klarich@a.cs.okstate.edu (Terry Klarich) (10/01/88)
My name is Terry Klarich. I am a grad student at Oklahoma State
University. I have a 80386 machine which I would like to get a nix like OS up
on. However, my problem is that I am blind and have to use a voice synthesizer
to get speech output. My question is how would one make this happen. When I
use MS-DOS, I have a tsr that installs interrupt handlers on the keyboard and
screen. When a character is typed or a character appears on the screen, a copy
is sent out one of the serial ports to my synthesizer. Of corse, this program
is a little more complicated than this; but you get the general idea. The
Program also has the means of freezing the screen so I can examine it if I need
too. Here is a list of my questions.
1. What would be envolved in writing a program like this to run under Unix?
2. Would I be able to use vertual screens?
3. Would I be able to freeze the screen to examine it?
4. What serial ports would I be able to use under Unix? Here is A list of my
ports and irq lines.
com1 0x3f8 on irq 4
com2 0x2f8 on irq 3
com3 0x3e8 on irq 4
com4 0x2e8 on irq 3
5. Would this cause any problems with a cga card?
6. ({["'WHAT IS THE PRICE????'"]})!
7. Do you know anyone who has already done this?
8. Would I be able to get a "FULL" set of man pages? I can't read manuals.
My voice synthesizer acts just like a printer using xon/xoff. I would
appreciate any help anyone could offer me. I would like to also here from
venders if they are man enough to get envolved. The best way to answer this is
by email because I don't get time to read all the articles posted. If anyone
else is interested, let me know and I'll summarize.
Thanks to one and all for the help.
--
Terry Klarich (klarich@a.cs.okstate.edu) n5hts
A man is not complete until he is married then, he is finished.
Did I really type this? Surely not.tif@cpe.UUCP (10/04/88)
Written 4:43 pm Sep 30, 1988 by okstate.UUCP!klarich in cpe:comp.unix.xenix >However, my problem is that I am blind and have to use a voice synthesizer >to get speech output. Gee, I'd really like to help this guy but I'll be darned if I can think of a way to do this without delving into writing device drivers. Even with a device driver it could be less than clean. The sound of a curses driven program would probably drive him crazy. Since I haven't seen any other comments, I'll say that it looks like he needs a driver (maybe a stream if he can wait for that) that'll take the console's output and duplicate it to /dev/tty1a while still sending it to the screen. Version 2.3 is supposed to make custom console drivers alot easier. Perhaps a simple stub could ride on top of what is already there. Is anybody working to help this person? If not, is anybody driver-oriented enough to see what can be done (and maybe even do it)? Or can SCO see it in there heart to whip up a special kernel? One important factor may be whether administration must be capable through this box or merely user-level stuff. User-level stuff could probably be done with a fancy terminal that has two serial ports. Paul Chamberlain Computer Product Engineering, Tandy Corp. {convex,killer}!ninja!cpe!tif
klarich@a.cs.okstate.edu (Terry Klarich) (10/05/88)
In article <6800044@cpe> tif@cpe.UUCP writes: >Is anybody working to help this person? If not, is anybody driver-oriented >enough to see what can be done (and maybe even do it)? Or can SCO see it >in there heart to whip up a special kernel? > I aggree, I need a driver. But, it is a catch 22 situation. What came first the chicken or the egg? I can't work on the driver until I get speach output and I can't get speach output until I work on the driver. If it were not for the fact that this is for my personal machine, I could use a xt running a terminal package under ms-dos. But, I will need to use the console to do the things that sysadm does best. Also, I would like to know when a panic massage runs accross the screen. I would be very impressed if sco contacted me and probably would buy there 386 version. Yes, that was a hint. I appreciate the push. -- Terry Klarich (klarich@a.cs.okstate.edu) n5hts A man is not complete until he is married then, he is finished. Did I really type this? Surely not.
davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) (10/06/88)
My solution is to hang one of the 'Type-N-Talk' boxes off a serial port.
I don't know if they're still sold.
--
bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
{uunet | philabs}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -medyer@spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer) (10/06/88)
It is possible to run SCO XENIX without using the video subsystem
as the console. You just have to put the right keywords in
/etc/default/boot.
So, you could use a DECtalk or Type-n-talk attached to the
serial COM1 or COM2 and use it as the system console.
--
Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.harvard.edu
dyer@spdcc.COM aka {harvard,husc6,linus,ima,bbn,m2c,mipseast}!spdcc!dyermce@pbsdts.UUCP (Mark Edwards) (10/07/88)
I think a good solution for this problem can be found with the Berkeley utility called "script". The 2.3 release of Xenix includes pseudo-tty drivers. I ported script to Xenix 2.3.0 with no problem. Briefly, script captures everything that passes in or out of the pty in a file. It was designed to capture sample program runs for persons on a glass tty for subsequent printing. The redirect to a file could altered to a serial port with no problem. It even functions with curses, albeit all too literally. A filter might be in order on the way to the synthesizer. Terry is quite welcome to a copy (floppy disk or uucp). -- Mark C. Edwards voice: 619/586-2204 Associate Systems Analyst unix: mce@pbsdts.pacbell.com
tif@cpe.UUCP (10/11/88)
Written 9:49 pm Oct 5, 1988 by spdcc.UUCP!dyer in cpe:comp.unix.xenix >It is possible to run SCO XENIX without using the video subsystem >as the console. You just have to put the right keywords in >/etc/default/boot. > >So, you could use a DECtalk or Type-n-talk attached to the >serial COM1 or COM2 and use it as the system console. Does a Type-n-talk give you a keyboard and a speech synthesis box (as the name implies it does)? I had considered the serial console as a possibility but with the box he currently has he wouldn't be able to input anything. Paul Chamberlain Computer Product Engineering, Tandy Corp. {convex,killer}!ninja!cpe!tif