Category: Geeks r Us
Hi,
Was wondering how to install a Linux distribution, which will completely replace Windows? Also, I was wondering how usable the screen reader is for the blind, and if you can get different voices?
Thanks.
I used Arch Linux. That will cover almost all your needs. And yes, there are more voices for Orca, but they're sort of hard to get. The screenreader is quite usable; Orca, the one for the GUI, has its fla)s, but Speakup, the one for the CLI, works damn near perfect for what it does.
Any of several GNU/Linux distros can replace Windows; I'm using Arch on one computer, and Trisquel on another. On both distros, I use Orca, the gui screen reader, for most things, though Speakup, the cli screen reader, is nice to have around. I use espeak as my synth, since it is free and open-source. On July 29, the Sonar project announced Sonar GNU/Linux, version 2014.1. This distro is said to be optimized for users who need assistive tech, such as screen reading, magnification, and braille. Unlike Talking Arch, Sonar is a live system, having a fully set-up gui, with accessibility turned on, out of the box. This means you get a fully functional system, bootable and runable from the dvd or usb drive; you need not install it to your computer, to test or demonstrate the system. Go to The Sonar Homepage to learn about it; there, you'll find iso and checksoms for download. Trisquel GNU/'Linux is another live medium distro, having Orca screen reader turned on at the start. I suggest grabbing the latest experimental releases here. Trisquel's distinguishing feature is its having only free, open-sources in its distribution media and archives; it never recommends or references non-free software. If you wish to use Arch GNU/Linux, do lots of reading, first, starting with the basic system setup tutorial on The Talking Arch web site Unlike distros with a pre-built environment, Arch makes you build it yourself, and can be new-comer-hostile.
Dave, did they ever get MaryTTS working on that?
I'm not sure what I want to do; I mean, it would be nice to create an FTP server on a spare comp, so I could upload and download files. Anyone know one that is accessible?
Thanks.
Check out Digital Ocean. They've got a bunch of options, and they run Linux. http://digitalocean.com
Cool, are these FTP softwares, and if so, are they accessible? Can I run the server headless; meaning, I configure it, and it just runs?
Yep, they're headless. You set up the servers via SSH and you can manage them on the go, which is kind of cool, provided you didn't block other IP addresses. As for accessibility of FTP software, I'm sure they've got something.
Shell Script: Are you talking about Sonar? No Mary TTS there yet; I think Kyle can't get it working with something in Manjaro. If you're talking about Trisquel, I'd say, Mary TTS is a no-go there.
Hmm. Shame! I've been meaning to try Mary TTS and just SpeechHub in general.
You can get the last Sonar based on Ubuntu. Maybe speech hub is in Trusty? I wasn't impressed when I tried hub, but I'm old and cranky; lol!
If you're looking for an ftp server on Linux, I'd get ProFTP. It works great and I think there were only a few security notices with it. You configure it through the shell. If you want to run something on your own box at home, digitalocean will not be of any use for you; it is a VPS; they rarely come loaded with a ton of disk space. I pay $59 a month for my dedicated BSD box and it has 2 tb of space, but the support through that company sucks and you'd have to upload everything to the server.
HTH,