Announcing Updates at the Speakup Modified

[Janina Sajka]

Thanks, John. These are excellent suggestions, and I'll do my best to add this information to the next rev.

For the gnopernicus question--I wish there were such a doc. The closest thing out there is http://www.baumro/gnopernicus.html. I guess I can just point to this doc and say that it will likely leave many people confused. Certainly, I can develop the simple fact that configuring for gui accessibility comes a few steps beyond what our HOWTO covers.

The role of an initrd is another good suggestion. Let's try this simple explanation for now:

It's the first software your computer boots. It's your first opportunity to have some things booted, and other things left for later. initrd literally means "initial ram disk" because it's loaded into ram, provides specified functionality, and then loads the rest of the system.

So, the advice in the HOWTO--the long command about creating an initrd--is all about providing:

1.)	Speakup with support for the synthesizer you are using. The alternative is to have no speech until after you log in.

2.)	Turning on the Ctrl-G beep. When you press backspace at a Linux console, you get a helpful beep to let you know there's nothing on the command line. Also, the gui log in screen will beep when it's ready for a login--which is also the point at which the system is generally ready to be used. If you don't turn this on in the initrd, you will have no eye-sfree way to know you've reached that point.

Hope this helps.

John Mattioli writes:
> Hank (and others),
> 
> 	I wouldn't say this is difficult, after all the procedure is
> spelled out pretty clearly.  Either it works or it doesn't.  It seems
> that it worked pretty well for most who have commented.  I sure hope it
> works cause I'll be getting to it soon.
> 
> 	What I would say about that procedure, and one or two other
> things in the howto, is that the reason for needing it and the purpose
> of it aren't really described well.  The howto just says do this or
> speakup won't work.  What is an initrd?  How is it involved in the boot
> process?  Those questions aren't really answered.  Perhaps they don't
> need to be answered in this sort of howto.  At a minimum, however, I
> would like to see a link to a document that tells me more.
> 
> 	The one other place I'd like to see a link to further
> information is where the howto says that it isn't going to go into how
> to get gnopernicus started.  That's fine, it doesn't really need to go
> into that, but a link to a document that tells you where to go if you
> want to do that would be very helpful.
> 
> John
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blinux-list-bounces at redhat.com
> [mailto:blinux-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of hank
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 2:53 PM
> To: Linux for blind general discussion
> Subject: Re: Announcing Updates at the Speakup Modified
> 
> 
> Creating an INITRD
> for a new be to linux this is really difficult
> from what I under stand the Creating an INITRD is motifying the kernel.
> unless things have change in fedora core 2 hth hank
> - -
> Don't judge me because I'm blind. Judge me by what's inside. if you
> judge me because I am blind, then it is you who is blind. "time is the
> fire in which we burn," Tollian Soran. "grudges aren't worth
> holding--One who holds them shows his self-weakness." Contact info:
> hank at hanksmith.net
> Email: Same as MSN.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Raul A. Gallegos" <raul at asmodean.net>
> To: "Linux for blind general discussion" <blinux-list at redhat.com>
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 11:12 AM
> Subject: Re: Announcing Updates at the Speakup Modified
> 
> 
> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > Hash: SHA1
> >
> > Such as changing what sorts of a bunch of crap?
> >
> > I'm not understanding here what all has to be changed to get Fedora to
> boot up talking.
> >
> > - --
> > Raul A. Gallegos - http://www.asmodean.net
> > All outgoing E-Mail is PGP-signed so that you know it really came from
> 
> > me and not a virus.  Public key at: http://asmodean.net/raul-pgp.asc 
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-- 
	
				Janina Sajka, Director
				Technology Research and Development
				Governmental Relations Group
				American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

		Chair, Accessibility Workgroup
	Free Standards Group (FSG)

Email: janina at afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175