Version 6.0--Preliminary
11 July 2007
For use with the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution, Version F-7 "Moonshine."
By Janina Sajka and William Acker
Use this link to get the most current version of this HOWTO. And, be certain to use the latest version of this HOWTO when you install the Speakup Modified Fedora because the specific steps you need to follow do change from time to time.
IMPORTANT: The Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution no longer supports booting from floppy diskettes. A CD (or DVD) ROM capable of booting i(or a flash memory device such as a USB disk drive) is now required to install the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. It is also possible to install exclusively over the Internet using PXE if your network card supports PXE.
Also, while Speakup (and the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution) support operation using software speech synthesizers, you cannot install using software speech. A hardware speech synthesizer is required to install the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. If you do not have a hardware speech device, consider using PXE or telnet to install the Speakup Modified.
(C) Copyright 2007
By Janina Sajka & William F. Acker
All Rights Reserved
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license can be found at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html#FDL.
We invite you to use this link to send us your comments and suggestions on this document. Your comments are most welcome.
We wish to acknowledge gratefully the many comments and suggestions we've received in the past about this document. Your suggestions and error reports have made this a far better guide than we could have made it by ourselves alone. Thank you to each and everyone of you.
Blind people installing Red Hat using Speakup are also invited to call Bill Acker by voice telephone, during the evening and on weekends only please, for direct, personal assistance at +1.303.777.8123 in the USA's Mountain Time Zone, -02:00 U.S. Eastern Time (New York). But, please do not call during business hours.
The Speakup mailing list is a good place to get help with your problems and questions. We strongly suggest, and we cordially invite you to join the Speakup mailing list.
Linux is a wonderful environment for computer users who are blind, and the Fedora Core distribution is a compelling, robust yet cutting-edge and comprehensive Linux distribution. Unfortunately, the Fedora Project does not provide an installation option accessible to the screen reader user, nor does it deliver a completed installation which includes console screen reader support. Until Red Hat, Inc. and the Fedora Project again remedy this inequity, we will continue to provide the Speakup Modified Fedora distribution as the accessible alternative for the blind computer user who wants a Fedora-style Linux installation. While there are many ways to get installation media for Fedora, there is only one place on the planet which consistently provides installation media adapted expressly for those blind computer users who want to use the Speakup Linux screen reader to install a Fedora-style Linux on their computers. This means that the blind computer user will not require sighted assistance, and that the end result will be an installation that talks every time it is booted, but only if you get your installation files here--at the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution Home Page
Clearly, all users can choose among several Linux distributions, and we note and applaud the several distributions of GNU/Linux that now directly provide Speakup in their standard distribution channels--including Slackware and Debian. Which particular distribution one should choose is really a matter of personal choice. Our only advice is that users unfamiliar with Linux choose a distribution for which they can most easily get help when they have questions. In other words, it's harder for the user of Fedora to help someone using Debian or Slackware. This is an important point because beginning users will most certainly have questions--many questions.
Even persons who are experienced installing Linux need to prepare before initiating yet another installation. Everyone should expect to take time to gather the information and tools that will be needed to effect a successful installation. Do partitions need resizing and reformatting? What network parameters need to be specified in order to connect to your Lan and/or the Internet? Are some data files, and perhaps certain partitions to be left untouched so that they can appear in the new installation just as they are today?
So, if you are new to Linux, plan to spend some time reading about the installation process and the kinds of decisions you will need to make before undertaking an installation--especially if you're installing on a hard disk which currently has some other operating system that you want to keep, such as Windows, for example. Linux will coexist nicely on a single hard disk with Windows, but only if you don't unintentionally delete it during the installation process. There's no reason to delete Windows before you're ready. However, we strongly suggest you plan to dedicate a computer to Linux exclusively. Our experience teaches us not only that people who dedicate a computer to Linux alone experience less difficulty installing and configuring their Linux computers, but that they also learn to use and enjoy Linux far sooner and much more thoroughly
If you are unfamiliar with Linux, you may soon find that the language of Linux is unfamiliar to you. This is especially true for users whose past experience of computers is with operating environments such as DOS and Windows. Of course, the very same computer that runs Windows today may well run Linux tomorrow using the same hardware. But the words that designate the serial ports and the disks on the system are examples of the kinds of things which have radically different names under Linux. In fact, learning the language of Linux well enough to successfully install Linux is arguably the most difficult task in the entire process.It is very important for you to know how devices are specified in Linux, and about disk partitioning and formatting under Linux before you start. Also, be sure to have requisite information about your network connections handy.
The Official Fedora Documentation Site is an excellent resource for learning the important details about Linux because it is comprehensive and clearly written, and because it provides keyboard command instructions in addition to mouse instructions.
So, use your favorite browser to study Fedora's on line installation guide before attempting your first Linux installation especially if you cannot dedicate an entire hard disk drive just to Linux. In particular note that you will need at least 256 megabytes of RAM and at least 7.9 gigabytes of free disk space (or 2 gigabytes if you don't install the graphical components) to effect a successful installation of the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. We recommend, however, that you have at least 10 gigabytes of free space on your hard disk for a full installation of Linux and room for the files you'll want to keep on hand especially if you're also planning to use the accessible graphical Linux desktop with Orca.
Once you have a good grasp of Linux basics, once you have a sense of how you will use Disk Druid, once you understand terms such as /dev/ttyS0, /dev/sda, and /dev/sda1, you'll be ready to begin installing Linux.
There are several ways to achieve an installation of the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. Unfortunately, the only good way is to first download the CD (or DVD) ROM image files from our servers (as we'll detail shortly) and then create a bootable CD ROM disk. It is no longer possible to install this distribution by booting from floppy diskettes. Methods such as using telnet over a network are more advanced and are covered in a separate HOWTO. Most users will need to have these .iso images regardless and these files are very large which unfortunately makes the process of obtaining them a tedious chore for people who need to use dial up modems. They will take some time to download even over a broadband connection.
The Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution is provided as a set of CD ROM images, and as a single DVD image. These images are called ISO images, on the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution Home Page. In addition, many people will also need either the rescuecd.iso, the diskboot.img, or ithe boot.iso image to boot the installation. Be sure that you have a total of about 3.0 gigabytes of free disk space in the directory to which you're downloading them. Remember, you only need either the single DVD iso image file, or the five disc iso image files, and possibly either the rescuecd.iso, the diskboot.img, or the boot.iso image, (and about 3.0 gigabytes of free disk space).
Whether you use an ftp client, or whether you download these CD ROM image files using a world wide web browser is unimportant in itself. But, because each of these files is very large it will take some time to download them, even over a fast network connection--so that achieving a successful download can seem like a major accomplishment on its own. We strongly advise, therefore, that you use a download method which will resume from the place it was interrupted should your network connection be interrupted for any reason.
IMPORTANT: It is critically important that you obtain a complete set of ISO images. Please take care to note the file size and date for the image files you download and make certain that the images you plan to use for installation all come from the same release edition of the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. Updates to included software are made frequently, sometimes several times a month, so you cannot expect to download two images now and two more a few weeks from now. This is one of the more frequent mistakes people have made in attempting to download and install the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution.
While unfamiliar to many people (especially Microsoft Windows users),
anonymous ftp is arguably the easiest and simplest way to obtain these
files--but only if you have a smart ftp client application like ncftp for Linux or Windows. To use
anonymous ftp to download these files. Follow these steps and end each command
by pressing -ENTER-.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you're using Windows and don't know if the program you use to download files is capable of resuming an interrupted download, you might want to get the latest NCFTP for 32-bit Windows.
Be sure that you are downloading files in binary mode and use this link to download our CD ROM images.
Now that you have the iso images for the Speakup Modified Fedora distribution, you may not need to actually create CD ROMs from these images in order to install the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. iIn fact, installing from iso images that are on your hard drive is often the fastest and easiest way to install. If you downloaded these files to a directory you will not be formatting, such as your /home partition (or your Windows Desktop), for example, you can simply use these files as your installation media.
To install from hard disk you will still need to create a bootable CD ROM or bootable USB stick) as described below. Download the boot.iso or the flash media boot file (which is also available on the DVD image and the first installation cd rom). Or, use the rescue iso image (also available on this page) both to install and to keep against the day that you need to fix problems with your installation. Any of these, or the DVD, or the first installation CD ROM will allow you to boot and proceed with your Speakup Modified Fedora installation.
NOTE: You may also use the hard disk installation option if you have these iso images on any kind of secondary, removable media such as an Iomega Jazz drive or a Castlewood Orb drive. The process is the same though the drive designation will, of course, be different.
We strongly suggest that you check the integrity of your downloaded ISO image files before you create CD ROM installation media, if you can. An SHA1SUM File is provided to assist you in this task. On Linux you can issue the following command:
Of course, you should also use the data in this file to check the CD ROM media you create before beginning an installation. One way to accomplish this on Linux is to first edit this file, replacing the ISO image filename at the end of each line of text with the device designation for your cdrom drive, e.g. /dev/cdrom. If you do this, you can execute the above command to check each of your media disks.
We regret we know of no method for Windows users to check their downloaded image files or their CD ROM disks before beginning the installation. Fortunately, you will have the opportunity to test the integrity of your disks early in the installation process, well before any data is written to your hard drive.
Now that you have the iso images for the Speakup Modified Fedora distribution, go ahead and create CD ROMs from each of these images using whatever software you ordinarily use for creating DVD or CD ROMs (wodim on Linux, or Nero or Easy CD Creator on Windows, for example). If you will be installing from your hard drive (or from removable media like a Jazz drive), you need only create one bootable media as provided on our installation media page.
Lastly, if your computer supports it, you can create a bootable flash media disk, such as a bootable USB "thumb" drive, with a Linux command like:Of course, "/dev/sde" is an example only. Your correct designation will most likely be different.
What it means to "create a CD ROM from an iso image" has confused many users, especially Windows users. What this means, and how to do this is properly beyond the scope of this document, but we do want to do our best to provide some guidance.
First, and most important, you do NOT "copy and paste" the iso file onto a CD ROM. An "iso image" is actually a kind of "picture" of a CD ROM. In other words, the iso image is actually a mechanism to put many files in a single file.Yyour objective is to create a CD ROM with the contents of the iso image, and not a CD ROM with a single .iso file on it. For example, the first installation CD ROM should have files like the following files on it: README COPYING, autorun, Fedora, README.speakup, images. If you create a CD ROM that does not have these files, and has only the iso file, you didn't do it right.
Now that we've told you what it isn't, and given you some hints and of what
it is--and especially of how to recognize that you've created your disk
correctly, we pause to provide some examples of how to create CD ROMs from iso
image files. Fortunately, the process is well supported by most software used
to create CD ROMs, so you likely only need to learn to use your software
correctly. Creating a CD ROM disk from an iso file on Linux is simplicity itself. From
a console prompt, issue a command like the following: Of course, this is an example only. Your CD ROM device may not be /dev/scd1,
but some other designation. And, you must replace [iso.image.filename] with the
actual filename for each iso image file, as you create disks. Users of Nero on Microsoft Windows need not specify a particular image type
to burn when in the selection dialog of Nero because the ISO image is already
pre-configured correctly. Simply select "burn image," choose the ISO file to
burn, and burn it onto a CD ROM disk.
And, the following is for users of Easy CD Creator on Microsoft Windows:
Now that you've gathered the information and created the media you need to complete an installation of the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution, it is finally time to begin the installation process itself. Be sure to read through this section, and through the installation sections of the Official Fedora Installation Guide before you actually begin the installation, though, so you can be thoroughly familiar with the process. In particular, pay attention to how you will specify your speech synthesizer in order to get a speech-enabled installation underway.
We pause now to name the speech synthesizers currently supported by Speakup. These are the only ones available for you to use to install the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution at this time. Please note the appropriate speakup keyword associated with the synthesizer you will be using. You will need to specify it at the beginning of the boot process as described below:
| Accent SA | acntsa |
| Accent PC | acntpc |
| Apollo | apollo |
| Audaptor | audptr |
| Supported Blazie products (including the Braille 'N Speak and the Millenium and the Type Lite (with firmware version 4.10 or greater), but NOT the PAC Mate) | bns |
| DEC Talk USB (serial only) and the DEC Talk Express | dectlk |
| DEC Talk External | decext |
| iTripleTalk internal (PCI card) and Doubletalk internal (isa card) | dtlk |
| TripleTalk, Doubletalk (or Litetalk) External | ltlk |
| Keynote Gold | keypc |
| Speak Out | spkout |
| Artic Transport | txprt |
NOTE: While Speakup can now be used with a software speech synthesizer, the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution can ONLY be installed using a hardware speech synthesizer.
The correct syntax for indicating which speech synthesizer you're using is:
So, to install with an external Litetalk,you will specify that speakup should talk to the Litetalk synthesizer as follows:
By default Speakup probes for a speech synthesizer on all the serial ports available to it. If this doesn't work, you may specify a particular serial port. The first serial port, the one Windows/DOS calls COM1 becomes ttyS0 in Linux, and COM2 becomes ttyS1, etc. So, to indicate that Speakup should use the second serial port, you would specify:
NOTE: If Speakup probes for a speech synthesizer but fails to find one, Linux will still boot though it will not speak. On the other hand, if you specify a particular port and Speakup cannot find your indicated synthesizer on that port, Linux will not boot.
At long last you are ready to begin installing the Speakup Modified Fedora distribution. Start a text-based installation with speech by booting your bootable flash media device or the CD ROM you created from the boot.iso or rescue CD image, or by booting the first installation CD ROM disk.
NOTE:If booting the first installation CD ROM doesn't work for you, as it currently doesn't in some circumstances, you'll need to create a boot disk as described in Downloading Required Files above
But, when and how do you specify your synthesizer? Regrettably the boot prompt doesn't start out talking. So, you will need to monitor disk activity as your system boots. Most computers will beep briefly following BIOS activity just at the point that system information is read from disk. Your disk will spin briefly following this beep. When it stops, you're at the installation options menu.
At this point what you do depends on what media you booted:
Now, before you press <ENTER> complete your installation options specification as follows.
where {synth_keyword} is the appropriate speech synthesizer keyword. You may also specify your serial port (which seems to be necessary with some computers). So, for example, to start a text-based installation with an Apollo on the second serial port, you would type:
And, if you're installing from your hard disk (or from removable media) you need to add the "askmethod" argument to your command. So, if you're installing from your hard disk with a DEC Talk USB connected on the second serial port you would issue your command like this:
Lastly, if you are installing over telnet, you would type a something like:
Consult our Telnet Installation Mini-HOWTO to learn more about using telnet for installation. Telnet is particularly useful when you have no hardware speech device to use installing the Speakup Modified.
You will have about five seconds to start typing this command. Once you start typing, the time-out clock stops, so you can take your time to type the command correctly once you start typing.. If you feel you've made a typing mistake, you will need to begin from the beginning again. Regretably, there is no longer a reliable way to clear what you've typed to start over, so type carefully.
About a minute after you press enter speakup will begin speaking the installation process. You're on your way.
The first few choices you make will determine how accessible your installation will be. Here's what to choose. If you make a mistake, just start over:
Perhaps the trickiest part of the installation is also a very critical point in the installation. Red Hat's partitioning tool, called Disk Druid, is often confusing to new users. You'll need to use Speakup screen review commands carefully to ensure that you've correctly specified your mount points and which partitions are to be formatted. So, here's a quick introduction to using Speakup followed by an introduction to Disk Druid.
There's more, of course, but this is all you really need to get started and perform a proper installation of the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution of GNU/Linux.
Partitioning the hard drive is one of the most critical tasks you face during the installation process. It's also somewhat complicated especially for the beginning user. Please study this section carefully, therefore, before you take on this important task for the first time.
On the other hand, you do have a choice. If you're happy letting the installation program make decisions for you, you can select "automatic" and you will get two partitions, a small /boot partition, and your remaining hard disk space in a / partition. You should only select "automatic" if you're willing to have your entire hard disk reformatted.
We do not recommend selecting automatic disk partitioning primarily because your /home directory will not be created as a separate partition. While this may sound mysterious to the novice Linux user, the experienced user will immediately recognize the problem here. Not having /home in a separate partition will mean that all that user data will need to be backed up before your next Linux installation. Whereas, creating a separate partition for /home, and perhaps also for /usr/local, makes it easy to reinstall tomorrow without the added complication of backing up and restoring user data.
To make your own partitioning decisions, you will need to indicate at least the "slash" mount point by using Disk Druid. There are two parts to the Disk Druid main screen. These are reached sequentially by using TAB and Alt-TAB. These two parts consist of:
Fortunately, you can also activate these buttons using the function keys at the top of your keyboard. A legend is presented at the bottom of the DiskDruid screen:
We strongly recommend using up and down arrow to select the disk device (or "free space") to partition, and then one of the function keys to invoke the appropriate action. If you use up and down arrow plus the function keys, you'll never need to TAB in DiskDruid. Many people find this the better way to use DiskDruid. But, you can also TAB (and Alt-TAB) through the action buttons, pressing enter to activate one.
So, how do you know when you've tab'd to the list of defined partitions? Speakup won't say anything in particular to tell you you've reached that list. Instead, here's how you can know. As you tab, you eventually come to a button that says "back." When you hear "back" for the first time, tab once more. You'll hear Speakup say "back" again. You are now on the list and can use down arrow (you'll always start at the top of the list) and then up arrow to move through the list. You can only move through this list when you're on it. In other words, if you're on one of the action buttons (like NEW or EDIT), up and down arrow will not work. Also, be careful to use Speakup "read current line" key, the number 8 key on the numeric keypad, to ascertain that you're actually on the partition you mean to be on before editing or deleting it.
Press a function key (or TAB to an action button and press enter). This will bring up a new, subsidiary screen. Some of these subsidiary screens are quite simple, others are not. The EDIT and NEW screens, for example, will first give an edit field where the mount point for this partition is to be specified. This is where you type '/', or '/usr', or '/home', for example. Use TAB and Alt-TAB in these subsidiary screens to work your way through the various options and edit fields. Use the screen review features of Speakup often to understand what's happening. The #8 key on the numeric keypad is your friend. And, if you explore with other keys, remember that the enter key on the numeric keypad will return the Speakup cursor to the system cursor--the place you actually are on the form.
There are four types of controls you'll encounter on these subsidiary screens:
IMPORTANT: Be sure to check each entry on the list of partitions before continuing to the next step. It is not hard to make a mistake in the Disk Druid screens, and it can be quite cumbersome to undo mistakes after you've created and formatted partitions
Here are some additional recommendations and critical points regarding the choices you need to make during the installation process:
Immediately following the installation of software packages you will be prompted to reboot your computer. Indeed, your installation of Linux is complete. Certainly, after all this work, you're anxious to try out your new Linux system.
STOP! Despite what the screen says: Don't Reboot Yet! You have one critical step left to perform in order to finish your installation.
Now, issue this last, very critical command:
If you fail to do this step you will find that Speakup suddenly stops speaking just when it seems you've finished booting your new installation of Linux. That's because the graphical (and inaccessible) FirstBoot program Red Hat provides to help sighted users define some important configuration settings, such as creating users and identifying how this computer connects to the Internet will completely block your ability to do anything. Unfortunately, FirstBoot launches before any consoles launch, so there is absolutely nothing you can do as a blind user once FirstBoot is running either to work with FirstBoot or to get out of it. This is why it so important to insure that firstboot doesn't run when you boot your computer for the first time.
You can also disengage FirstBoot by booting into "single user" mode. To get to single user mode you will need to monitor disk activity as your system boots. Most computers will beep briefly following BIOS activity just at the point that system information is read from disk. You have about ten seconds during the time your system is at the Grub boot loader stage in its boot process to indicate an alternative boot mode. Type "a s" and press --ENTER-- (without the quotation symbols, of course). Your system will boot with Speakup and you will come to a command prompt where you can issue the chkconfig commands from the previous section to kill FirstBoot. Use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot your system when you've finished.
At long last the time has come to boot your installation of the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution. Return to the installation environment by pressing Ctrl-D and then go ahead and reboot by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete. You'll hear Speakup reading the various boot messages as your system boots. Eventually, it will stop speaking and your computer will beep once. You are now at the graphical login screen for the graphical desktop. This is where you will start Orca--but we won't be describing that in this document. Consult Orca's help pages to learn more about configuring and using Orca.
Unless you change the default runlevel, you will boot into a graphical console by default. So, press and hold:
to switch to the first text console. You have six text consoles by default, (left) Ctrl-Alt-F1, (left) Ctrl-Alt-F2, through (left) Ctrl-Alt-f6, and you can have more by editing /etc/inittab appropriately.
You are now at the log in prompt. Type "root" (without the quotation symbols) and press -ENTER-. Then, type in the password you supplied for root during the installation and press -ENTER- again.
If you missed the step where you specify your Speakup device to Grub, you'll need to login without the benefit of Speakup before you can start Speakup. Here's how to do it reliably. Boot your computer. After all disk activity from the boot process stops, follow these three simple steps:
Unless you've changed your default runlevel from "5" to "3" in /etc/inittab You will boot into a graphical console by default. So, press:
to switch to the first text console.
You are now at the log in prompt. Type "root" (without the quotation symbols) and press -ENTER-. Then, type in the password you supplied for root during the installation and press -ENTER- again.
You will know you've completed this step successfully if your computer beeps when you press the back-space key a few times. The beep means you're all the way at the left margin and can't back-space any further, Use this beep anytime you start Linux without Speakup to confirm that you've actually logged in. If it doesn't beep, you didn't type the login steps correctly. If that happens, try another text console by pressing (left) Ctrl-Alt-F2 (or higher) and try logging in again.
Now that you've logged into your Linux computer as the root user, you can start Speakup for all text consoles by issuing the following command:
In the above command {synth_keyword} refers to the appropriate speech synthesizer keyword. Of course you should adjust this command to reflect your situation. So, for example, to start Speakup with the software speech device you would type:
Note that specifying sftsyn is not sufficient to start Speakup with software speech. You must also correctly launch the software speech engine that sftsyn will connect to. For example, TTSynth users will likely use the command spk-connect, or the shortcut symbolic linkcommand, spt, to start TTSynth via the sftsyn Speakup device as discussed in the TTSynth README document.
Of course, it's never to late to add the proper Speakup device designation to your /boot/grub/grub.conf file. Simply open this file in your favorite text editor (like vim or nano) and append the correct Speakup keyword to then end of the kernel line in the appropriate stanza.
If you'd rather have your Linux system boot into text mode by default, here's how to set that up. As root edit your runlevel in /etc/inittab, changing the value from "5" (which specifies GUI) to "3" (which specifies text). Your edited line should look like this:
Here's a reliable way to accomplish this edit from the command line using the stream editor, sed:
Congratulations. You should now have a working, talking Linux installation. Of course this undoubtedly means that you have more things to learn in order to get the most from your Linux computer. The Speakup mailing list is a good place to get help with your problems and questions. We strongly suggest, and we cordially invite you to join the Speakup mailing list.
We would be remiss not to provide some additional pointers to the wealth of helpful information about using Linux which is available to you. The following are but a few, key options. Some of these are on line, web resources, and some are built into your Linux installation itself:
Fedora Core provides a safe and simple means for keeping your installation fully up to date called yum, the Yellow-Dog Updater Modified. You do NOT need to register to use yum as you did with the older (though still viable) up2date service. Yum is simply the latest word in secure, up to date, package management for your installation, and it's easier to use than any other tool we've seen yet.
Because you're using a Linux kernel modified with Speakup, you need only to make certain that yum doesn't install a kernel that doesn't have Speakup on your computer. Edit the /etc/yum.conf file and insert the following line of text somewhere in the section labeled [main]:
Before using yum for the first time, you need to import the security keys yum needs in order to verify that the software it downloads is genuine. As root do the following:
Now, as root, run yum as follows from a console command line prompt:
It's really that simple to keep your installation fully up to date. And, it's important to do so particularly for the sake of the various security patches that are released from time to time.i And, if your computer is usually on and on line, you may wish to simply let your installation update you nightly and automatically:
The above command will turn on automatic update the next time, and every succeeding time you boot. To turn automatic yum updating on for the current boot do:
Lastly, we at the Speakup Modified have also created a yum repository for the various packages, such as gnome-speech-ibmtts (for TTSynth) and Firefox 3 (with industry leading accessibility). Now there's a yum way to keep your Speakup Modified packages up to date. Consult our Yum Mini-HOWTO to learn more.
If you have installed the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution on a computer which also boots another OS, you will want to know how to choose which OS to boot when you turn your computer on. You will also want to know when you're at the so-called "boot loader stage" of the booting process from time to time in order to access single user mode. Should you also choose to install more than one kernel, you will also want to know when your computer is at this stage so that you can select which kernel to boot. To do this reliably as a blind computer user, you need to make the Grub Boot Loader beep. Here's how to achieve that:
The next time you boot you will hear one beep for each Ctrl-G symbol you inserted in this file.
The Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution is a community service of Capital Accessibility, LLC
The Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution is maintained by William Acker
This HOWTO and the Speakup Modified Fedora Distribution web site is maintained by Janina Sajka, and was last modified on2 January 2005.
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