multiple emacspeak sessions and viovoice on laptops

["T. V. Raman" <ramantv@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>>>> "RAYNER" == RAYNER Peter <ray060@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
Rayner --let me first correct one obvious misunderstanding:

The outloud server does not necessarily die if you start
more than one up. It works fine.
It will have problems if both try to talk at the same time.


So below where you surmize that the server is killed and
being restarted many many times --that is incorrect.

    RAYNER> again.  Here's the set-up: emacspeak-12.0 on
    RAYNER> rh6.2 using the viavoice beta (is this still the
    RAYNER> only version for linux?) all running on a Dell
This parallels my setup except my laptop is running RH 6.0
    RAYNER> CPIR-GT400.  Sadly this machine doesn't have
    RAYNER> multiplexed sound capability in hardware, a
A problem I too have on my ThinkPad 00E
    RAYNER> disadvantage in several respects.

    RAYNER> On this machine (I'll call it my-machine here) I
    RAYNER> can start two emacspeak sessions on two virtual
    RAYNER> consoles and switch between them.  There's
    RAYNER> usually a delay as I do so.  I'm betting the
    RAYNER> speech-server dies and restarts each time,
It does not die --it's just that there is no speech happening.
    RAYNER> although the MESSAGES buffer doesn't *seem* to
    RAYNER> show this as universal.  Raman had mentioned to
    RAYNER> me there might be some timing issues.  Anyway it
I meant timing issues to explain why the thing was dying
     when you started the remote server.
    RAYNER> always comes back to life.

    RAYNER> Of course running two emacspeak sessions on the
    RAYNER> same machine isn't the most useful thing one can
    RAYNER> do.  On the second virtual console I can also
    RAYNER> rlogin to remote-machine and start emacspeak
I do this also.
I run screen at the remote end and the emacs session is
     always running.
When I login --I first start the local server --then login
     and hit the appropriate keys  to have it connect back.

Couple of things to watch out for:

1) make sure no speech is ongoing when you hit the afore
mentioned keys  to have the remote end connect to the local
server.
2) Wait for the connection to happen, 
wait for it to speak the message "connected to server on
..."
either wait for that message to finish --or alternatively
make sure you hit C-e s to stop the speech.

3) Make sure the remote end is set to use midi icons
--alternatively that auditory icons are turned off
    RAYNER> there with the remote-tcl script as the server
    RAYNER> and the variables set to point back to
    RAYNER> my-machine.  This also works and I can also
    RAYNER> switch between the two virtual consoles, again
    RAYNER> with a delay.  Presumably the speech-server is
    RAYNER> being killed and restarted many many times.
No --not true.

    RAYNER> What I *can't* do is start the direct tcp-based
    RAYNER> server and have remote-machine point back to it.
    RAYNER> Is this because the speech-server won't kill the
    RAYNER> existing one and take over the dsp?  Certainly,
re: the dsp--
no process owns the DSP.
The Outloud engine is multithreaded using pthreads 
--and there is one thread that writes to the dsp  device. If 
that thread from each of the Outloud processes tries to run
     at the same time one will die.
You will see messages in /var/log/messages saying "failed to
     open sound channel 1" or some such.
    RAYNER> as I mentioned last time, it complains about not
    RAYNER> being able to open the DSP.

Here is another possibility:
Make sure you start the local Outloud server from inside the
first console where emacspeak is already running.
This matters because on Linux  if a user logged in on one
console accesses the audio device it becomes owned by him 
--you can use the device from other consoles only with the
same user id 

    
RAYNER> Some fixes: 1) convince work to buy a new laptop
    RAYNER> with more advanced sound capability.  Other
good if it works--
    RAYNER> advantages would be getting auditory icons and
    RAYNER> real-audio etc.  2) Hope ESD can fill the gap in
    RAYNER> software, didn't look like much advance there
ESD is sadly lagging.
    RAYNER> last I looked.  3) try to get the tcp-based
    RAYNER> speech-server to emulate the homicidal
    RAYNER> tendencies of the rsh-based one. 
That would be hard because it would require the remote end
to launch a process at a local end 
something that security often prevents. 
I wrote the tcp based solution because I was in the above situation.
 rayner> 4) Try to
    RAYNER> arrange a vioavoice server which can accept
    RAYNER> multiple connections
Again the problem is more at the audio libs level.


    RAYNER> Are there, btw, many other people using viovoice
    RAYNER> on laptops and running into these kind of
What matters is that I use it in this mode all the time and
     it works -- --look for quality --not quantity:-)
    RAYNER> restrictions?  regards Peter Rayner
All this said the server does die infrequently on my laptop
     as well --especially when I am dialed in over a
     slow line and my fingers get ahead of the linespeed.
however it is usable enough that I no longer take the
     Dectalk Express along when I travel.

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-- 
Best Regards,
--raman

      
Email:  raman@xxxxxxxxxxx
WWW: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/raman/             
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