Hello, I'm not a developer, but I believe there may be some complications with getting a software speech synthesizer to work. Most DOS systems are designed to be 16-bit, whereas modern software speech synthesizers typically run on 32-bit or 64-bit, or even, in the case of Raspberry Pi computers, an ARM CPU. I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of compiling software, but I imagine it would be challenging due to how ESpeak was designed to be used with more modern hardware. The screen reader wouldn't necessarily be a challenge, but the challenge lies in getting a working speech synthesizer to function due to the older architecture DOS was designed for.
I wonder if it would be possible to create some type of Arch Linux/Debian minimal install image and design it in such a way that it only works with FreeDOS and nothing else? My idea is this: when Debian starts, immediately load FreeDOS in a virtual environment, and then use virtual serial cables to send data to a program that then sends the data to ESpeak to make it talk? This setup may still use virtualization, but this way we could use existing DOS open-source screen readers and make them talk through ESpeak. Espeakup could be used as a backup screen reader in case the user needs to troubleshoot. One way users could get files onto the virtual DOS would be to use a special DOS directory, and mounted drives could appear under `/dos/mnt`. This would make it easier to import files from other drives to the new DOS environment. What are your thoughts on this? For those seeking to get DOS running out of the box with accessibility, a Debian/Arch minimal install would be a great solution, in my opinion. Hope this helps! Sincerely, Lawrence --- Let me know if you need any more assistance! Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 15, 2024, at 9:16 AM, Karen Lewellen via Freedos-user > <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > Other factor speaking personally with espeak is the largely poor speech > quality. > There is an effort to get copyright clearance for one of the dectalk software > speech sources. > I have no idea what the pi would provide speech wise, nor the cost factor. > Still, there are dectalk USB units available as well. > Lastly, Joseph got clearance for aSAP to be built into freedos. Once > installed, you can change the synthesizer output to a far wider variety of > options, including a generic voice intended for any speech not given a > specific driver. > At the end of the day, choice is the key element here for such a distribution. > > > >> On Tue, 15 Oct 2024, Mike Coulombe via Freedos-user wrote: >> >> Thanks! I'll have a look at this. >> >>> On 10/15/2024 6:36 AM, Mateusz Viste via Freedos-user wrote: >>>> On 14/10/2024 17:37, Mike Coulombe via Freedos-user wrote: >>> > Hi, That distro sounds interesting, but I need to run free dos on > >>> > different computers. If it had speech accessibility free dos would be > >>> > very useful to blind people world wide considering all the free dos > >>> > programs you can get and the amount of old computers many of can be had > >>> > for free or next to nothing. Do you think it would be worth asking about >>> > > this on the developer list or is that only for developers? >>> >>> Running espeak as a TSR might be technically possible, but it would >>> certainly be bound to many limitations. I doubt anyone will want to invest >>> time into this, given that the result is likely to be of a limited >>> usefulness for any practical purposes. >>> >>> Having a DOS distribution with a preinstalled screen reader that outputs >>> speech commands to the computer's serial port is a much more realistic >>> goal. I implemented this in SvarDOS today, so now the SvarDOS system is >>> available also as a version that "talks". It does require a Braille 'n >>> Speak synth to be connected, though: >>> http://svardos.org >>> >>> I tested it on VirtualBox with an emulated BNS (emubns), and it seems to >>> work, assuming one knows how to use provox hotkeys to "explore" the >>> screen. >>> >>> Hardware PCs require a hardware BNS, obviously, but a cheap solution could >>> be to run emubns on a Raspberry Pi connected to the PC with a >>> USB-to-serial cable. >>> >>> Mateusz >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Freedos-user mailing list >>> Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net >>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Freedos-user mailing list >> Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
