[Inx] Blind Distro CLI project - Seeing Puppy for the Blind

David Ring n1ea at arrl.net
Thu Dec 18 20:14:53 PST 2008


I think It's not X is one of the greatest, smoothest, distros I've
ever seen.  Especially the humor - press x to go to command line!
Funny pressing x to get to command line!!!

I did exchange an email with one of the project people (Peter) and he
promised to send the following info to the group, but since I decided
I wanted to keep up to date with this beautiful INX, I thought I'd
sign up for this mail list and also post a little bit about our
project.

I've been working on a similar project - but not even close to the
beauty of INX.

The project is called:  Speak Puppy for the Blind.  It is based on Puppy Linux.

The Internet is littered with projects for the blind - they get
started by a student at college but he graduates, etc.  So the project
stops.

One of the biggest problems with computers and the blind is that with
"normal" Windows (Microsoft or Apple or X-org-Linux) a blind person is
forced to play "Find the Window" with the mouse.  Talk about
frustrating.  Mouse and Windows were developed for a GRAPHICAL user
Interface - and blind folks cannot see graphics (except when
dreaming!).

We are using a menu system like INX - except it by default speaks
also.  Press a letter for links web browser, press a letter for alpine
mail, press a letter for multimedia (then a sub menu for CD/DVD, mp3
or files, or Internet radio, press a letter to scan pages (and perform
OCR so blind can scan printed books and "read" them, press a letter
for a CLI spreadsheet, press a letter for a calculator, press a letter
for skype Internet phone, etc.

We wanted to basically give blind people the tools to do everything
sighted people could do.

Here is the project thread:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=24571

Here is our current state of what we've accomplished

Release Candidate speakpuprc2.iso
DOWNLOAD here:  http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=477675&dv=1
NOTE:  There is a little DOWNLOAD button near the bottom of the page
(after the google ads).

Unfortunately I am only basically a cheerleader even though it was my
idea, I never learned programming and my present disability (multiple)
would make it difficult - but one day at a time - maybe I will get
around to learning that also!

If anyone would care to join the cheerleaders section or the
programming section - (we have just one of each), you are very welcome
to.

Best wishes to all,

David Ring
Green Harbor, MA
USA

-30-


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