[DECtalk] decTalk on IOS with TestFlite beta app?

[Karen Lewellen]

Hi,


On Tue, 15 Nov 2022, jake mcmahanCharles Mcmahan wrote:

>     Normally I don't say much on these type things but I think this whole 
> thing is quite unnecessary.  We all use products and technology in our own 
> way, think in our own way, that's what makes the world what it is.  While I 
> personally use dectalk for some things, eloquence for others, I don't think 
> it's a bad idea for an old product to be invested in if proper permission is 
> given.  Last I heard, Jake Gross did get the source from someone who 
> actually worked at the company, so really the legal thing is complicated and 
> I wouldn't do well exploring that one.  Point is though, we're all people 
> who function in different ways and have our own ideas. Lots of this stuff is 
> very informative and it's interesting to see what others think but I don't 
> think it's necessary for anyone to be hostile or get worked up when there 
> really is no need for it.
>
Well said, which is why I spoke to the disrespectful comparison  of how I 
*choose* to use equipment to an 8-track machine.
  What value is there in such a comment?
Most of my remarks were not  addressed to don specifically, but to the 
thread generally, which I freely owned up not reading.
Why He chose to make it personal just because I did not write in context 
is entirely on him.
A shared label does not a shared experience make uniformly, that is part 
of what makes us human.
Karen
  who is done commenting at all now.


> Both of you (Don and Karen) are very great  people, and I'm sure you 
> contribute in your own way.
>
> No harm meant.
>
> On 11/15/2022 10:43 PM, Don wrote:
>> On 11/15/2022 8:11 PM, Karen Lewellen wrote:
>> >  And you know this how exactly?
>>
>>  Know *what*?  Your comment is without reference.
>> 
>> >  I use dectalk, because other forms of synthesized speech trigger  
>> >  health issues.
>>
>>  Then all the more reason for *you* to want the owners of the DECtalk IP
>>  to invest in improving THAT technology!
>> 
>> >  My goodness, i dare  say you gleam a sense of self by judging the 
>> >  choices of others as if you were  an authority on all aspects of the 
>> >  human condition.
>>
>>  Wow, what an overreach on your part.  You know jack shit about me
>>  yet feel like you can characterize my personality, motives, etc.
>>
>>  Can you tell me what color shirt I'm wearing, too?  And, what
>>  I had for supper??
>>
>>  I am one of the few developers who have expressed an interest in the
>>  *needs* of folks with disabilities *or* invested development effort
>>  in addressing them.   (Feel free to ask how many other list subscribers
>>  are designing products to address these needs)
>>
>>  I know this because I TALK TO OTHER DEVELOPERS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
>>  And, because you see so many devices created without their concerns
>>  in mind (microwave oven?  washing machine/dryer?  home stereo? TV?
>>  irrigation controller?  I guess blind users don't *have/want* these
>>  devices...)
>>
>>  They care little about whether you can read the fine print on
>>  the front panel of their product.
>>
>>  Or, can distinguish between the blue and green knobs; or green and
>>  red.
>>
>>  Or *hear* the "default keyclick".
>>
>>  Or, "dejitter" the manual controls so someone with essential
>>  tremor (or Parkinsonian tremor) could use their device.  Or, the
>>  smallness of controls and the tightness of their placements.
>>
>>  Or, have fits induced by the blinking indicators on their displays.
>>
>>  Etc.
>>
>>  I was speaking with a neighbor who is responsible for developing
>>  curriculum
>>  for the public school children in our district.  In the course of the
>>  discussion, I commented that "at least one kid in each classroom is
>>  color-blind".  She disputed this.  I qualified it as "one in 15 males"
>>  and, if you assume a nominal class size of 30 with equal numbers of
>>  males and females, that translates to one child.  She continued to
>>  dispute
>>  this.
>>
>>  After all, I'm just a silly ENGINEER... how would *I* know these things!
>>  Hint:  It is not taught in engineering curricula.
>>
>>  Two months passed before I bumped into her again.  And, she was
>>  surprised to discover that I was, in fact, correct!  Gee, yet *she*
>>  is the one charged with deciding what and how those kids are taught?
>>
>>  One of the first persons I interviewed when working on this project said,
>>  "Don't make it look blind!" which left me at a complete loss: "What?"
>>
>>  "Products for blind users LOOK like they were designed for blind users.
>>  Make it sleek and sexy.  Like something folks would be interested in
>>  wanting to know about, own, etc."
>>
>>  "Ah, well, that's likely because quantities are so low that manufacturers
>>  don't want to invest in custom tooling to make a fancy case..."
>>
>>  "And, make it easy to clean and easy to *keep* clean!  If I'm going
>>  to be handling it, the oils and dirt from my hands will quickly get it
>>  dirty.  And, a sighted person nearby would be grossed out to see me
>>  handling something that THEY can SEE as dirty... and then shaking my
>>  hand or accepting a cookie from me, etc."
>>
>>  I quickly learned from the deaf community that they don't *want*
>>  to speak (per se).  They would *tolerate* devices that convert
>>  ASL to spoken word and vice versa.  But, have no inherent desire to
>>  "join" the hearing/speaking world.
>>
>>  I learned form caregivers of alzheimer/dementia patients that the
>>  voice of a friend or family member carries more clout than words from
>>  that caregiver (so, if you can speak in a family member's voice, that
>>  has more value than a generic voice -- DECtalk? -- issuing directions)
>>
>>  You know these things by talking to people and hearing their stories.
>>  You have to expend effort to do so -- which suggests concern for the
>>  needs of others (quite the opposite of your allegations, here). You
>>  don't get PAID for that effort.
>>
>>  [And, my final product is FOSS so *I* won't get any remuneration
>>  from it, either!  Gee, I guess that's what "authorities on the
>>  human condition" do, right?]
>> 
>> >  those commenting positively about my dectalk when compared to tts, are 
>> >  using commercial products, amazon   kindle fire for example.
>> >  But of course the 8 billion on the planet are second to your personal 
>> >  experiences.
>>
>>  And, apparently, YOURS, as well.
>>
>>  But, hey, if you're happy with your 8 tracks, go for it!  I'll be sure to
>>  let my colleagues know that the vision impaired community doesn't need to
>>  be accommodated in any of our designs...
>>  _______________________________________________
>>  Dectalk mailing list
>>  Dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>  https://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
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