[DECtalk] status of DECtalk SAPI from Enable Rehab

Tue May 10 11:32:16 EDT 2011

It would probably be easier to develop one SAPI driver than a few
screen reader modules. I'm assuming it will be SAPI.

Alex

On 5/10/11, Brandon Misch <bmisch2002 at gmail.com> wrote:
> will that module have its own driver or will it work through sapi?
>
> On May 10, 2011, at 8:49 AM, Corine Bickley wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
>>>>
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