, hopefully all ensure accuracy and quality for you the readers.  


Acknowledgements

We would like to sincerely thank the following individuals whose time and knowledge has helped to make the Hal FAQ the success it is.  Thank you all for your support!

If you wish to be added or removed from the following list then please drop us a line at the usual address.

Andrew Hodgson
Blair Lindsay
Douglas Harrison
Emile Thibodeau
Gareth Collins
Ivan Krznari
Jonathan Mosen
Keith Rothwell
Mike Arrigo 
Mike Hill
Neill McBride
Paul Holliman
Steve Bennett


What's New?

Version 3.2 (6 February 2001): Updated to include: information about the recent release of Hal version 4.50, restructured Section 2 Hal and the Internet, added some rumours and speculation about Hal version 5, expanded Section 5 Related Resources plus other minor corrections and updates.

Version 3.1 (27 November 2000): Revised to incorporate details of Hal version 4.04, More information on Hal NT and setting up on networks.  New section on singing Orpheus. Restructured and expanded section 5.  Also several other minor corrections and updates. 

Version 3.0 (6 July 2000): revised Section on Synthesisers, full contact details for Dolphin, Hal and the Internet, SAPI synths, debugging settings files and mixing and muting with Orpheus.

Version 2.1 (19 June 2000): FAQ version history, more acknowledgements, using a DOS screen reader along side Hal, the Braille Lite driver saga and other minor updates and corrections.

Version 2.01 (13 June 2000): Dolphin Germany support email address corrected.

Version 2.0 (12 June 2000): major revision of the whole FAQ including: added complete contents, Hal version 5 rumours, tips for using Navigation Mode, SSIL and SAPI explained, who was Orpheus really, pricing, language and version information.

Version 1.0 (29 May 2000) first attempt at a Hal FAQ.


Where To Get the Latest Version of the Hal FAQ?

The latest version of this FAQ is available in: HTML, text, and zip from the Web at 

http://www.thescreenreader.org.uk

The FAQ occasionally appears on Usenet.  Try the following news group:

alt.comp.blind.users

Individuals should feel free to distribute complete and unedited versions of this FAQ privately without charge.  To ensure you have the whole FAQ, the plain text version should be about 62k, and over 10,000 words in length.  The final line should be "If you quit Hal your speech will stop."

Any person or company wishing to distribute this document commercially should first approach both authors.


CONTENTS

Section 1 Common Technical Questions:
	1.1A What are the latest versions of Hal, SAM and Orpheus?	
	1.1B Which languages are available for Hal and Orpheus?
	1.1C How much can I expect to pay for Hal/Supernova?
	1.1D What's the lowest spec system required for Hal and Orpheus?  
	1.2A What's the difference between Entering and Resuming Navigation Mode?
	1.2B Is it possible to stop Hal suddenly exiting Navigation Mode?
	1.3A What's the command line parameter for quitting Hal?
	1.3B Can I get SAM to unload when I quit Hal?
	1.4A How do I get auto graphic labelling to work?
	1.4B How do I manually label graphic objects?
	1.4C How can I save my graphics databases?
	1.5 How do I find out when my settings files change?
	1.6 How can I get improved access to the new style Help systems? 
	1.7 Can Hal make the move from Jaws any simpler?
	1.8 What is MSAA and does Hal support it?
	1.9A What does the uctedit.exe program do?
	1.9B How to fix "at" sign problem with PC 2 card in version 4?
	1.10 Can I use a DOS screen reader alongside Hal for windows?
	1.11 Is there any difference between Hal for Win 9X and NT?
	1.12 How do I set up Hal on a network?

Section 2 Hal and the Internet:
	2.1 Will I be able to gain full access to any web page with Hal?
	2.2A What can I do to optimise Hal for use with Internet Explorer?
	2.2B Can graphic labelling help on some pages?
	2.3 What should I do to optimise Internet Explorer for use with Hal? 
	2.4 I'm still having trouble with frames?
	2.5 Inform me, how well does Hal work in forms?

Section 3 Synthesisers:
	3.1 Who's Sam?
	3.2A What can I do to improve the configuration of Orpheus?
	3.2B Orpheus sounds awful, what can I do?
	3.2C What's this about Orpheus singing?
	3.3 Why did Dolphin create their own software synthesiser?
	3.4 How do I set up a SSIL speech synthesiser that isn't auto-detected?
	3.5 What is SAPI and does Hal support it? 
	3.6 How do I configure my SAPI synthesisers?
	3.7 What SAPI software synthesisers work well with Hal?
	3.8 Can I get any free SAPI synthesisers?

Section 4 Points of interest:
	4.1 Why the name Hal?
	4.2 Who was Orpheus really?
	4.3 What is a supernova?
	4.4 Should I upgrade to the latest version of Hal?
	4.5 What is rumoured about the next version of Hal?
	4.6 Does Hal/Supernova have support for the Braille Lite?

Section 5 Related resources:
	5.1 How do I Contact Dolphin?
	5.2 Is there a Dolphin discussion mailing list?
	5.3 Are there any other online resources of interest?


Section 1 Common Technical Questions:

1.1A What are the latest versions of Hal, SAM and Orpheus?

Hal and Supernova 4.50 for all Windows platforms.  SAM 1.12 and Orpheus 1.06.

A rough guide to what's new in each version of Hal can be found in section 4.4 of this FAQ.


1.1B Which languages are available for Hal and Orpheus?

This information is only a rough guide and you are strongly advised to check availability with Dolphin.

Hal and Supernova are available in Dutch, English UK, English US, French, German, Polish, Swedish.

Additionally, Hal is available in Greek, Italian and Spanish Latin.

The following languages are currently available for Orpheus: Dutch, English UK, English US, French, German, Italian, Spanish Latin, Spanish Castilian and Swedish. 

Orpheus languages available on request: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Greek.

Orpheus languages currently in development: Portuguese, Brazilian and Polish.

Orpheus languages being considered for development: Afrikaans, Croat, Serbian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Romanian, Welsh, Czech, Bulgarian, Malay and Turkish.


1.1C How much can I expect to pay for Hal/Supernova?

We only have the UK prices to hand at the moment.  These should give you a rough idea.  The English pound is currently worth about one and a half American dollars.  In the UK these prices are subjected to an additional 17.5% value added tax.  Note, all prices are subject to change without notice.

Single License Supernova: Windows 95/98 495, Windows NT/2000 845.
Single License Hal: Windows 95/98 345, Windows NT/2000 520.
Additional License Supernova: Windows 95/98 175, Windows NT/2000 295.
Additional License Hal: Windows 95/98 125, Windows NT/2000 185.
Upgrade Supernova: Windows 95/98 95, Windows NT/2000 170.
Upgrade Hal: Windows 95/98 70, Windows NT/2000 95.

Since October 2000, new purchases of Hal and Supernova for NT/2000 include the same version for use under Win 9x/ME.

SAM  Orpheus and the Dolphin Links Navigator come bundled with both Hal and Supernova.  a single paid upgrade from Dolphin can theoretically take one from the earliest to the most recent version of a given product under the same operating system.  Minor upgrades, say from Hal 4.01 to 4.50, are currently "free of charge".  Dolphin UK at least are charging "10 to cover administration and postage & packing".  Presumably if you went to Dolphin in person, you wouldn't have to pay the P&P?


1.1D What's the lowest spec system required for Hal and Orpheus?  

Note, Dolphin do not recommend that you use Hal on these specifications of systems.  You should consult the manual to find out exactly what Dolphin recommend.

We've had Hal working comfortably on a Toshiba laptop running Windows 95 with 16MB of RAM and an Intel Pentium 133 processor.  The following Orpheus settings were chosen in the "Configuration Dialog".  Sample Rate = 11 KHz, Mixer on "Unselected", Muting set to "Fast Mute".  The product versions were Hal 4.01, SAM 1.08 and Orpheus 1.05.  No wallpaper, antiviral software or other TSR's were used. 

Also we've had Hal 95 version 1.03 running under Windows 95 using an Apollo II hardware synthesiser.  The system was a 486 DX4 clocking at 100MHZ with just 16MB of RAM.

Has anyone tried anything less than this?


1.2A What's the difference between Entering and Resuming Navigation Mode?

All screen readers need built-in functions for simulating mouse actions and giving the user extensive screen review capabilities without disturbing running applications.  Navigation Mode is Dolphin's answer to this problem.

When Navigation Mode is first activated within a window, the message "Entering Navigation Mode" is echoed by Hal.  If the user then moves the Navigation cursor before exiting, re-entering Navigation Mode will cause Hal to echo "Resuming Navigation Mode".  This means that the focus is being returned to the same location where you previously exited Navigation Mode.

For example, you could be in a non-standard application with few keyboard shortcuts, but which contained controls that may be accessible with the use of the mouse.  It would be possible to enter Navigation Mode, find a certain control and click it as if a normal mouse was being used.  After this operation, Hal would revert back to Live Mode.  When you next entered Navigation Mode within the same window, you would be returned to the control that was last clicked.  This is useful because it means that the user has a good idea of the Navigation cursor position when they next have to use it.

Hint, the Navigation cursor can be routed to the application focus with the numeric keypad Period.


1.2B Is it possible to stop Hal suddenly exiting Navigation mode?

While cursoring around in Navigation Mode, you are effectively moving the mouse pointer with the cursor keys.  Many applications react with some sort of screen event when the pointer is placed over a control or particular area of the window.  By throwing you out of Navigation Mode Hal is merely reacting to this screen event.

One way to get round this problem is to create a settings file for the offending application and define its Navigation mode settings so the mouse pointer isn't moved with the Navigation cursor.  This control can be found from the "Application Settings" property sheet under "General Settings" - "Navigation Mode" - "Move Mouse Pointer".


1.3A What's the command line parameter for quitting Hal?

In version 4.01 and above you can type the following from a command prompt or even in the "Run" dialog from the "Start" menu to quit Hal95.  Note, you must be in the correct directory or Hal must be in the path for this to work.

HAL /q


1.3B Can I get SAM to unload when I quit Hal?

Yes, in versions since 4.01.  Just select the "Close SAM when Hal is unloaded" checkbox to be found in the "System Setup" - "Output Devices" dialog box.


1.4A How do I get auto graphic labelling to work?

Ensure that the "Graphic Labelling" checkbox is checked in the Navigation Mode settings dialog.  This is found from the "Application Settings" property sheet under "General Settings" - "Navigation Mode".

Now enter Navigation Mode and ensure that Navigation is unrestricted by repeated pressing of the numeric keypad plus.  To get Hal to automatically label your bitmaps with their respective tool tips use the Control plus Alt and Insert combination while in Navigation Mode.

If you're using Hal 4.04 or above and you have MSAA detection enabled, it is less likely that you'd need to use the auto labelling function as MSAA automatically labels most tool tips for you.  However, some of us may prefer to use the auto labeller if MSAA is disabled or not installed.  It is also worth remembering that graphics stored in the graphics database are given priority over those that MSAA detects. 


1.4B How do I manually label graphic objects?

Enter Navigation Mode and press the numeric keypad Period to route to focus.  Hal should announce "bitmap".  Alternatively, move to the bitmap you wish to label.  Press Insert to open the "Graphic Object Property Editor" and you can give the bitmap a name.  In the "Type" pull-down list box select the type of control that you think the untrained bitmap represents: a button, label, check box or option button.  If the type of control that the bitmap represents is a check box or option button, in the "Status" pull-down list box select whether the bitmap represents the selected or de-selected state.  If you are unsure about these options then just go with the defaults.  Press Return to add the bitmap to the database.

Note, these settings are not saved to disk until you quit Hal.

1.4C How can I save my graphics databases?

You'll find the database in the "Settings" folder of your Hal folder.  The file usually has the name usr000??.hgd, where the question marks are replaced with digits that refer to a country.  For the most part the standard international numeric country codes are used.  For example, the US language database is called usr00001.hgd and the UK database is usr00044.hgd.

Simply copy the database on to a floppy disk and then you can use the import function of Hal to copy new labels to another installation of the product.

With existing versions you can use Hal application settings files or graphics databases for Supernova and vice versa.


1.5 How do I find out when my settings files change?

Simply go in to the "Settings File Management" dialog within the "Access System Setup" property sheet and tick the "Announce When Settings File Changes" box.  This option is useful for debugging your settings files.  The technical support archives of both www.dolphinuk.co.uk and www.dolphinusa.com have articles on settings file creation and management within Hal version 4.


1.6 How to get improved access to the new style Help systems? 

We understand that it should be possible to access the Windows ME help system with Hal and Supernova version 4.50. If you have any further tips then please get in touch.

In Windows 98, Office 2000 and Internet Explorer 5.5 the help systems can be made more user friendly by going to the Help index, pressing Enter on the info you require and then use Function Key 6 to toggle between the Index and Help window. 


1.7 Can Hal make the move from Jaws any simpler?

Since version 3 Hal has included the ability to use an alternate hot key set other than the default.  It is possible to use a similar hot key set to Jaws.  

They aren't identical as the left Control key is used instead of the Insert key for performing most functions.  For example, to get into the Jaws menu system one would press Insert and 'J'; in the alternate Hal hot key set one would press left Control and 'J' to access Hal's equivalent Control Panel.

To find out about selecting hot key sets, see the online manual.  


1.8 What is MSAA and does Hal support it?

A good working description of MSAA can be found in the Window-Eyes (version 3.1) manual. It is quoted here for your convenience.

"MSAA stands for Microsoft Active Accessibility.  MSAA is a set of programming techniques that allows an application and a screen-reader to communicate directly with each other.  A screen-reader can use MSAA to access data in MSAA-enabled applications directly without needing to access its OSM (off screen model)."

MSAA is not supported in Hal versions 4.03 or below.  However, a basic implementation of MSAA is now available in Hal 4.04 and above.  MSAA mode can be toggled on and off from "General Settings" of the "Application Settings" property sheet.

Possible indications why Dolphin didn't go with MSAA initially can be found in the paper "The case for independent screen access" on the Dolphin webpages.

http://www.dolphinuk.co.uk/techsupport/diamon_p.html
http://www.dolphinusa.com/techsupport/diamon_p.html

Also other interesting papers can be found at

http://www.dolphinuk.co.uk/techsupport/papers.html
http://www.dolphinusa.com/techsupport/papers.html


1.9A What does the uctedit.exe program do that comes with Hal?

Thanks to Gareth Collins of Dolphin Computer Access www.dolphinusa.com for this answer.

"The UCTedit program enables you to edit the descriptions for each Unicode character. It lets you select a Unicode character and then change its attributes, (e.g. whether it's a capital letter or not, its punctuation group, etc.). It also allows you to enter the string that's spoken for that character in Hal's "spell" and "phonetic" modes.

It also gives you the facility to select a font and make any necessary adjustments to the glyph to Unicode translation tables. You see, some TrueType fonts can report the wrong Unicode values for some of their glyphs. This and also the training of some symbols in some of the more unusual TrueType fonts is the main reason why you'd want to use this program. However, in general, it's not advisable for novice users to go playing with these settings."


1.9B How to fix "at" sign problem with PC 2 card in version 4?

A problem reading the "at" symbol seems to arise when using Hal/Supernova version 4.01 and above in conjunction with the internal Dolphin PC 2 synthesiser card.  If you are not using the PC 2 card then this information does not apply.

There are a couple of ways round this problem.  You could use the "announce current character phonetically" hot key, which is control + shift + numeric keypad 4, or if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you could try using the UCTEDIT.EXE program discussed in the previous section.  You must first quit Hal or Supernova before you can use this utility so you may need another screen reader or some sighted assistance.  

When running UCTEDIT.EXE select the "at" sign glyph and click on the "Attributes" button.  De-select the "Allow SAM to spell" option.  You can now save and quit UCTEDIT.EXE.  Providing Hal's spoken punctuation is set accordingly, this change should take effect the next time you run Hal.


1.10 Can I use a DOS screen reader alongside Hal for windows?

Yes absolutely.  You can use the two simultaneously.

DOS screen readers are not SAM compliant and so you will require two synthesisers, one for each screen reader.  One possible solution could be to configure Hal for Windows to use a software synth such as Orpheus and your MSDOS screen reader to use a hardware synth such as an Apollo II. You can change the synthesiser used by Hal for Windows from the "Output Devices" option to be found in "System Setup" in Hal's control panel. 

For convenience you may wish to create a shortcut containing the command that automatically opens the DOS box and loads your DOS screen reader.  To do this select "New" followed by "Shortcut" from the" File" menu of Windows Explorer.  You will then be prompted to enter the command line for this shortcut.  So type in:

C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /K ScreenReaderLoadingLine

where C:\ is the drive on which you have windows installed and or your DOS screen reader.

ScreenReaderLoadingLine is the full path and command you normally type in at the DOS prompt to start your DOS screen reader.  Don't forget to include any additional command line parameters such as specifying the location of your hardware synthesiser.  Consult the DOS screen reader's manual for further information on how to do this.

Upon pressing Enter you'll be prompted to give this new shortcut a name.  After typing a name in and pressing Enter the shortcut to your DOS screen reader will then be created.

It maybe useful to create a hot key to launch this shortcut.  Simply right click it, select properties and tab to the shortcut key box then execute the key sequence you wish to use.  Also in this dialog box you'll find a list box for determining the default size of the DOS box.  We recommend that you select maximised. 

On execution, a DOS box should open and your screen reader will automatically start.  You can then use Alt and Tab to switch in and out of the DOS box in the same way you normally change between Windows applications.  To leave DOS just type "exit" at the command prompt.

To optimise DOS screen reader access you may need to do some or all of the following.

Include the following line in your config.sys file to turn off Win9X display optimisation.

switches=/c

It is sometimes necessary to power off and power on the synthesiser you intend using in DOS before launching the DOS screen reader.

Incidentally, a DOS screen reader, Hal Light, is free and downloadable from the Dolphin UK web page.


1.11 Any difference between Hal for Win 9X and NT?

In a nutshell, not much.  The two products are designed to be almost identical apart from the platform on which they are designed to run on.  They are in fact compiled separately from similar source code.  It seems that a consequence of this is that Hal under NT can provide slightly superior performance compared with its 9X counterpart.

At this time Dolphin have no plans to offer a single version for multiple platforms.


1.12 How do I set up Hal on a network?

The documentation is actually quite helpful on this point.  However, Andrew Hogson posted the following which may be of assistance.

"installation on server:

1.   Make  sure that you are authorised to install the program by having the correct privileges.

2.  Insert the CD into the drive and follow the on-screen prompts.  Make sure that the product will be installed to a location that is accessible to the workstations PC's (and more importantly, make sure that the users have access to it).

3.  Now what you need to do is to go into each users settings and add a shortcut to the access product on the server by either creating a shortcut on the desktop or in the startup menu.

When the access product is run for the first time, the registry entries and config files should be placed in the home settings of each user who is running it.

Another hint:

If you are using NT you can create a user group called SuperNova or whatever, do something like  clone the default user group, then create the shortcuts to Supernova, then save the group.  Then, if someone wants to use the access product, make sure that they are in the Supernova group."


Section 2 Hal and the Internet:

2.1 Will I be able to gain full access to any web page with Hal?

In our opinion, no screen reader will currently give completely smooth access to ALL web pages.  This is generally due to the increasing amount of graphical and animated information being displayed on web sites these days.  To the best of our knowledge, all the major screen readers have difficulty when confronted with animated Java applets and Macromedia Flash.  There are three factors that determine the extent to which you can access the web.  These are: your knowledge of your screen reader, the power and flexibility of the screen reader in question, and the design of the web site.

An intimate and extensive knowledge of your screen reading software is always advisable whatever the application.  You may be surprised at how important this can be.  So read the manual and don't be afraid to experiment.  In order that you get the most out of Hal, you should be comfortable with using both the Graphic Labeller and Navigation Mode discussed extensively elsewhere in this FAQ.  To get the best possible access to the web with Hal, you should ensure that you have the most recent version.  See section 1.1 of this FAQ for version information.

Some screen readers employ a software technology called Microsoft Active Accessibility, often shortened to MSAA.  This can improve access to Internet Explorer and other Microsoft applications.  See 1.8 for further information about MSAA.

The way in which an author designs his/her web site can effect it's accessibility.  The latest versions of most modern screen readers including Hal cope quite well with forms, frames and tables.  However, currently screen reading software has no way of reading text that is displayed as a graphic.  One way round this in the future may be to employ some form of Optical Character Recognition similar to that used in scanning software.


2.2A What can I do to optimise Hal for use with Internet Explorer?

Enabling MSAA in Hal version 4.04 and above automatically reads ALT tags on graphics and image maps in Internet Explorer.  If you have graphics turned off and/or the accessibility checkboxes selected in Internet Explorer's advanced options, you may find this to be more of a hindrance than a help as you'll get some ALT tag information repeated.  See section 1.8 for instructions on toggling the MSAA setting.  

Column Detection mode can help with the reading of many pages, the hotkey to toggle between Column Detection and Row Detection mode is Control plus '9'.  This setting can be toggled in the "Application Settings" - "Situation Settings" - "Speech" - "Text Entry Boxes" section of the Hal control panel.  

To find links within Navigation Mode activate the "Style" checkbox in the "Application Settings" - "General Settings" - "Navigation Mode" dialogue box in Hal's control panel.  Most links are underlined, so this information will be given when examining a page.

You may wish to create a settings file for Internet Explorer to automatically apply these preferences (see your online manual and section 1.5 for help with settings files).

Don't forget that occasionally it is necessary to refresh Hal's off-screen model.  To do this, use the left Control plus Semicolon.


2.2B Can graphic labelling help on some pages?

Most graphic labels should be picked up by MSAA.  However, if they're not, or you would prefer not to use MSAA, then some or all of the following should prove useful.

In order for any graphic labelling to be possible on a web page your browser's "Show Picture" option must be turned on.

First try using the "Auto Graphic Labeller" discussed in part 1.4A of this FAQ.  This should label those bitmaps that have ALT tags or tool tips.

Labelling graphics on webpages that won't train because they have no tool tips associated with them can be a little more challenging.  You need to do two things; first find out a little more about the bitmap in question, and second add it to Hal's graphics database.

Where the bitmap is a hyperlink and you are able to tab onto it in the normal way, you can find out where it leads by switching Internet Explorer's Status bar on from the "View" menu and pressing the numeric keypad Slash key.  This will echo the full web address (URL) where the link leads.  You may need to turn the Status Bar back off to continue surfing comfortably with Hal.

The other piece of information that may help you to glean more knowledge about a bitmap, whether it is a hyperlink or not, is it's filename.  To find out what this filename is, use Shift plus Function key 10 in Navigation Mode which right-clicks the bitmap bringing up the Context menu.  Scroll to "Save Picture As" and press Return.  This will open the Save dialog box and place the focus in the edit area with the bitmap's filename.  Depending on the author of the web page this filename may or may not give you some further clue as to the nature of the picture.  Just hit Escape to get out of this dialog box.

So now you know a bit more about our mysterious bitmap and you want to label it and add it to Hal's graphics database.  Simple use the procedure described in section 1.4B to manually label your graphic.

Note, these settings are not saved to disk until you quit Hal.  Also, altering your display settings in Windows may cause Hal not to recognise an already-trained graphic.


2.3 What should I do to optimise Internet Explorer for use with Hal? 

As Internet Explorer 5.5 now seems to be a standard amongst browsers, this is the one we are covering in this section.  However, most of the suggestions below could be applied to earlier versions of Internet Explorer and maybe other browsers.

Dolphin recommend that you make use of the Microsoft Web Accessories which can be downloaded free from the following URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/webaccess/ie5wa.exe 

Installing the Dolphin Links Navigator (DLN) supplied with Hal and Supernova 4.50 can enhance access to links on web pages.  Assuming that the DLN is installed, a listbox of hyperlinks on the current page can be viewed at any time by selecting the Dolphin Links Navigator option from Internet Explorer's Tools menu.  Note, the DLN currently has problems supporting many pages containing frames.  The DLN works best with Internet Explorer 5.5.

Also, in Internet Explorer itself you may want to try some or all of the following:

1. Turn off Explorer's status bar by entering Explorer's "View" menu using Alt plus 'V' and de-select the option "Status Bar" by pressing 'B'.

2. Alter the following from the Advanced property sheet found under "Internet Options" in your Control Panel: Turn on "Move system caret with focus/selection changes", turn on "Always Expand ALT Text for Images", turn off "Use inline AutoComplete for Web addresses" and "Use inline AutoComplete in Windows Explorer", turn off "Enable page transitions" and  "Use smooth scrolling".  Turn off the following in the "Multimedia" branch: "Play animations", "Play videos", "Show image download placeholders", "Show pictures" and "Smart image dithering".

3. Turn off all the toolbars in the "Toolbar" section of the "View" menu in IE itself.

4.  Move to the "General" tab of Internet Explorer's options and select the "Accessibility" button and select all the checkboxes apart from the "Format documents using my style sheet" box then hit OK.

5.  Make sure you have the Internet Explorer window maximised.  One quick way of doing this is by pressing Function key 11.  This will temporarily deny you access to the top menu so press Function key 11 again to restore the window when you require "File", "Edit", "View" etc.

6.  Finally you may sometimes need to refresh the page if it hasn't loaded correctly.  Do this by pressing Function key 5.

Note, Internet Explorer does not always remember that you turned off the Status and Tool Bars so you may wish to check this from time to time.

If Hal is not reading the status of the "Advanced Options" in Internet Explorer then you may need to carry out the following steps:

Interestingly, this is not just a Hal problem, It has been noted with other screen readers.  One probable explanation is that a key has not been set correctly in the Windows registry.  This key turns on the "On" and "Off" labels.  Modifying Windows Registry keys is currently beyond the scope of this FAQ.  So here is a work around.  Note, this can be quite tricky if you don't follow these steps for labelling the check boxes exactly.

1.  In the Advanced Internet options, Press the "Restore Defaults" button.

2.  Cursor down through the "Accessibility" branch to "Always expand ALT text for images", this is off by default.

3.  Press Control plus '9' until Hal says "Row Detection Mode".  This is important because things look different in Navigation Mode if "Row Detection" is turned on.

4.  Enter Navigation Mode, press numeric keypad Period and Hal should announce "Bitmap, Always Expand Alt Text for Images".

5. Move the cursor to the bitmap before the "Always Expand Alt Text For Images", Hal should announce "bitmap".  Manually label this graphic as an unchecked check box using the procedure described in 1.4B.

6. Hal should now announce that the checkbox is unselected telling you that the feature is turned off.  Now press space to turn it on.

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 remembering to choose "Selected" in the second list box of the Graphic Object Property editor.  This time Hal should announce that the check box is selected telling you that the feature is turned on.  


2.4 I'm still having trouble with frames?

When one presses Control plus Tab to move in to the next frame, in Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.1, Hal finds it difficult to know where the focus is.  You may find that "Document Read" will not read the frame.  You may want to upgrade to Internet Explorer 5.5.

Try going in to Navigation Mode and left click in the new frame.  Alternatively, you could open the frame in a new window.  Use the Shift plus Function key 10 command on the link that opens the frame to bring up the "Link Context" menu and select the "Open in a New Window" option.

The Web Accessories from Microsoft may also help.  They can be downloaded from:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/webaccess/default.asp

Note, the Dolphin Links Navigator does not support web pages using frames.  Regrettably, this includes www.thescreenreader.org.uk!


2.5 Inform me, how well does Hal work in forms?

Generally the most recent version of Hal works reasonably well when filling in forms, but the following hints may be of use.

When filling in forms, Hal often won't automatically read the prompts as you tab through the fields.  Try pressing the numeric keypad '0' to read the current focus.  This sometimes reads information that just tabbing around doesn't announce.  Alternatively, try using Navigation Mode and press numeric keypad Period to route the Navigation Mode cursor to the screen focus.  The field prompt is usually very near the focus.  More often than not a single press of the Upper cursor key is enough to read the prompt.  If this doesn't work try further exploration using Navigation Mode.

Remember it is always a good idea to check through a form before pressing that all important "Submit" button.


Section 3 Synthesisers:

3.1 Who's Sam?

SAM is Dolphin's Synthesiser Access Manager.  To quote from the SAM manual:

"SAM (Synthesiser Access Manager) is a Windows 95/NT module that facilitates the sharing of your speech synthesiser and Braille display between SAM-compatible access products, such as the Hal screen reader and Cicero text reader system.

SAM has been developed because with the increasing number of talking access products on the market, users can now encounter problems when they want to use their screen reader in conjunction with other "talking" products, such as Cicero.

SAM resolves these problems by automatically and intelligently deciding which access product has the right to pass information to the speech synthesizer and Braille display.  This allows users to run all their SAM-compatible speech applications seamlessly."  


3.2A What can I do to improve the configuration of Orpheus?

After these adjustments have been made, tab to and hit the OK button. The new voice is now created and will be saved the next time you quit Hal.  see the Orpheus manual for further details.
 
It is possible to hear system sounds when running Orpheus.  Most modern soundcards will do hardware mixing of the synthesised speech and other sounds, but some older sound cards don't support this.  Orpheus is capable of performing software mixing of sounds.  To turn this on, go in to the "Orpheus" program group and select "configure Orpheus".  Then tick the "Mixer On" box and hit OK.  Depending on your processor speed, you may find Orpheus to be less responsive with the mixer turned on. 

Also in the Orpheus Configuration Dialog, "Fast mute" will instantly mute the speech coming from your computers soundcard very quickly when a key is pressed.  The drawback to this is that a slight click may be audible.  "Close on mute" is generally slower, but the click isn't audible.  From 1.06 of Orpheus, close on mute may free up your sound system when speech stops.  This may enable you to hear sounds when the mixer isn't active.


3.2B Orpheus sounds awful, what can I do?

You may find that with a little experimentation with the "Speech Output Settings" option in Hal's control panel you can achieve some desirable results.  The following parameters for creating your own customised voice may not be to everyone's liking but they should give you at least a couple of ideas as this feature isn't described in detail in the Hal manual.

1.  Enter Hal's control panel, select "Speech Output Settings" - "Voice Selection" - "Create User Defined Voices".  You should now be in the User Defined Voices dialog box.
 
2.  Tab to the "Add" button and press the space bar.  In the dialog box which opens type in a name for your new voice and then press enter.  When the new voice has been named, it is automatically selected for editing.
 
3.  Tab to the Parameters group.  The first parameter is pitch.  Select something close to 90.  Tab to the intonation selection box and select something quite high.

4.  Press tab once more to land in the "Other Speech Parameter" list box.  This box contains synthesiser dependent settings, the first of which is "Word Pause".  Move to "Phrase Pause", tab into the "Value" list box and select something smaller than the default.  You can shift tab to move back to select a different setting and then tab forward again to alter the value for that setting.  Some suggested values are: 'Voicing' = 55, 'speaker table' = 3 or 4 and 'Mark space ratio' = 60.


3.2C What's this about Orpheus singing?

After hearing the widely available examples of singing DECTalk we wondered if it was possible to do the same with Orpheus.  It is, but a lengthy tutorial on this craziness is beyond the scope of this FAQ.  However, we can offer a couple of resources to help get you started.  Dolosam.txt is included with most distributions of Hal and Supernova.  It contains a comprehensive list of codes which can be used to control the various attributes of Orpheus' speech.  The default location of this file is as follows:

C:\Program Files\Orpheus\sam\dolosam.txt 

An example of Orpheus singing can be found at http://www.davewilliams.plus.com/halfaq/song4u.txt.  Share and enjoy! :)


3.3 Why did Dolphin create their own software synthesiser?

Thanks to Blair Lindsay of Dolphin UK for this answer. 

"Dolphin developed Orpheus so that we can provide a stable speech synthesiser with our products, this was a natural progression from the Apollo 2. It also means that we have complete control over how Orpheus develops.

The idea of making Orpheus available as a SAPI synthesiser has been suggested and is being discussed."


3.4 How do I set up an SSIL speech synthesiser that isn't auto-detected?

This information is quoted from the technical support archive of www.dolphinusa.com

"SSIL compatible speech synthesisers that aren't auto-detected by the Dolphin installation program can be configured manually using your Dolphin product in conjunction with its default speech synthesiser, Orpheus, as follows: Press Left Control plus Spacebar to enter your Dolphin product's control panel and in the "Access System Setup" property sheet press the "System Setup" button.  In the "System Setup" dialog box press the "Output Devices" button.  In the "Output Devices" dialog box press the "SAM Setup" button.  In the "SAM Configuration" dialog box which now appears use the up and down cursor keys to highlight the option "SAM to SSIL Interface" and then press the "Configure button" (shortcut key Alt plus 'C').  In the "SAM to SSIL Interface" dialog box use the up and down cursor keys to select the "Select from list" radio button.  Next use the up and down cursor keys to highlight the name of the SSIL speech synthesiser that you want to configure and then press the "OK" button.  Press the "Close" button in the "SAM Configuration" dialog box and you will be returned to the "Output Devices" dialog box.  In the "Output Devices" dialog box press the "Select Synthesiser" button.  Finally, in the "Select Synthesiser" dialog box use the up and down cursor key to highlight the name of SSIL speech synthesiser that you've just configured and press Enter. This will switch your Dolphin product over from using Orpheus to using your SSIL speech synthesiser instead."


3.5 What is SAPI and does Hal support it?

SAPI is a Microsoft standard for interfacing with software speech synthesizers such as DEC Access 32 and Eloquence. 

Yes, SAPI is supported in SAM version 1.10!  You can grab the latest version of SAM from a Dolphin web page. 


3.6 How do I configure my SAPI synthesisers?

This information is quoted from the documentation supplied with SAM.

"1. Go into the driver information panel (for example, from the SAM Control Panel, select the SAM to SAPI driver and choose Configure).

2. From the Engine list, select which SAPI Engine to use. Engines correspond to unique synthesisers.

3. Tab to the Mode list and select a mode to use. Modes define the voice characteristics and language of your synth.

4. The About, General, Lexicon and Translation buttons provide access to the configuration dialog boxes of the selected synthesiser. Not every engine may support every dialog.

5. Choose OK to confirm your selection."

Then, to use the SAPI synth, select the SAM to SAPI driver from the list of available synthesisers in your access product.

	
3.7 What SAPI software synthesisers work well with Hal?

Hal doesn't automatically choose a standard pitch for a given SAPI synthesiser, so here are a list of default pitches you can use as a starting ground for tailoring your own voices.  The pitch settings can be found under "Speech Output Settings" - "Voice Selection" - "Create User Defined Voices" within the "Access System Setup" property sheet of the Hal control panel. 

IBM Via Voice Outloud V4.0 (adult male voices), pitch 21.
IBM Via Voice Outloud V4.0 (adult female voices), pitch 40.
IBM Via Voice Outloud V4.0 (child voices), pitch 50. 

Note,  IBM Via Voice Outloud appears to be an OEM version of the popular Eloquence speech synthesiser.

Microsoft Speech Synthesis Engine 4.0 (all voices), pitch 27.

L&H Speech Connection V4 (British voices), pitch 40.

Note, the British L&H Speech Connection V4 appears to be an OEM version of Port Set Systems's Portspeak.

L&H Speech Connection V4 (American voices), pitch 0.
L&H Reel Speak Basic Jennifer, no pitch information.  

Infovox 330, no pitch information.    

If you have anything to add to this list, including performance and configuration notes then please drop us a line at halfaq@thescreenreader.org.uk


3.8 Can I get any free SAPI synthesisers?

Yes.  You can download the Microsoft Speech Synthesis engine free of charge from:

http://www.microsoft.com/iit/

If anybody knows of any more free SAPI synthesisers, then please drop us a line.


Section 4 Points of interest:

4.1 Why the name Hal?

We're not sure.  If you transpose all the letters of the word Hal one place forward in the Roman alphabet, you get IBM. 

Maybe it's something to do with the classic science fiction movie "2001: A Space Odyssey".  This movie featured an intelligent talking computer named Hal.  This excellent film, based on an Arthur C Clarke novel, is a must for all science fiction fans.


4.2 Who was Orpheus really?

Orpheus, as well as being the name of Dolphin's software speech synthesiser, was originally a character in ancient Greek mythology.  He was renowned for his ability to move and enchant all with his playing of the lyre. 

Eurydice, Orpheus' wife, died shortly after their wedding. The ruler of the underworld, Hades, so touched by Orpheus' grief-stricken playing, allowed Eurydice to be returned to Orpheus on the condition that he not glance back at the underworld on their return journey to the upperworld.  As is often the case with these stories it all ends in tragedy.  Orpheus is unable to contain his curiosity.  At the exact moment Orpheus glances back at the underworld, his beloved Eurydice vanishes never to be seen again.  Consequently Orpheus spends his remaining years in abject misery playing his lyre only for the rocks, trees and rivers.


4.3 What is a Supernova?

In astronomical terms, a supernova is the explosion of a very large star.

Also, Supernova is the name of Dolphin's flagship product.  Supernova is an integrated software package combining the Hal screen reader and the Lunar screen magnifier.  This comprehensive access solution offers speech, Braille and magnified output.  Anyone used to using Hal would instantly find Supernova familiar.


4.4 Should I upgrade to the latest version of Hal?

Version 3 users maybe.  Version 2 users, yes, it's a must.  Version 1 users, where have you been?

Here is a rough guide as to what's new in each version.

Version 4.50

New: enhanced support for the Windows Millennium help and support system, Dolphin Links Navigator, new "Restrict to document area" option in Navigation mode.

Version 4.04

New: basic MSAA implementation which automatically detects tool tips, "Find" feature in Navigation Mode (use Function key 3) and Support for Far East versions of Windows 9X

Version 4.0

New: Windows 2000 support, completely re-designed Control Panel to simplify the user interface, Orpheus is now supplied with Hal, command line argument to quit the product, option to tell SAM to close when the product closes, context sensitive On-Line help (press Function key 1), and Navigation Mode and Keyboard settings are now Application Dependant.

Braille navigation features include: Line Wrap, Line/Layout mode toggle, Logical/Physical mode toggle, additional options for physical compression mode, optional Grade 2 Braille output. 

Version 3.0

New: Status Bar detection, application dependent settings files, "Move Mouse Pointer" option to Navigation Mode, screen refresh key (left Control plus Semicolon), allow through key (left Control plus '7'),  speed adjustment hot keys (left Control plus Shift plus Minus or Equals), assign Hot Keys tab in the control panel and re-definable hot keys.

Braille navigation features include: up-down navigation mode from Braille display, Braille in the "Focus Type" status cell contains more info and Braille layout mode.

Version 2.0

New: Shift plus Numpad Period will speak a menu option shortcut character, Windows NT version, document Read (Numpad Plus), Graphic Labeller, Internet Explorer 4.0 support, supports new style Office 97 menus and also Braille display support.

Pricing information can be found in part 1.1C of this FAQ.


4.5 What is rumoured about the next version of Hal?

We expect Dolphin will want to be demonstrating Hal version 5 in the summer of 2001 with an eventual release later this year.  We are led to believe that Hal 5 will be designed to function with many non-standard Windows applications and will be aimed primarily at the corporate client.  However, the spin-offs for the home user are expected to be significant.  Improved speech for Orpheus is rumoured and users are anticipating a high level of configurability across all product components.

When responding to a recent article in the Access IT magazine, Dolphin had the following to say regarding Hal version 5. 

"The much talked about version 5 will primarily be adapted for the cooperate market in order for employers to meet their statutory requirements without compromising on system performance.  As you are aware our current users in the corporate market hold us in high regard for the stability of the 
product in a corporate environment.  This product will have an entire new subset based around application settings.  The chief beneficiaries of the enhancements will be visually impaired people in the workplace.  Using V5 application settings we are hoping to dramatically reduce the time it will 
take to make obscure and non-standard windows applications accessible.  Curiously these types of applications are often encountered where blind and partially sighted people can be productive such as call centres where there is currently rapid growth."

In mid 2000 the following was publicly posted to the Hal95 mailing list by Mike Hill of Dolphin.  Remember nothing is concrete as we understand Hal version 5 is still very much in development.  The whole post is included as Mike raises some interesting questions.	

"Hi all,

On the status line issue, Version 5 will not require you to turn off status bars, providing that the status bar is recognised by Hal. If it is not recognised then you will be able to train the area as a status bar. Version 5 will give you the ability to train any area of the current window (or screen) as any type of object. Therefore you should be able to get just about any application talking properly. In practice, we don't expect the average user to have to do this, so we will be creating any necessary configuration files for most common applications. We do intend to include the full configuration facilities in the product so users who like to adjust the configuration of their screen reader can do it. We will probably hide such tools away so the average user doesn't accidentally stumble into any advanced configuration dialogs and break how it works.

I also don't like the idea of a screen reader having to modify your application to get it to work properly and we are trying to avoid this wherever possible. One question though, if the screen reader needs to make such a modification, should it just do it during it's installation without telling you (like Jaws does), should it ask you first, or should we just tell you what you need to do? If we do it without telling you, we would get flack because we went and adjusted some other applications without asking. Network administrators hate this! If we ask first, we get complaints from those people who are concerned that changing settings will affect other users (and didn't realise that other screen readers do it anyway without asking).  If we just document it, we get into the problem that most people don't read the documentation, so they never find out what they have to do to get it to work, and think that it just doesn't work.  Any other ideas?

As for custom areas, I assume that you would like to be able to "draw" an area and then assign properties to it, such as speak when changed, or have a key press to read it. You will be able to specify how the custom area is positioned, relative to a side or corner of an existing object (or window). This will mean that the custom area will reposition itself automatically if your window layout changes.

What is not quite clear at the moment is what is the best way for a blind user to specify the location of the custom area (clearly drawing a box by dragging with the mouse is not very helpful to you). Each screen reader has it's own, unique approach at the moment. Attempting a similar approach with the keyboard usually results in some compromise of accuracy because of the sheer number of different pixel positions. Having an 8 pixel jump seems at first glance a possible solution because it means that you can move around the screen with a minimum number of key presses. Of couse you can jump over some objects (less than 8 pixels high) altogether. What you probably need is two methods of moving, one which moves you in some large jumps (a line or character at a time) and one which lets you fine tune the position. The real problem is that you often want to put the corner of such an area where there is only empty space on the screen. Back in the old DOS days there was always a character at each screen position, so we had something to say. In windows, if there is empty space we could give you the screen coordinates and maybe the colour of the background.

I would appreciate any ideas on this subject. How would you like it to work?  What keys or functions do you think that you need to setup areas?

Mike."

It's going to be an exciting couple of months.  Watch this space!


4.6 Does Hal/Supernova have support for the Braille Lite?

The honest answer at the moment has to be that no one really knows.  The story so far was publicly posted to the Dolphin users mailing list, formerly the Egroups Hal95 mailing list, by Mike Hill.  Note that things may well have changed since Mike's post.  We have quoted the post here for your convenience.

"Ok, this is the history of the Braille Lite driver for Hal as far as I understand it.

In the beginning (approx September 1997) we decided to write a SAM driver for the Braille Lite. So, we started by borrowing a Braille Lite from somewhere in the UK (Sight and Sound I think) and obtained a copy of the protocol from Blazie Engineering. However, unknown to us, one of connection cables they supplied had the wrong plug on the end. After some weeks of puzzling about how to plug it in, and Blazie saying that it just plugged in to the serial port (there were no instructions), I met with Blazie Engineering at CTG to discuss the problem and discovered that we had the wrong cable. I finally obtained the correct cable (after some jokes about 'how many Dolphin engineers does it take to plug in a Braille display').

Once we had it plugged in we started work on a driver. However, we found various problems with the command protocol which could (and did) cause the device to crash. Bizarrely, the only way to reset the device was to open it up and remove the batteries (the on/off switch didn't work). During this process I managed to electrocute myself on the 100 or so volts (use to drive the piezo electric cells) whilst getting to the battery connector! We were getting a bit fed up with it by then. We sent our list of problems with the protocol to Blazie but they were not very forthcoming with any information about how to solve or avoid such problems. Eventually, after a number of e-mail  communications regarding the protocol we concluded that we would never be able to get it to work properly with it's current protocol and gave up. We returned the loaned Braille Lite (April 1998).

Some time after this (approx April 1999) we believe that Etex (France) contacted Blazie and asked if they could write a driver. We believe that Blazie agreed to do this.

Later in 1999 we discovered that Blazie had 'finished' the driver, because they had sent it to Etex. Etex complained to us that it didn't work and all we could say was that we had not written it and did not have a copy so we couldn't really comment. At REHA (November 1999) we finally had our first opportunity to test the driver, but neither ourselves or Etex could get it to work.

In March 2000 at CSUN, we spoke again to Blazie. Daehee (the developer at Blazie who wrote the driver) was adamant that it worked and said that the driver was complete. He said that they would send us a copy.

The last communication we have had from Blazie was on May 13th from Adam Holst saying that they were very busy at the moment and that the driver was 'on the list'.

To date we have not received a driver.

Mike."

The Hal FAQ authors have attempted without success to contact Blazie for further information on this issue.  At time of writing neither the U.K. or U.S. divisions of the company have responded to our correspondence.


Section 5 Other related resources:

5.1 How do I Contact Dolphin?

United Kingdom and Ireland
Dolphin Computer Access Limited
PO Box 83
Worcester
WR3 8TU
Telephone: +44 1905 754577
Fax: +44 1905 754559
Web: http://www.dolphinuk.co.uk
Email: support@dolphinuk.co.uk

Germany and central Europe: 
Use the UK and Ireland Postal address phone and fax,
Web: http://www.dolphinde.de
Email: support@dolphinde.de

USA
100 South Ellsworth Avenue
4th Floor
San Mateo
CA 94401
Telephone: 650 348 7401
Support: 650 348 7402
Fax: 650 348 7403
Web: http://www.dolphinusa.com
Email: support@dolphinusa.com

Australasia and Pacific region
P.O. Box 69203
Glendene
Auckland 1230
New Zealand 
Telephone: +64 9 836 8876
Fax: +64 9 836 4668
Web: http://www.dolphinpacific.co.nz
Email - General Info: sales@dolphinpacific.co.nz
Email - Tech support: support@dolphinpacific.co.nz


5.2 Is there a Dolphin discussion mailing list?

Yes absolutely!  The Dolphin users list is frequented by those of us interested in Dolphin products and services.  It offers an open forum for discussion of a wide range of associated topics.  Dolphin staff have been known to read the list and contribute occasionally.  To date this has been helpful and constructive.

To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

dolphin-subscribe@topica.com

To unsubscribe send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

dolphin-unsubscribe@topica.com

For further information go to:

http://www.topica.com/lists/dolphin

Many thanks to Emile Thibodeau for setting up this list.

Also, we understand that an independent German Dolphin discussion group has been established by Stephan Merk.

To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

Dolphin-ScreenReader-subscribe@egroups.de 

To unsubscribe send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

Dolphin-ScreenReader-unsubscribe@egroups.de 

For further information go to: 

http://www.egroups.de/group/Dolphin-ScreenReader


5.3 Are there any other resources of interest?

This short list is by no means extensive and is worthy of a FAQ in it's own right.  However these were thought to be of general interest to existing or potential users of Hal.

1. Dolphin Related

Dolphin Oceanic have a brief web page at 

http://www.dolphinoceanic.com 

As well as web pages mentioned above, Dolphin also have a page called Designing Accessible Software found at:

http://www.vi-access.com/ 

Dolphin recently became involved with a Swedish company Labyrinten, who develop synchronised speech applications:

http://www.labyrinten.se/

What appears to be a Swedish Hal FAQ can be found at:

http://www.labyrinten.se/svensk/faqhal95.html


2. Other screen readers

It's always worthwhile comparing Hal with its competitors.  You may like to try out some of the following screen readers: 

JAWS from Freedom Scientific

http://www.hj.com/JAWS/JAWS.html

Look Out from Choice Technology

http://www.screenreader.co.uk

Outspoken from Alva Access Group

http://www.aagi.com/aagi/news04.html

Pro Talk 32 from BioLink

http://www.biolink.bc.ca/entext2.htm#P32_Features

Simply Talker

http://www.econointl.com/

Window Bridge from Synthavoice

http://www.synthavoice.com/Features.htm

Window Eyes from GW Micro

http://www.gwmicro.com/windoweyes/windoweyes.htm

Win Vision from Artic Technology

http://www.artictech.com/


3. General access technology resources

Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA)

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/msaa/default-u.htm

Microsoft Speech Application programming Interface (SAPI)

http://www.microsoft.com/speech/technical/SAPIOverview.asp

Microsoft resource Guide for people with visual impairments

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/training/vision-u.htm

Web Accessibility Initiative from the World Wide Web Consortium

http://www.w3c.org/wai/

See what's big in the world of screen magnification software at

http://www.magnifiers.org


4. Other Online Resources

ACB Radio is the worlds first radio station run specifically for and by blind and/or vision impaired people.  For further information check out:

http://www.acbradio.org

Find out what's going on in the online blind community and explore the top blindness related sites from

http://www.blindcommunity.com

Online Voice chat communities

http://www.audio-tips.com

http://www.for-the-people.com


5. UK-based Magazines:

Infotech is a UK based monthly cassette magazine which independently reviews products and services aimed at blind and partially sighted people.  Brian Hartgen's program can also be heard online.  For further details please see:

http://www.hartgen.org/infotech.html

The Whistler is an Independent Computer Magazine for the Visually Impaired.  Are you in the dark about computers and computing? Help is at hand! The Whistler is a quarterly tape magazine first produced back in September 1988. Today it is presented by Sue and Pete Mead. Sue is herself a blind computer user.

To receive The Whistler send a 90 minute cassette tape in a postal wallet, or a 3 donation, to the following address:

11 Yarnton Close, 
Nine Elms, 
Swindon, 
Wiltshire, 
England 
SN5 9UQ  

Email: whistler@lineone.net 

Another UK based magazine that is committed to dealing with access technology issues is Access IT: 

http://www.soundlinks.com



And finally don't forget that
"If you quit Hal your speech will stop."
