ZipSpeak is a talking mini-distribution of Linux for blind and visually impaired people, based on version 7.0 of the ZipSlack distribution and version 0.08 of the Speakup screen reader. ZipSpeak is designed to be easily installed on an existing MS-DOS or Windows system, so that the user can start using a talking Linux system with a minimum of difficulty.

The standard version of ZipSpeak consists of a ZIP file which contains the main distribution; a set of Linux kernels which have Speakup built in, one for each supported speech synthesizer; a set of boot disk images for these kernels, along with an image that doesn't include Speakup; a utility for making boot disks from these images; and some documentation. While the standard version is usable with any supported synthesizer, there are also customized versions of ZipSpeak in which the appropriate kernel for a specific speech synthesizer is included in the ZIP file, and the boot disk for that synthesizer is the only included talking boot disk.

What is Needed to Use ZipSpeak

Users will need a PC with an Intel 80386 processor or better, with at least four megabytes of RAM, though more RAM is certainly recommended. (For more information about running ZipSpeak with four megabytes of RAM, see the fourmeg.README file in the ZipSpeak distribution.) ZipSpeak requires at least 100 megabytes of hard disk space, though more is recommended. Users will also need one of the following hardware speech synthesizers: Accent-PC, Accent-SA, DoubleTalk-PC, DoubleTalk-LT, Speakout, or any synthesizer that is compatible with one of these. Finally, users will need a system running MS-DOS or any version of Windows, though Windows NT with the NTFS file system will not work.

What is Not Needed to Use ZipSpeak

Users will not need to back up, repartition, or reformat their hard disks to run ZipSpeak; it will install on existing MS-DOS or Windows systems (except for Windows NT with NTFS). A user will also not need a sighted person to help with the installation or startup of the system; this can be done completely independently with speech feedback.

Where to Get ZipSpeak

The standard version is available by FTP, here. A customized version for any supported synthesizer is available on request from the author and will probably also be available on CD-ROM in the near future.

For Further Information

ZipSpeak is based on ZipSlack, which is a simplified version of the larger Slackware Linux distribution, created and maintained by Patrick Volkerding. To find out more about Slackware, refer to the Slackware Web site.

ZipSpeak uses the Speakup screen reader, written by Kirk Reiser and Andy Berdan, to provide speech feedback under Linux. Speakup is built into the Linux kernel itself, so that everything on the console from boot-up to shutdown is spoken. Speakup will be especially familiar to people who use or have used the Automatic Screen Access Program (ASAP) from MicroTalk under MS-DOS. To find out more about Speakup, refer to the Speakup Web site, at: www.braille.uwo.ca/speakup.

Finally, new blind users of Linux can join the blinux-newbie mailing list to ask questions and discuss any issues related to Linux use by blind people. More experienced Linux users are also welcome to join and help out. To join, send a blank message to: [email protected].

Final Comments

Any questions or comments about ZipSpeak may be sent by email to the author, Matthew Campbell, at: [email protected]. Thanks to Mark Senk for motivating the author to work on this project and providing suggestions along the way, and to the creators of ZipSlack and Speakup for making ZipSpeak possible.

 
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