[DECtalk] status of DECtalk SAPI from Enable Rehab

[Corine Bickley]

The Enable DECtalk module for screen readers will work with any screen
reader that runs on a 32-bit machine.

On Sat, May 7, 2011 at 2:02 PM, Pitermach <pitermach at gmail.com> wrote:
> <blockquote>
> then we
> will offer that version for sale as an add-on to screen readers of the
> user's choice.
> </blockquote>
> does this mean, then, that you will develop some propriatary
> jaws/wineyes/nvda drivers or are you refering to making that one into sapi?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Corine Bickley" <corine.bickley at gallaudet.edu>
> To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
> Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 7:56 PM
> Subject: [DECtalk] status of DECtalk SAPI from Enable Rehab
>> Hello DECtalk friends,
>> We at Enable, two former students of Dennis Klatt and his friend/mentor
>> Prof. Ken Stevens, learned of an interest in a version of DECtalk that was
>> SAPI compliant. Both of us had worked for short intervals with Force
>> Computers and then Fonix to try to keep DECtalk alive commercially in
>> 2000.
>> However, our efforts were not appreciated at either company. We both were
>> laid off. However, we stayed in touch with Ed Bruckert who has kept
>> DECtalk
>> alive for over 30 years. Ed was our manager at Force and then Fonix.
>> Sadly,
>> Ed is now legally blind and can only advise, not program. He helps with
>> advice as he best as his memory allows.
>>
>> Ed has explained that DECtalk has not made any money for many years.
>> Enable
>> will never make any money off of any version of DECtalk, but in honor of
>> Dennis we'd like to keep DECtalk available. No other company else has any
>> interest in doing so. After much negotiation, Ed was finally able to
>> convince Fonix to let Enable license whatever old copies of DECtalk code
>> that we could find. That cost alone is far more than any profit Enable
>> will
>> ever realize from sales of DECtalk. Also, Fonix owns any changes we make
>> to
>> DECtalk code. They, Fonix managers, are smart. You may conclude that we at
>> Enable are stupid, at least naive, but please be assured that we are well
>> intentioned and want to make DECtalk available to whoever wants it, if
>> anyone does. It seems now that no one does, at least not any version that
>> Fonix will let Enable have access to. However, I can rest easy in knowing
>> that we tried. I'm sorry to all of you that we failed. We wish you well in
>> continuing to use whatever versions of DECtalk you have access to. It's
>> wonderful that those versions still exist - do enjoy them.
>>
>> One of the old versions of DECtalk does work with at least some of the
>> voices, such as Paul. That old version is now being evaluated by the
>> Acoustical Society of America's Standards Committee for intelligibility of
>> TTS systems for blind users. If that old version evaluates adequately (the
>> first report will be presented this summer at an international conference
>> by
>> Drs. Ann Syrdal and Taniya Mishra), particularly at high speeds, then we
>> will offer that version for sale as an add-on to screen readers of the
>> user's choice. Both the Paul and Betty voices are being evaluated. If
>> anyone
>> on this listserv is interested in hearing the samples as well as the other
>> synthesizers included in the evaluation, please access the site:
>>
>> http://dudley.research.att.com/tts/TESTS/TTSrateIntelligibility/html/index.h
>> tml
>> Sometimes this link is down because the ATT researchers are accessing the
>> results. Please try later if it doesn't work when you first try it.
>> Several
>> kinds of TTS systems are included, each with a male and a female voice.
>> You'll have to re-enter the site quite a few times to hear samples of all
>> the different voices in all the different TTS systems. The presentation is
>> randomized, so there's no way to know whether you will hear DECtalk or
>> some
>> other system each time.
>>
>> Again, best wishes to all on this listserv in your continued use of
>> DECtalk.
>>
>> corine bickley
>> Enable Rehab, president
>> _______________________________________________
>> DECtalk mailing list
>> DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
>> http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
>>
>> __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus
>> signature database 5266 (20100709) __________
>>
>> The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>>
>> http://www.eset.com
>>
>>
>>
>
> __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature
> database 5266 (20100709) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> DECtalk mailing list
> DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
> http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
>
>