[DECtalk] DECtalk TTS licensing

[Blake Roberts]

Karen,

I interpret Don's comment about hardware synthesizers posing a potential 
"problem" to mean methods for connecting to a modern computer became 
antiquated years ago. Don, if I am not understanding your point 
sufficiently, my apologies.


Two hardware speech synthesizer examples from my own life: I used the 
DOS operating system until 2002, when circumstances required me to 
update to Windows. My Doubletalk PC ISA card from RC Systems was 
disposed of years ago because ISA card slots had already become 
antiquated technology at that point in time. Serial ports were not far 
behind in becoming antiques as I recall.


I still have a Braille Lite Millenium notetaker which has a TrippleTalk 
hardware speech synthesizer built-in. TrippleTalk was essentially 
DoubleTalk with a few extra voices. Although the Braille lite still 
works, the computer I have used for the past 11 years does not have a 
serial port to use with the Braille Lite's serial port cable. While I 
know that USB to serial port cables can be purchased online, I'm not 
sure the dinosaur named Braille Lite Millenium would connect to my 
computer or talk with my Windows screen reader. Why? Because it uses old 
connection technology.


I still have a desire to get a DecTalk Express speech synthesizer 
someday if I can. But at the same time, I have concerns about how usable 
it would be from a connection standpoint.


Curiosity question: Are you still using Vocal Eyes on a DOS computer? I 
can see from your email address that you apparently use a shell account. 
I have not used a shell account for 19 years, but I do recall shellworld 
was/is a shell account provider.



Blake




On 8/31/2021 4:38 PM, Karen Lewellen wrote:
> On Mon, 30 Aug 2021, Don wrote:
>> You could have used a Votrax in the late 70's.  Or, DECtalk in the
>> early 80's.  But, both would have been *hardware* synthesizers...
>> boxes that sat next to your computer.
> ..and this is a problem why exactly?
> granted, I am not a Linux user, for many reasons, one of which is 
> because no driver exists for the dectalk hardware I am using with my 
> machine right now.
> I have an associate here in Toronto who builds dectalk USB boxes in 
> his basement, for about $50, and he is a Linux person.
> Please do not confuse what may not have been tried by yourself 
> personally as impossible for others.
>
>
>> Getting text into them would have been the problem.  But, then again,
>> all that was available at that time were CP/M machines and early PCs.
> I am not sure I follow this at all.
> I began using speech in 1988, when I got my first computer and 
> synthesizer, which was an Internal card.  The technology had been 
> around long before I got mine, so much so that Telesensory systems 
> <spelling>  had representatives around the country, who came to your 
> house and trained you to use their screen reader programs.
> I know dectalk internal cards existed in the 90s, although I did not 
> start using  any tool of theirs until  mid decade.
> So, what any of what you are claiming has to do with the reality of 
> computing escapes me.
> even IBM  had a talking structure of sorts at that time, no windows 
> required.
>
>
>> I'm not sure you realize just how many choices have already been
>> made for you!  And, how intimidated you would be if they had
>> been available for you to muck with.
> Are you kidding?  One of the things I can personally say as someone 
> using computers, with the same operating system, since 1988, is the 
> last thing I desire is someone who does not know my needs making 
> decisions for me.
> What is intelligently done, in every screen reading program I have 
> used regularly is  a bit of consistency.
> There may be config files that the screen reader program developer 
> feels may be useful.  However there are also choices as to if you need 
> load them, ways to create our own, and best of all a detailed manual, 
> both on board and in external form that guides you to the process.
> There are many disappointing things about Linux, but one of them is 
> the lack of  consistency.
> Still, speaking personally, Linux seems to me to be a developers 
> operating system, not an end users one.
>
>
>>
>> How large is the speaker's *head*?  How many formants?  What
>> frequencies, bandwidths and gains for each?  How do they
>> change, over time, for each "phoneme"?
> Speaking personally, that I do not have  such choices is precicisily 
> why, that and there are few consistencies, quality consistencies in 
> how Linux make these decisions are why I
> am likely never going to be a Linux user.
> And pronunciations varied, even with DOS screen readers...certainly 
> with tts tools.
> A simple example, I have a friend who uses her Kindle to read 
> fanfiction, and TTS..which cannot even say the names of characters  
> properly.
> My dectalk  and my computer gets it correct.
>
>>
>> How long a pause between words?  For each comma encountered? Period?
>> Other punctuation?
> That is decided by the content, not the developer.
>
>>
>> How do I pronounce 1234?  1,234?  2021?  9/1/2021?
>>
> A quality screen reader leaves that to the end user, because different 
> individual
>  life situations impact how one desires numbers be announced, and dates.
> You do not make that decision for the user if building a quality 
> product, there may be a default, but that default can be changed.
> Linux likely does not trust its end users, because, again speaking 
> personally, Linux is  for programmers who may build things for people, 
> not for  individuals.
>>>  of
>>>  dictionaries made it an `extremely wonderful experience. DecTalk 
>>> came with
>>>  my
>>>  first pc in 1994. I listen to it more hours each day than any1 
>>> including
>>>  my
>>>  Wife, so it better be enjoyable. The thing about choices, its your 
>>> choice
>>>  to
>>>  make them or accept the defalts.
>
> And everyone should, regardless of system, have that flexibility..I am 
> thankful every single day, several hours a day, that  I still have 
> those dectalk rich vibrant quality choices, even though I was never a 
> vocal eyes user.  having a solid consistent computer floor a screen 
> reader that reliably gives you, and only you, what you need, providing 
> the ability for you to choose what that means, so you know when there 
> is a problem, and when there is not?
>
> Mercy if I had a dollar for every time someone unaware of how good 
> adaptive technology should function, tell me the problem is my screen 
> reader when it was not, I would be Oprah Winfrey.
>
> Karen
>
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