Re: linux with sighted help?

["Gene Collins" <collins gene3 cc iastate edu>]

The really nice thing about Linux is that as an open source operating
system, it is completely configurable.  This means the blind user has
his/her choice of how the screen reader will interact with the system. 
Emacs speak is a good product, and has been around for quite a while,
relatively speaking.  For those who don't want there screen reader
embeded in the operating system it's a great choice.  For those who want
to hear all the nitty gritty stuff that happens during boot up, or who
want to see the trace log of a kernel error, Speakup is a good choice. 
As someone else said here, it's not necessarily an either or
proposition.  There is nothing wrong with having a choice.  And the
answer to whether a blind person can install Linux with out sighted
help is an emphatic yes!  Using Speakup, I, as a totally blind person,
was able to hear every thing that happened from the initial boot up, all
the way through the installation process.  The system is extreemly
stable and useable, and I've been using it for the last six months.  The
speakup patch to the kernel is still Alpha software, but I've got to say
that I'm extreemly impressed with it's functionality.  The really neat
thing is that it's written buy a blind guy for blind people.  And yes, I
know, Emacs Speak is also written by a blind person.  It just means that
blind folks are not leaving the development of software that meets their
needs to someone else any more.  And I for one think that's a great
thing.  The really great thing about Linux is that as an open source
operating system, it allows individual users and developers to push
themselves to the limits of their ability.  Choose the tools you need,
and boss the machine, rather than having it the other way around.

Gene Collins


>I agree completely with Hans on this point. One of the  advantages of
>Unix-like operating systems is precisely that the user interface is not
>part of the Kernel. One can thus choose the X Window System (with xdm, for
>instance), a character-based terminal, another windowing system, or any
>future interface that might be developed, without affecting the kernel.
>The interface is thus separated from the functionality of the operating
>system. This is not the case in certain other systems that one could
>mention where a graphical interface is part of the core product and no
>alternative can be substituted at will.
>
>Speech, except for device drivers, and especially in the case of
>sophisticated user interfaces, does not belong in the kernel.
>
>
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